For many Scots, noise cancelling headphones are as much a component of their outfit as their jeans and T-shirt.

With the growing availability and portability of music, we are able to cherry pick every note that enters our ear holes the moment we step outside the door.

But has this made us less tolerant of the music selected for us on the high street?

Anti-muzak campaigners breathed a sigh of relief this week after M&S's decision to turn off the music in shops across the country.

Nigel Rodgers, founder of the waggishly-named campaign group Pipedown, called the decision his "first major triumph in several years".

The group is pushing for a widespread ban on music piped into public spaces, particularly in hospitals, claiming research shows people do not want background music as part of their everyday lives.

To get a flavour of the sounds bombarding our shoppers, we took to one of the busiest high streets in Scotland on Wednesday afternoon and compiled a playlist of the songs we heard in major retailers.

Click play to hear the Sounds of Sauchiehall Street (patent pending) - you can get the full track list at the bottom of the article.

A brief analysis showed us that retailers of a similar demographic to M&S - John Lewis and BHS for instance - had also opted for silence in their stores.

Primark and Boots meanwhile had a faint murmur of background music - but it was so faint shoppers would be lucky if they could hear it, never mind recognise the artist in question.

On the other end of the spectrum, shops appealing to a younger consumer had no qualms blaring chart hits from their speakers, such as Lush, Dr Martens and H&M.

So what does Glasgow think of the war on muzak?

It would appear shoppers on the high street are not as incensed by a musical accompaniment while they browse the shelves.

Sauchiehall Street shoppers were generally positive on the issue.

Opinions ranged from "I don't really listen to it" to "I enjoy a bit of music in town, it makes things a lot cheerier."

One Coldplay fan who had been at Hampden on Tuesday night told STV: "It doesn't bother me. If it's something I like then I quite enjoy it, otherwise it's very much background music. If it's something I don't like I just tune out."

Sadly there was a distinct lack of Coldplay blasted to the general public in Glasgow - perhaps the city had its fill.

So why does background noise leave some boiling with rage and others ambivalent? We spoke to Dr Don Knox, senior audio lecturer at Caledonian University about the perplexing split in opinion.

Dr Knox said: "The types of music in public places that is going to annoy someone is something that doesn't match their preferences.

"If they didn't choose to listen to it, if it very loud or distracting, that does impact annoyance.

"But the point that we shouldn't have music in public environments doesn't hit the mark for me. People seek music while doing something else - I don't think that necessarily makes it bad, it's just your personal association."

While M&S and Selfridges may have opted out of using background music, evidence shows retailers can benefit from its application.

Australian university lecturer Adrian North has done extensive research on the applied social psychology of music.

He claims if you play slow music in supermarkets then people tend to browse more slowly and look at more products - as a result they spend an average of 10-20% more.

Dr Knox added: "Music certainly does impact consumerism. There is quite a lot of research that shows the type of music played affects people's buying habits, how quickly you move around, how long you stay in restaurant or even how likely you are to enter an establishment.

"What happens in retail is music is often used to create a brand identity, for instance retailers with a young demographic, although it is such a complex relationship.

"There has been negative feedback over the fact that there's complete silence in certain shops - I don't think that's a good thing for M&S."

Track list:

TK Maxx: James Arthur, Impossible

Sports Direct: Indiscriminate dance (Shazam did not recognise)

Argos: Crystal Fighters, You & I

McDonalds: Arctic Monkeys, Black Treacle

Burger King: Inoffensive Taylor Swift-esque ballad

Anne Summers: Pitchy R&B

Dr Martens: Lonely The Brave, Islands

Schuh: Daughtry, Torches

Top Man: Powers, Loved By You

H&M: More unrecognisable dance