Music is required any time I work. Required. I am definitely not the type of person who thrives in silence or tranquility. It makes me itch.
At the same time, though… I can’t be covered in loud, clashing noises while I work, either! I need a just-the-right-mix blend of sounds. When I worked in an office environment, I was starved for musical stimulation. It’s tough though because most office environments don’t allow you to download amazing applications like Spotify, so you’re left with unpredictable, commercial-laden, streaming web radio like Pandora.
Almost one decade ago, I discovered SomaFM. It is the best collection of genre- and mood-based radio stations I’ve come across. My particular favorite stations for work days in the office are Groove Salad (on more mellow days), Secret Agent (more upbeat) and Beat Blender (somewhere in the middle).
There are also good stations (all have next-to-no commercial interludes – only station identification!), Lush (female-vocalist focused) and Illinois Street Lounge (saucy vintage tunes). There’s even a dubstep station if you’re into that.