What to Play During a Startup Brainstorm? This Playlist Will Keep the Ideas Flowing

Not all music is meant for meetings. But the right kind can turn a regular discussion into a game‑changing moment.

It’s 1 a.m. Four young people are squeezed into an old sofa in a loft. A whiteboard is covered in arrows, crossed‑out ideas, and messy scribbles. Someone’s pounding the table with excitement. Another person is frowning, scribbling out a proposal they just wrote. They’re arguing fiercely about a new product direction—but no one wants to stop.

Sound familiar?

Or more to the point: is this happening to you right now?

Every brainstorm in a startup’s early days is a battle of energy. Passion is never the problem. What’s missing is often that “just right” atmosphere: too quiet and everyone gets stiff, holding back their ideas. Too loud and nobody can hear what’s being said.

There’s a simple trick that creative teams have quietly used for decades: play the right background music during a brainstorm.

It’s not a distraction. It’s not just “vibe.” It’s an invisible hand that gently pushes inspiration forward.

In this article, I’ll break down what kind of music makes startup discussions flow better, ideas get wilder, and people feel more relaxed. And I’ll give you a ready‑to‑use “brainstorm playlist.”

🧠 Why Brainstorms Need Music – It’s Not Magic, It’s Neuroscience

Let’s clear up a common misunderstanding: brainstorming ≠ deep focus.

When you’re coding or solving math problems, you need deep‑work mode – your brain shuts out all outside information. Creative brainstorming is the opposite. It needs divergent thinking – your brain jumping, colliding, and making connections between different ideas.

In this state, your brain actually welcomes a little bit of auditory stimulation.

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that moderate background noise (around 70 decibels) sparks creative performance. Complete silence or really loud noise, on the other hand, kills creative thinking. Why? A moderate amount of background sound nudges your brain to pull back just a little – so you don’t get stuck staring at one direction, making it easier to make fresh connections.

But here’s the catch: no lyrics, and the rhythm can’t be too tight.

As soon as there are lyrics, your brain’s language centers light up. You unconsciously start “listening” instead of “feeling,” and the discussion gets interrupted. And if the beat is too strong (like 130 BPM electronic dance music), your heart rate speeds up. People get restless – they want to talk over each other instead of listening.

Golden formula for brainstorm music: instrumental, medium tempo (60–110 BPM), repetitive but not boring, with some open space in the sound.

🎶 A “Creative Brainstorm” Playlist – Sorted by Vibe

I’ve split the best brainstorm music into three moods. You can switch between them depending on where your team is at.

1. Warm‑up: Shifting from “Work Mode” to “Play Mode”

Best for: Funk / Jazz‑Funk / Instrumental Groove Rock

At the start, everyone’s still wearing their serious meeting face. You need a light, groovy rhythm to pry the atmosphere open.

• Vulfpeck – “Dean Town” – Just bass and drums, but the groove is perfect. Makes you nod along without overpowering the conversation.
• Herbie Hancock – “Chameleon” – Classic jazz‑funk, 70s flavour. Relaxing yet energising.
• Tower of Power – “What Is Hip?” (instrumental version) – Brass power, no vocals. Like a gentle shot of excitement into the room.

🎧 Volume tip: keep it a bit lower than normal speech – you can hear it but it’s not intrusive.

2. Mid‑brainstorm: Ideas Colliding, Need “Flow”

Best for: Ambient Electronica / Progressive House / World Music Instrumental

When the discussion heats up and everyone’s throwing out ideas, the music should be like a calm river – not stealing the spotlight, but carrying all the emotional ups and downs.

• Tycho – “Awake” – Guitar meets synth. Gentle but forward‑moving.
• Bonobo – “Kiara” – Complex rhythm but not tense. It wraps around the room like air.
• Nils Frahm – “Says” – Piano and electronic beats, a repeating motif that pulls you into a flow state.

At this stage, it’s best not to change tracks too often – frequent cuts kill the discussion’s rhythm. Go for a continuous mix or a long playlist.

3. Wrapping up: From Diverging to Converging – Need “Warm Strength”

Best for: Modern Classical / Minimalism / Warm Jazz Trio

The final stage of a brainstorm is usually about pulling scattered ideas into an actionable plan. The music here needs to calm people down without losing hope.

• Max Richter – “On the Nature of Daylight” – Bittersweet but not hopeless. Helps land wild ideas into real commitments.
• Keith Jarrett – “The Köln Concert (Part I)” – Improvised jazz piano with room to think. Great for everyone writing up their own summaries.
• Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Amore” – Simple and warm. Like saying, “You did great today. Tomorrow, keep going.”

🌧️ An Underrated Option: Ambient Sounds & White Noise Variations

Some teams find any music distracting. Then try café background noise or rain sounds with distant chatter.

Why does that work?
Because your brain is naturally tuned to “human presence in the background” – it signals: This place is safe. You can think freely. But unlike a specific song, it doesn’t grab your attention.

Try: MyNoise website, search “Café Restaurant” or “Rain on a Tent.” Or on Spotify, just search “coffee shop background noise.”

📱 Why Your Phone Will Ruin This Brainstorm

You might be thinking: I can just play these playlists on my phone, connect it to a Bluetooth speaker – done.

True. But you’re missing the most fatal flaw: your phone is a device that’s literally designed to interrupt you.

Imagine this: you’re at the most exciting point of the discussion. A call comes in. You mean to ignore it, but the screen lights up. Out of the corner of your eye you see – “Urgent! Client issue.”

You glance at it. And just like that, the thread breaks. By the time you look back up, that almost‑formed idea has flown away.

Worse, when your phone is connected to a speaker and a call comes in, the music cuts out. That sudden “thump” of silence crashes everyone’s mood right back to the floor.

That’s why more and more creative teams and startup studios are switching to dedicated music players to manage their room atmosphere – like the Globluum Android Music Player we designed.

• Zero distractions: No notifications, no calls, no pop‑ups. It does one thing: plays music.
• Team‑shared mode: Leave one player fixed in the meeting room, connected to speakers. Everyone walks in and knows – it’s brainstorm time. No one gets hijacked by their phone.
• High‑quality sound: When the bass groove fills the room cleanly instead of being a muddy blur, that immersion relaxes everyone’s body language – and relaxation is creativity’s best friend.

🛋️ Three Practical Tips for Startup Teams

1. Rotate the DJ: Let a different person pick the playlist before each brainstorm. It’s team‑building – you’ll see how everyone’s music taste mirrors how they think.
2. Set volume rules: Music should never drown out voices. The test: if you raise your voice a little, you can cover the music – but at normal speaking volume, it’s just background.
3. No one‑size‑fits‑all: Some brainstorms need absolute silence (like crisis management). Others need dead quiet to sit with something heavy. Watch your team’s energy, and be ready to turn it off or switch it up.

🎁 One Last Gift

👉 Click the link below to find out how to win a free player and cash rewards.

Share Your Rizz

What does your startup team like to listen to during brainstorms? Has a song ever saved a discussion? Share your story on social media with #RizzMachine or email us at music@globluum.com – we’ll pick the best stories to win a free unit.

Because sometimes, a world‑changing idea is born inside a perfectly placed bassline.