Decade of MP3 Experiments Has Hilarious Results (Photos, Video)

Participants enjoy the 2 p.m. MP3 Experiment in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, New York on Sept. 20, 2014. (Petr Svab/Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—It was an ordinary day in 2004. The European Union had just expanded by 10 states, the iPod Mini was just released, and thousands of Harvard students had just started to enjoy the obscurities of “Thefacebook.”

Charlie Todd was riding on a subway when he noticed many people were wearing headphones. The MP3 music players were really taking off. Then a thought occurred to him: “What if everyone was listening to the same song?” Or even better: “What if everyone was listening to the same instructions?!”

Being the founder of Improv Everywhere, a “prank collective,” as the company calls itself, there wasn’t much lag time between Todd’s wacky idea and its happening. 

MP3 Experiment originator and Improv Everywhere founder Charlie Todd in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, New York on Sept. 20, 2014. (Petr Svab/Epoch Times)

MP3 Experiment participants (back, L–R), Lucia Knell, Philip Ayers, Jenny Poretz, Julian Golfarini, Mackuy Landy, and Cecilia Brown (front, C), in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, New York on Sept. 20, 2014. (Petr Svab/Epoch Times)

 

“People let go of their inhibitions and no one really cares if they’re making a fool out of themselves,” said Jenny Poretz, 23, from Manhattan.

“Or just locking arms with a random stranger,” Golfarini said. “You might never do that on a subway train but in this case it’s totally fine.”