Work Playlists: What’s the Best Music to Listen to at Work?

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Classical Music

Classical music is typically defined as music created within the Western tradition and involving instruments like violins, cellos, and pianos. Symphonic songs and quiet orchestral pieces played by just a few musicians fit into this category. For some people, classical music is the best music to listen to at work, as it tends to have few distracting words or rough beats. Some also believe it helps them think more clearly.

One of the most famous scientific studies on productivity and music involves the Mozart Effect. Researchers claimed that listening to just a little Mozart daily can help enhance abstract reasoning and that Mozart's piano sonatas induced a subjectively relaxing state.

The researchers in this study split 36 students into three groups. The first group listened to a selection of Mozart tracks, the second a relaxation tape, and the third was subjected to 10 minutes of silence.

Once the listening activity had finished, all participants took the same test. The Mozart group averaged an IQ increase of 8–9 points compared to the other two groups.

Your work may not involve studying or taking tests, but results like this suggest that classical music might help you feel a little more focused.

Use this playlist for inspiration:

Andante Cantabile by Budapest Strings
Goldberg Variations by Bach
Deux Arabesques L. 66 by Debussy
Pavane by Faure
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor by Beethoven
Après Un Rêve, Opus 7 by Faure
String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major by Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 4 in A Major by Mendelssohn
Karelia Suite, Opus 11 by Sibelius
Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor by Beethoven

Instrumental Tracks

Instrumental music involves sounds with no vocals. Movie soundtracks, house music, and some forms of chill vibes are generally considered instrumental, as they don’t have vocalists.

Research suggests that music like this is less distracting than songs with words, which could make it a good choice for the workplace.

For example, in a study conducted in 2011, researchers gave participants tests involving verbal tasks, math, and logic while listening to vocals, instrumental music, or silence. Scores on the verbal test went down when lyrics were played.

If your job involves writing, editing, or otherwise working with words, instrumental music could be a smart choice.

Consider this chillwave playlist to get you started:

Two Thousand and Seventeen by Four Tet
Belly Breathing by Birocratic
Bubbly by Shibo
CandleLit by DJ Harrison
Degrees of Light by Taylor McFerrin
Cirrus by Bonobo
Awake by Tycho
For Marmish by Floating Points
Be Encouraged by Keifer
Window Drops by ITO

Songs That Get You Pumped Up

In 2014, a group of researchers set out to answer the question: Does listening to a particular type of music make us feel more in control or powerful?

They created a study that monitored how music could influence motivation and behavior. Primarily, they played several songs for participants and asked them, on a scale of 1–7, how dominant, determined, and powerful they felt after listening to each piece.

To calculate how music can influence behavior, participants were asked to listen to a track and decide whether they would like to go second or first in a debate. The results showed that those who listened to a high-power playlist were twice as eager to go first than those who didn't.

Fast-paced songs could be right for you if your job involves movement (like training), talking (like sales), or delivering (like driving). You might also like these songs if you struggle to get started with your work in the morning or the afternoon slump hours.

If you want to feel empowered, add some high-power tracks to your work playlists. Consider this playlist:

7th Sevens by Bonobo
Alma by il:lo
Arey by ITO
Bloom by ODESZA
Canyon Wells by Koresma
Daffodil Pickles by Emancipator
Dawn by ITO
Dilla’s Éclair by DJ Harrison
Emei by il:lo
Frozen by HAELIUM

woman smiling next to smiley face balloon

Feel-Good Songs

We often think about music touching and changing our ears. However, the sounds we hear can also have a deep impact on our brains.

In imaging studies, researchers found that the paralimbic and neocortical parts of the brain change when music is played. When people hear the songs they like, the prefrontal cortex is active. When they hear songs they don’t like, the amygdala activates.

Studies like these show that popular feel-good songs can scientifically influence our emotional state. And sometimes, those good feelings can translate into more effective work.

Although feel-good songs differ from person to person, this Pop/AC playlist could help you get thinking:

Alaska by Maggie Rogers
Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves
Green and Gold by Lianne La Havas
You Make My Dreams (Come True) by Daryl Hall and John Oates
Ain't a Thing by Oliver Nelson
Birds by Coldplay
Budapest by George Ezra
Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran
Come Alive by Years & Years with Jess Glynne
Dancing in the Moonlight by Kind Harvest

How to Integrate Music into the Workplace

For many people, listening to music at work is both normal and expected. In fact, in a survey of more than 1,000 American workers 18 and older, more than 8 in 10 said they were able to listen at work. However, 38% said they were only allowed to listen to their songs with headphones.

In some office environments, it’s ideal to allow workers to play whatever songs they want through headphones. However, in a survey of more than 800 people, 9% said they thought coworkers wearing headphones were rude or pretentious, and 27% said people wearing headphones just wanted to be alone.

Research like this suggests that headphones could leave workers feeling siloed. If you’re hoping for collaboration and conversations, you may need to change your music policies.

You could play music over shared speakers in office areas. An approach like this could muffle background noise and conversations, and if you pick the right mix, your employees might appreciate the sounds. However, it’s critical to allow employees to provide input on the songs you play and how loud the volume should be. If you ignore them, you could cause more resentment than pleasure.

Ask a small group of employees to work with you on a perfect playlist, and deploy a trial of the approach. Ask your staff to provide anonymous feedback, and adjust as needed. Go through this process several times to ensure you’ve found the winning combination.

Create Your Work Playlists with Pandora CloudCover

Pandora CloudCover specializes in background music for business environments. If you’re looking for a partner that can help you build the perfect playlist and share it with employees and visitors, we could be the perfect fit.

We offer hundreds of preprogrammed channels. Select playlists based on an artist, a genre, or a time period. Customize by combining channels, and block songs from ever playing again with a click of a button. Our playlists are so deep and varied that your employees won’t be hit with the same song on repeat.

Use our zoning tools to change the songs within your location. For example, you might play soft classical music in open workspaces, dance music in the cafeteria, and feel-good anthems in reception. Change the songs with one easy-to-use dashboard.

We feature a low-cost, reliable way to play music for your business or at your offices. Every subscription features the necessary licensing fees, so you can rest easy knowing artists and songwriters are appropriately paid as you listen to your music.