Imagine you walked into the bank and as you opened the front door you’re blasted by hard-rock at top volume. Or imagine walking into a cafe to hear...silence. Nothing but the clink of coffee cups and the hum of conversation. 

Both uncomfortable, right?

Music shapes so much of our experience, even though sometimes we aren’t aware of it. We only tend to notice background music (or lack thereof) when it doesn’t fit our expectations. Background music has a huge influence on the atmosphere. It can pump you up, bring you down, or drive you crazy.

At Bytebrand, we are pro office-music. 

If you walked into our office you would hear. We have chromecast audio playing in the background every day. We even pull some cool tricks, like playing the same station while working on a particular project, which forms associations between that station and the project. Long after the project is done, playing that station can bring us right back into the project. It’s the closest thing Bytebrand has to time travel.

We use music to soften the atmosphere; to take the edge off. Without music your attention gets spread between conversations happening across the room, and weird noises become impossibly loud. With the right music, all the sounds melt into one ambient vibe.

But be warned: choosing the office music is a power that comes with great responsibility. If the chooser is having a rough day, their “bad, bad world” choice could end up bringing down the whole team. On the other hand, if the music is upbeat, the whole team moves a little faster. 

And of course, there are people who don’t like listening to other people’s music selections. To those people, we have one word. “Headphones”. Everyone at Bytebrand is always welcome to enjoy their own music, or silence, with a pair of headphones. 

There’s no right answer to the question. Every company has their own “corporate culture”. Our corporate culture includes music and the right to break out into dance.