Why the fuck would they not let you talk to people around you? How does making you miserable increase productivity?

I imagine music, if it’s on headphones, might be some kind of safety hazard.

I would think a good manager might allow a speaker at a reasonable volume, provided a group in the area will not complain about the music choices of others. Then you have arguments the manager has to deal with. So I might understand the reason for that policy.

EDIT maybe you give each person an hour to play the music they want. At their station, on their device.