Man uses local Starbucks as office and music studio in Los Angeles

Electronic piano, synthesiser, monitor and keyboard all pictured at man's table in coffee shop

Working outside offices and home has become more common (Reddit)

The rise of "flexible working" has seen many employees leave the traditional office space for alternative set-ups.

But one man appears to have taken the practice to the extreme - by setting up his music studio at his local Starbucks in Los Angeles.

An image of the man posted online shows he appears to have taken his electronic piano, keyboard, monitor, synthesizer and other equipment.

The photo purportedly taken in the city's Los Feliz branch has been commented on hundreds of times on the Reddit website.

One user said: "How is this possibly tolerated?

"Why is this dude who is sucking up power and taking up a lot of space for the price of a drink and a cookie allowed to do this, but a homeless person can't stick around a read the paper?"

Another asked whether the musician could really be a professional.

"He must not be that great a DJ considering he can only afford free WiFi," said a Reddit user.

Others, however, said they admired the man's commitment - and that many Starbucks in that area of the city attracted eccentric and extensive work set-ups among its customers.

"That Starbucks is literally a home office for some people. I would never go there to work, because there'd never be any space," said one Reddit user.

Self-employment has been on the rise in both north America and Europe, with the UK seeing a record-high of 4.5 million self-employed workers in 2014 - despite it seeing one of the biggest drops in salary owing to the rising cost of living.

The man's equipment in Los Angeles also included an audio rack, controller board and microphone.