What’s the best music for productivity? It’s a simple enough question – and finally, we have a definitive answer.
We know that certain music can boost performance: a recent study found that background music improves working memory and speeds up skill-based tasks. Additionally, the right music can stimulate the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and improving mood. But not all music is created equal – so to save you searching through countless playlists, we set out to find the best music to boost productivity.
One of the biggest threats to workplace productivity is distraction, with other threats being lack of confidence and low motivation. These distractions often include other deadlines, a busy mind or the buzzing backdrop of an office.
If you relate, you’re not alone – and our recent survey results suggest music may be the solution you’re looking for. Almost three-quarters (73%) of workers we surveyed often find themselves distracted in the workplace – but, for four in every five employees (80%), music helps them to concentrate and be more productive.
Most importantly, with two-thirds (66%) even say music motivates them at work more than any other incentive, you can use music as a way of appreciating your employees by providing them with this easy to implement tool which can benefit not only the workforce, but the business itself. Even more so, 90% feel more confident when their to-do list is backdropped by a good song, so not only is having music in the workplace important for employees confidence, the type of music you play is just as crucial.
With this, TheMusicLicence has created the ultimate guide to provide you with survey results and research as to why music is a powerful tool for focusing in the workplace. A recent study found that preferred background music helps workers sustain task-focus mental states by preventing mind-wandering. However, there can be a disconnect between what workers want to hear while they’re working, and what’s actually played.
To ensure you’re playing music that will improve mood and productivity for workers, you might wish to survey your team, so the soundtrack meets their musical needs. Otherwise, let us make life a little easier.
We’ve analysed thousands of productivity playlists and identified 1,000 songs that commonly appear. Using this dataset, we’ve dug into the specifics of what makes the ultimate productivity playlist.
Our first element we looked at was genre. Drumroll please…Pop music! We found that pop music took the top spot throughout and is, consistently, top for productivity – both on company and personal playlists, with sub genres like Pop-Punk or Pop-Rock bolstering its popularity. Rock came in second, defining just over a quarter (26%) of the featured songs.
We also ran a survey that asked workers from various sectors to share their favourite music genres for work playlists – and we found that one sector that gets it right is warehouse and logistics. Pop music is the most common genre for their playlists (55%) and the favourite choice for workers (30%). With pop always coming out on top, it doesn’t always neccsarily inline with all your employees preferences, so it could be a good idea to switch to pop to rock, or house to chillout- this way it ensures all workers get to hear their favourite genres throughout the day.
Our music therapist, Marianne Rizkallah, breaks down the benefits of each genre for productivity so can ensure whatever the sector your business falls in, there’s a genre that will work well with your workforce:
Pop music: “Pop music’s predictability is its strength, making it at home in any productivity playlist. Song length, tempo, timbre or sound palate, and verse-chorus format are all pop staples and gives the listener something dependable and reliable” she explains. “There won’t be too many surprises, and the music, therefore, doesn’t have to demand all your attention and isn’t distracting, so you can focus on the work you need to get done.” Says Marianne.
R&B: “R&B’s smooth, clean production and vocal lines make it a pleasing listen and easy on the ear” observes Marianne.
“As with Pop music, its song length, tempo, and sound palate are often similar across the genre, allowing for a “pad” of sound to distract the ear from background noise and allow the brain to focus most of its energy on the task at hand.”
Chillout and Classical: Classical music is a popular choice for focus, with its soothing effects. “As well as focus, Chillout and Classical music can help induce a state of calm.” Marianne notes. “With a slightly slower tempo encouraging a slower heart rate, using music to feel more relaxed enables your energy to be used where it’s needed and stimulate creativity.”
The “Mozart Effect” suggests that listening to classical music can improve spatial-temporal skills. This is why composers like Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach are popular choices for concentration.
If you’re someone who wants to use music for concentration but unsure where to start; here at TheMusicLicence, we’ve created the ultimate music guide to help ease you into using music as a tool for productivity. Head to the main article to find out the best genre for concentration depending on your task, whether it be listening to R&B to allow your brain to focus, classical to chill you out or pop music to keep your tempo up and finish the task at hand. Finally, you can view our ultimate playlist that boasts hundreds of songs that our survey participants agree on being great for motivation and concentration.
Before you hit ‘play’ for your colleagues, you’ll need a music licence for your office. Once purchased, you’ll be able to play millions of songs so you can enjoy seeing the productivity boost in your team – while having the peace of mind knowing that you’re legally covered and supporting the entertainment industry. Get a quote for the music licence online or call 08081348365.
