music to listen to doing homework

College Info Geek

The Ultimate Study Music Playlist

This is a playlist of my favorite study music. It’s great for homework, studying for exams, reading, and generally getting crap crossed off my many checklists.

I’ve been working on this playlist for several years, and it contains music (all non-lyrical) from a wide variety of genres and sources, including video game/anime/movie soundtracks. At the moment, it’s got about 240 songs for you to choose from.

Listening on another app? I’ve worked to mirror this study playlist to other services. Check them out below:

• Spotify Study Music Playlist
• Apple Music Study Playlist

If you’d like, you can study with me in another tab while this plays. You can also listen to the playlist on YouTube instead of on this page.

By the way – I create my own study music as well! If you’d like to give it a listen, here’s a playlist:

You can also follow me on Spotify or on YouTube if you want to be notified when new tracks are released.

Need even more study music?

Here are a few options.

Brain.fm – Music designed specifically to help you focus more effectively. It works really well for me, and I use it for around 50% of my research, writing, and reading sessions – the other half are mostly done with the playlist above.

Piano Study Playlist – If you’re in the mood for a more consistent playlist, check out this one full of solo piano tracks.

Coffitivity – Sometimes I’m in the mood for ambient noise instead of music, and the sounds of a bustling coffee shop are my personal favorite type.

Noisli – An ambient noise generator that lets you create your own mix using sounds like rain, thunder, fan, and white/brown/pink noise.

More Playlists

Work Vibes – My personal playlist of “getting-stuff-done” music. Most of the tracks here have vocals, so I wouldn’t read or study intently with them. But they’re great for crushing emails, working on design projects, or doing other work where I simply need to execute quickly.

Tom’s Workout Playlist – A collection of the tracks that usually accompany me to the gym.

4 best music for homework that’ll dramatically improve your productivity

Choosing the right music for homework can help you focus better and learn faster.

Around 60% of students tend to listen to music while studying. Researchers also found that listening to music was the most popular side activity for teens who juggled studying with another task.

While we may prefer different genres of focus music, we can all agree that the right playlist has the magical ability to boost concentration.

This is because music activates the most diverse networks of the human brain. It’s been proven that people with ADHD focus better with the right music.

This is on top of  existing research  that has found listening to music reduces anxiety, blood pressure, and improves sleep quality, mood, and memory.

Johns Hopkins University researchers have done work on jazz performers improvising inside an fMRI machine to see which areas of the brain light up as well.

They found that jazz musicians make unique improvisations by turning off inhibition and turning up creativity.

In short, if you find the right music for homework, you can elevate both brain power and creativity.

While there isn’t a one-size-fit-all approach to this, let us help you narrow down some of the best genres for you to try:

Here are the five best music for homework to help you increase your productivity:

Having the right music matters, even for top athletes. Source: Tiziana Fabi/AFP

1. Classical music

When picking music for homework, you’ve probably heard how classical music can increase your focus when studying.

There’s a theory dubbed “The Mozart Effect” that suggests this genre of music can enhance brain activity and arouse your brain to focus.

There are also several studies done where students listening to classical music did better on quizzes than students with no music.

Suggestions:

• ClassicFM  (a free radio streaming platform that plays famous classical pieces)
• “Study Playlist: Classical Music” on Spotify
• “Classical Music for When You’re on a Deadline” on YouTube

2. Video game music 

This might surprise you but video game music is actually one of the best music for homework. According to Orion Academy , video game music is designed to keep you absorbed and focused — which is also great for memorising. 

When your brain is focused on just melody, it’s taking a break from trying to break down the lyrics of a song and thus increases your performance .

Video game music tends to stay at a relatively low, constant volume too, preventing you from becoming distracted by sudden increases in volume.

Since video game music is generally fast-paced, your brain will be constantly engaged in the task at hand.

• “Video game soundtracks” on Spotify
• “Video game music for studying” on YouTube
• Choose favourites from this list and create your own playlist!

3. RnB 

If you’re someone who easily gets distracted, RnB may not be the best music for homework for you. There’s a high chance that you might spend too much time jamming to the lyrics of the song instead of focusing.

Though music under his genre generally has lyrics, many RnB fans reported feeling more relaxed, focused, and less stressed, which may have a positive impact on their ability to focus and learn.

• “Study R&B Smooth Songs ” on Spotify
• “Chill R&B Beats Mix – Beats to Relax and Study (Vol.1)” on YouTube

4. Nature sounds 

It’s been shown that nature sounds relax our nervous system. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  have also discovered that natural sounds boost moods and focus.

The study found employees were more productive and had more positive feelings when nature sounds were playing in the background while they worked.

Nature sounds include the soothing sounds of the rain, ocean waves on the beach or even the jungle. Some prefer listening to bird calls and animal noises, so feel free to explore if nature sounds aren’t the right music for homework for you. 

Relaxing Nature Sounds for Sleeping – Natural Calm Forest Waterfall Music Meditation Sound for Study on YouTube

“Nature Sounds For Concentration” on Spotify

Popular stories

8 richest men in malaysia and how they made their billions, best money-making side hustles to earn you extra income in 2024, 5 types of visas for talented nigerians looking to live abroad, jobs in tech: 6 countries offering visas to skilled foreign graduates, why are certain genres of music more effective in helping you study than others, this is the ultimate focus music for students, according to research, these are the best music types to engage your brain.

October 2021

Best Study Playlists - Study Music, Focus Music

• Online Learning Community

Everybody has their own routine for how to study for exams, do homework, read or focus on a particular task. Listening to a study playlist is a great way to center your attention and lift your mood. Listening to music can also reduce stress, which is a plus when it comes to balancing a busy schedule of work, school and family!

Music Therapy has proven that you can process a wide range of emotions from excitement to thoughtfulness depending on what type of music you listen to. When we’re studying, we’re probably aiming for thoughtfulness. Research has also shown music has the potential to boost memory, which can be a huge plus.  However, complex and distracting music might not be the way to go when choosing the right studying playlist for you.

We have found that the best genres of music to listen to while studying, reading or writing include minimalist, classical, piano and low-fi music. We’ve compiled some of the best lyric-free playlists that will act as brain food while keeping your attention on your studies so you can ace that test and earn that A.

Best Study Playlists on Spotify

This more than 24-hour playlist is full of piano and classical songs to help you focus.

Lofi Girl curates some of the most relaxing and engaging playlists. Her use of lo-fi tracks mixed with ambient pieces will keep you relaxed but never bored.

This playlist is all instrumental all the time!

Best Youtube Study Playlists

This is a deep-focus playlist so you know you’ll finish what you need to get done!

This Bossa Nova & Jazz playlist is a MOOD. It will transport you to a lovely cafe, on a rainy day.

This extra ambient playlist describes itself as “brain power, focus concentration music.” You’ll feel like you’re in a sound bath.

Music is just one way to improve your mental health. See more tips on how to improve your mental health as an online student.

* Arizona Online does not endorse playlist creators. Music is not guaranteed to boost academic performance.

Recent Articles

• Student Stories

Stepping into the Digital Landscape

• Degree Spotlight

What Can You Do With A Public Health Degree?

• Awards & Recognition

Arizona Online U.S. News & World Report Rankings

How to Apply

Financial Aid

Keep in Touch

Start the application by logging into the portal

Undergraduates

First time users

Create Account

Returning users

“Hey Siri, play the Homework playlist.”

100 Songs, 5 hours, 12 minutes

Featured Artists

Still woozy, soccer mommy, beabadoobee, cautious clay, leon bridges, select a country or region, africa, middle east, and india.

• Côte d’Ivoire
• Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
• Guinea-Bissau
• Niger (English)
• Congo, Republic of
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Tanzania, United Republic Of
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates

Asia Pacific

• Indonesia (English)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic
• Malaysia (English)
• Micronesia, Federated States of
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Solomon Islands
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• France (Français)
• Deutschland
• Luxembourg (English)
• Moldova, Republic Of
• North Macedonia
• Portugal (Português)
• Türkiye (English)
• United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina (Español)
• Bolivia (Español)
• Virgin Islands, British
• Cayman Islands
• Chile (Español)
• Colombia (Español)
• Costa Rica (Español)
• República Dominicana
• Ecuador (Español)
• El Salvador (Español)
• Guatemala (Español)
• Honduras (Español)
• Nicaragua (Español)
• Paraguay (Español)
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• St. Vincent and The Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos
• Uruguay (English)
• Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

• Canada (English)
• Canada (Français)
• United States
• Estados Unidos (Español México)
• الولايات المتحدة
• États-Unis (Français France)
• Estados Unidos (Português Brasil)
• 美國 (繁體中文台灣)

(2023) Best Homework Songs to Listen While Study

• Post author By admin
• September 21, 2022

Doing homework is a very boring thing.

It is tough to make your mind ready for homework, but staying focused on your homework is the more challenging.

Do you also feel bored while doing your homework?

I do not know about you, but when I was a student, I always started feeling bored and uninterested just by hearing the name of homework.

But then I started using a magical thing that changed my boring homework session to a fun session.

That magical thing is homework songs.

If you do not know about homework songs, then these are the songs that you can hear while doing your homework.

There is no particular category of these types of songs; these are entirely based on your taste in music.

But some music makers create such songs that fulfil the requirements of being a homework song.

In today’s blog, I will suggest many homework songs that you can use as your homework song.

There will be some songs that were produced as homework songs. 

And others will be the songs that are regular songs, but you still can use them as homework songs.

This will be a detailed blog about homework songs, so read it till the end.

Table of Contents

How to Choose a Homework Song?

Before going to the suggestions, let me tell you how to choose a homework song.

In my suggestion list, you will get all types of homework songs. 

Some songs will follow the steps that I will tell you in this topic.

And some will not.

I will do this to increase the number of options for you.

But I designed a checklist that you should check before choosing a homework song.

The first thing you should check is that there should not be lyrics in your homework songs.

Lyrics can distract you from your homework, so always choose the song with no vocals.

If you have a favourite song that has lyrics, you can find its music on the internet. 

You can do this, but I will not suggest this even.

Because if you have a favourite song, then there is very much possibility that you will already know the lyrics.

And when you play the music of that song, then there is a very high possibility that music will change your homework session in a music party.

Because if you know the lyrics and your favourite song music plays, then no one can stop you from singing it.

Relaxing Music

You can select any music genre as your homework song.

But most people suggest that the song you are going to select for homework should be relaxing.

So, your first priority should be a relaxing song. 

A relaxing song will help you relax your mind while doing your homework.

Not just with homework, if you want to do any other work as well and feel stressed; you can use these songs there also.

Below, I shared a complete list of relaxing songs that you can use as homework songs.

It would be best to try to use long mixes of songs for your homework.

There are a lot of 1 to 2 hours (Even longer than this) long mixes that are present on YouTube. 

You can choose them according to yourself.

Sometimes, your homework session can be very long, like 3 to 4 hours. 

In those times, these long mixes will help you a lot.

If you are using these extended mixes, then you do not have to replay or change your song. 

By this, you can focus on your homework more appropriately.

You also can use the loop feature, but these mixes are very well edited, so you get a lot better experience in these mixes.

So, This was a small checklist of 3 points about choosing homework songs.

You should consider these points while choosing a song for your homework.

But, it is not mandatory that you have to follow all these points and only then you can choose a good song.

If you have another song that you think will help you focus on your homework, you can choose that.

I also shared those types of songs in this blog that do not follow these three rules.

Below, you will find a list of songs that follow these rules and the songs that are entirely opposite.

Best Homework Songs For Your Boring Sessions

I hope you understand the above rules that I have shared; I should start my suggestion list now.

These are some of the best songs for homework that everyone suggests; this list is not based on a single category.

You will find different kinds of songs on this list. 

If you want songs category-wise, then you can scroll a little in this blog.

For now, here are some best homework songs.

Most of the songs that I have shared are the instrumental version of the original songs, so all the credits goes to the respected owners of the songs.

Homework Songs With My Checklist

Relaxing songs are the best when you have to do study or homework.

These songs help you relax your mind and increase your concentration and focus.

Moreover, it also helps you to avoid distractions around you.

That’s why I thought to make a different list of just relaxing songs, try to choose a song from this list.

It will help you a lot with your homework. 

If you consider relaxing music boring, then you don’t have to worry.

After this list, you will find some fun and sad homework songs as well.

But for now, here is the list of some best relaxing songs that you can use for homework songs.

Best Relaxing Songs For Homework

Relaxing songs are the best, when you have to do study or homework.

These songs help you to relax your mind and to increase your concentration and focus.

Best Fun Songs For Homework

This was one of the most challenging lists to select.

Fun songs that are also for homework; It was a pretty challenging task.

But after some research, I have selected some songs that are fun and you can use them for homework.

Some of these songs have Lyrics. 

That’s why before choosing a song from this list, think for some time.

I will suggest you test every song from this list and then decide which song works better for you.

1. Life ain’t fair music

There are two versions of this song, one with lyrics and one without lyrics.

Its version without lyrics is just on another level; it gives me chills every time I hear it.

Its beats drops are just crazy and fire.

If you watch TikTok or Instagram reels, then I am sure you have heard it.

You can use this song as your homework song. It is a good song, no matter how much time you listen to it, you never get bored.

One problem about this song is that its without lyrics version is not available on Spotify.

But you can hear it from YouTube, just type “life ain’t fair,” and this song will be in front of you.

You can put this song on loop and can do your homework.

2. Fairytale (Alexander Rybak)

If you like the violin, then this song is for you, and if you do not like it, then this song will make you love the violin.

This song has lyrics, but its music is so great that you will find thousands of without lyrics versions of this song.

The music of this song will give you another level of excitement.

You can use this song while doing your homework, but keep one thing in mind, don’t start vibing with this song.

Because it will make you vibe, and then you will get distracted.

3. NF – The Search (Bass Boosted)

“The beat drop of this song slaps harder than my dad’s belt” I had read this line from this song comment section.

And it is entirely correct; this song just fills another level of energy.

I first heard that song on social media, and I liked it so much that I searched for it on YouTube.

It took some time to find this song as I did not know the song’s name, but then I finally found it.

The name of the official song is NF – The Search, and it is available on the NFrealmusic YouTube channel. 

It is a good song, but its bass boosted version makes it much better.

You can choose this song for your homework, but one problem with this song is that it has Lyrics.

You May Also Like -:

• Is Homework Illegal AnyWhere?
• 20 Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned
• Who Invented Homework And Why? Best Facts You Should Know

So, this was the blog about some best homework songs.

I hope you liked it and this was helpful for you to find some good songs that you can play while doing your homework.

If you have any other song suggestions on this topic, let me know in the comment section, it will be very helpful.

Moreover, let me know which song you will try from this blog.

So, this is the end of the blog; I hope you liked it; stay connected for more fantastic content.

What are some good songs to listen to while doing homework?

These are some good songs to listen while doing homework -: 1. Ad Astra Per Aspera –Acceptance. 2. For Martha –Smashing Pumpkins. 3. Out of My Mind- John Mayer. 4. Waltz Into the Moonlight –Tryad. 5. The Birth and Death of the Day –Explosions in the Sky.

What music helps you focus on homework?

The music which is relaxing and does not have lyrics help you to focus on homework, relaxing music relaxes your mind and because it does not have any lyrics you will not get distracted.

What is the TikTok song that helps you do homework?

There are many TikTok songs which music can help you to do your homework -: 1. Laxed (SIREN BEAT) 2. Hey Mama 3. Roses(Imanbek Remix) 4. Aesthetic by Xilo 5. Drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo

• Tags homework songs , songs for study
• australia (2)
• duolingo (13)
• Education (268)
• General (74)
• How To (16)
• IELTS (127)
• Latest Updates (162)
• Malta Visa (6)
• Permanent residency (1)
• Programming (31)
• Scholarship (1)
• Sponsored (4)
• Study Abroad (187)
• Technology (12)
• work permit (8)

Recent Posts

March 3, 2020

Does Music Boost Your Cognitive Performance?

The answer depends on your personality

By Cindi May

Getty Images

Music makes life better in so many ways. It elevates mood , reduces stress and eases pain . Music is heart-healthy , because it can lower blood pressure , reduce heart rate and decrease stress hormones in the blood. It also connects us with others and enhances social bonds . Music can even improve workout endurance and increase our enjoyment of challenging activities .

The fact that music can make a difficult task more tolerable may be why students often choose to listen to it while doing their homework or studying for exams. But is listening to music the smart choice for students who want to optimize their learning?

A new study by Manuel Gonzalez of Baruch College and John Aiello of Rutgers University suggests that for some students, listening to music is indeed a wise strategy, but for others, it is not. The effect of music on cognitive functioning appears not to be “one-size-fits-all” but to instead depend, in part, on your personality—specifically, on your need for external stimulation. People with a high requirement for such stimulation tend to get bored easily and to seek out external input. Those individuals often do worse , paradoxically, when listening to music while engaging in a mental task. People with a low need for external stimulation, on the other hand, tend to improve their mental performance with music.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing . By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

But other factors play a role as well. Gonzalez and Aiello took a fairly sophisticated approach to understanding the influence of music on intellectual performance, assessing not only listener personality but also manipulating the difficulty of the task and the complexity of the music. Whether students experience a perk or a penalty from music depends on the interplay of the personality of the learner, the mental task, and the music.

In the study, participants first completed the Boredom Proneness Scale , which is a personality test used to determine need for external stimulation. They then engaged in an easy cognitive task (searching for the letter A in lists of words) and a more challenging one (remembering word pairs). To control for practice and fatigue effects, half of the subjects completed the easy task first, while the other half completed the challenging one first. Participants finished both tasks under one of three sound conditions: (a) no music, (b) simple music or (c) complex music. All of the music was instrumental, and music complexity was manipulated by varying the number of instruments involved in the piece. Simple music included piano, strings and synthesizer, while complex music added drums and bass to the simple piece.

The data suggest that your decision to turn music on (or off) while studying should depend on your personality. For those with a high need of external stimulation, listening to music while learning is not wise, especially if the task is hard and/or the music is complex. On the simple task of finding A’s, such subjects’ scores for the music condition were the same (for simple music) or significantly worse (for complex music) than those for the silent condition. On the complex task of learning word pairs, their performance was worse whenever music was played, regardless of whether it was simple or complex.

For those with a low need of external stimulation, however, listening to music is generally the optimal choice. On the simple task of findings A’s, such participants’ scores for the music condition were the same (for simple music) or dramatically better (for complex music) than those for the silent condition. On the complex task of learning word pairs, the participants showed a small but reliable benefit with both simple and complex music, relative to silence.

The results suggest that there are substantial individual differences in the impact of music on cognitive function, and thus recommendations regarding its presence in the classroom, study hall or work environment may need to be personalized. Students who are easily bored and who seek out stimulation should be wary of adding music to the mix, especially complex music that may capture attention and consume critical cognitive resources that are needed for successful task completion. On the other hand, students with a low need for stimulation may benefit significantly from the presence of music, especially when completing simple, mundane tasks.

Before students decide to slip in their earbuds, though, they should carefully consider both their musical selection and the nature of the task. All of the music used in the present study was instrumental, and lyrical music will likely be more complex. Complexity appears to increase arousal, and the Yerkes-Dodson law suggests that a moderate level of arousal produces optimal performance. When there is too little or too much arousal, performance drops. Thus, the benefits of music for those with a low need for external stimulation that were observed here could diminish or even disappear with the added complexity of lyrics.

Similarly, increases in the complexity of a cognitive task might also reduce or eliminate the benefit of music. Although the “complex” task used in this study (learning word pairs) was only moderately challenging, the increase in complexity, relative to the simple task, was enough to reduce music’s positive effect. With a highly challenging cognitive task (e.g., text comprehension or exam preparation), even those with a low need for external stimulation may fail to show such an effect with music.

With the right (low-need-for-stimulation) personality, the right (instrumental) music and the right (low-to-moderately-difficult) task, the presence of music may significantly improve cognitive functioning. Given the many other physical, emotional and psychological benefits of music, that subscription to Spotify just might pay for itself!

Cindi May is a professor of psychology at the College of Charleston. She explores avenues for improving cognitive function and outcomes in college students, older adults and individuals who are neurodiverse.

• Advertise your Music
• R&B Artists
• R&B Videos
• Song Guides
• Best Guitar Lessons Near Me
• Best Singing Lessons Near Me
• Live R&B Radio
• Submit Music

The Best Study Music: What to Listen to While Doing Homework

Students and music cannot be separated because they all love music and some can keep their players on an entire day. Music can help lift mood even when the student is alone in their rooms, relaxing outdoors, or walking. In the study room, not all music will be good when you are doing your homework.

You need to concentrate on getting the answers right because some types of music will just keep distracting you and you might lose an important point. The following music is good to listen to during homework time.

Hip hop is generally called hip hop culture because its lovers believe it promotes a music culture globally. Being one of the oldest music genres, Hip hop blends several tunes and vocals into one piece of a song that is vibrant, confronting, and celebrating life.

This is one of the styles of music a student can listen to while doing homework because it mostly speaks about real-life experiences and encourages a listener when they realize they are not the only ones experiencing a challenging moment. It can help encourage a student do homework even when they feel like the task is too difficult for them.

Other type of Homework help

If you want to do well in college, always make an effort to do all the homework your teacher assigns you. It helps improve learning and you will reap the good fruits of education. Despite your efforts to do your best and complete all academic work, sometimes you feel you need help. You don’t have to worry because Edubirdie can do your homework while you concentrate on your study. You can get help from their professional writers any time because they help every student according to their needs.

Country music

Country hits are mostly associated with things that touch on independence and freedom. The artists sing about situations they went through yet overcame. Some sing about terrible adversities like alcoholism, fighting, rejections, and such incidences and how they eventually overcame. Doing a ton of homework is not always easy because some assignments can be tough and complex. The student might feel it was not meant for them but if they can tune and listen to several country hits, they can start feeling encouraged and go on with their assignments.

Jamaican reggae is characterized by features such as amplified guitars, offbeat quavers, electric guitars, and a large number of drums. It is a genre that is more masculine than feminine and male students love this genre. Although it doesn’t have a unique rhythm, reggae reflects culture, values, and spirituality. Some researchers say listening to reggae can help students do better in math because the spirituality in reggae can help condition the mind to learn. If a student has some math to do in their homework subject, they might consider listening to reggae.

Classical music forms a combination of sophisticated tunes and vocals and this is what makes this genre popular. Researchers believe classical music nurtures the soul and helps grow the mind. Other studies say when a student creates a habit of listening to classical music, their language skills develop fast. They also benefit from improved spatial skills, reasoning skills, and better intelligence. These are benefits that can help a student do their homework better.

Instrumental

Instruments-only music was traditionally used as a substitute for vocals and to create music for dancing. Listening to this genre can help an individual learn better about other cultures and appreciate the expertise of instrumentalists. When used by a student, it can help boost critical thinking and improve development for creativity. These are important skills needed for higher student productivity.

Nature sounds

According to recent data, listening to recorded sounds of nature has many benefits to the mind. It helps reduce stress, pain and increase mood. The study further says listening to natural sounds helps an individual create a sense of safety and they can stop worrying about what is happening outside and concentrate on what is before them. A student can do their homework better when listening to recorded natural sounds.

Music has immeasurable benefits to students while at school, commuting, or relaxing. A student can listen to music to improve cognitive skills and enhance their memory. Students who create a habit of listening to music when doing their homework may enjoy doing their assignments without feeling stressed. Currently, there are over 1,000 music genres in the market and this gives a student freedom to choose which genre is best for them .

Author’s Bio:

Robert Everett is a leading writer and works for a marketing agency where is known for marketing collateral, brochures and PPT designing skills. He’s equally good in his freelancing job, where he helps students do their homework and essays on time and effectively. In his free time, he loves cooking Korean food, watching sports shows and learning digital art.

Related Posts

• 10 Best Otis Redding Songs of All Time

15 Best Rock Bands of All Time

10 Famous Singers from Hawaii

10 Best Linda Ronstadt Songs of All Time

“unholy” by sam smith: deciphering the song’s profound meaning, 10 best pokémon earbuds for gaming and music.

100 Best Worship Songs of All Time

Worship songs are a powerful form of music that serve to uplift, inspire, and connect people with a higher power...

50 Best Southern Gospel Songs of All Time

The Soul Train Award winner for "Best Soul Site," Singersroom features top R&B Singers , candid R&B Interviews , New R&B Music , Soul Music , R&B News , R&B Videos , and editorials on fashion & lifestyle trends.

Trending Posts

• Greatest Singers of All Time
• Best Rappers of All Time
• Best Songs of All Time
• Karaoke Songs
• R Kelly Songs
• Smokey Robinson Songs

Recent Posts

• 10 Best Pete Townshend Songs of All Time
• 10 Best Judas Priest Songs of All Time
• 10 Best Elmore James Songs of All Time
• 10 Best Robert Cray Band Songs of All Time
• 10 Best Eddie Vedder Songs of All Time

Good Music – Best Songs by Year (All Genres)

• Best Piano Lessons Near Me
• Best Music Gear

Musical Equipment

• Accessories
• Audio Equipment
• Musical Instruments

© 2023 SingersRoom.com - All Rights Reserved

• Food & Drink

latest posts

Ooni Koda 2 Max is Their Largest Pizza Oven Yet

The Best Music to Listen to While Doing Homework

Research suggests that excessive homework is associated with high stress levels and physical health problems. Now, this is certainly not a happy scene. Education should not be the primary stressor. Rather, it should help children evolve with each passing day.

If you are on the same page, struggling with an assignment, digital academic spaces like MyAssignmenthelp will do it for you by providing homework assistance. Also, there are other amazing ways to keep the odds of homework stress completely at bay. Guess what? It’s none other than music, the ultimate savior.

Whether you need to work on essay topics on music or work on one of those tricky papers on Economics, listening to a few good songs can lift your spirit. Invest some time reading this article and explore the best music to listen to while doing homework.

Here you go!

Relaxing music

You should refrain from tuning in to loud tracks as they hamper concentration. So, it is always better to consider listening to a good set of relaxing music and soothing tracks for better focus and concentration. Such tracks will keep you calm, focused, and determined. You must relax your mind while doing homework. Here is a list of some of the most-heard relaxing songs.

• River by Josh Groban
• Where’s My Love by SYML
• Sense of Home by Harrison Storm
• Tread Lightly by Forest Blakk
• Make It Holy by The Staves
• Someone Out There by Rae Morris
• Glowing Brightly by Florist

Listening to long mixes while doing homework is always a good choice. Such tracks go on for 1-2 hours straight with no hindrances in between. As a result, you can concentrate on the homework topic and keep going without any major roadblocks in between. Now that you are eager to listen to some good long mixes, here are some recommendations.

• Homework and Study – Chill Music Mix
• Lofi Chill Vibe Mix – Homework and Study
• 2 Hour-Long Piano Mix – Concentration Music
• Disney Relaxing Piano Collection – Kno Piano Music
• Beautiful Piano Music – Soothing Relaxation

Now that you know the long mix tracks you should be counting on, let’s move on to the other important segments of this article.

Slow Hip Hop Tracks

The origin of hip-hop and rap is interesting. It involves a lot of word plays, creative inclusions, societal reflections, and the like. Each element is considered the perfect fit for students who aim to achieve more with each passing day. Moreover, hip-hop and rap movements have always contributed to the music scenes across countries and cultures. Listening to good hip-hop tracks while doing homework would be a great choice. Are you looking for recommendations? Here you go!

• Secret Admirer by Sista
• Big Poppa by The Notorious B.I.G.
• My Music by The Sisters
• Next to You by Peaches
• Back and Forth by Titiyo

While these are some of the most-heard hip-hop tracks in recent days, you can always keep an eye out for more. Now, let’s move on to the next best form of music you can listen to while doing homework.

R&B, popularly known as rhythm and blues, is again a popular choice in music, especially among students who like to listen to songs while doing homework. This is, again, one form of music that soothes your ears and helps students focus on their tasks without any hindrance.

Now that you are eager to know about some good tracks in R&B take a look at the following suggestions.

• Untitled by D’Angelo
• The Boy is Mine by Monica
• Return of the Mack by Mark Morrison
• Cranes in the Sky by Solange Knowles
• Let’s Stay Together by AI Green
• Waterfalls by T.L.C.

So, pick your favorite track soon and start working on your homework without finding any hurdles to deal with.

Country Songs

These tracks are an absolute favorite for students choosing good music tracks while doing homework. Country songs are always soothing, soulful, and positive. The stress of homework is real. We acknowledge how tiring it gets after returning home from school and gathering concentration to work on homework assignments.

A few good country music will always help you cope with the stress. Let’s look at some of the greatest recommendations in this matter.

• Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
• Always On My Mind by Elvis Presley
• Mama Tried by Willie Nelson
• King of the Road by R.E.M.
• Wanted by Hunter Hayes

These are some of the most recommended tracks you can listen to. But that’s not the end of it. There are a lot you can listen to while doing homework. So, let the music bugs do the talking, and may you excel in your homework assignments like a champ.

Things to Consider While Listening to Music and Doing Homework

Now that you know the amazing tracks you can listen to while doing homework, you must be eager to listen to some of the above recommendations. But before that, take some time to consider a few things for optimum outcomes in the long run.

Here’s everything you need to know.

• Do not listen to hard rock tracks and heavy metal compositions.
• Such tracks will only kill concentration and hamper productivity.
• Do not play the music loud on your speaker.
• Instead, try using earphones and keep the volume low so it doesn’t affect your ears.
• Avoid music with too many aggressive lyrics and thoughts that can trigger aggression.
• Also, listen to a good set of instrumentals and classical tracks.
• You can also listen to chants of rain and birds while doing homework.
• Select the playlist beforehand so you don’t have to spend extra hours choosing a tracklist while doing homework.
• You should avoid music on the radio as the RJs keep talking in between, and it can affect your concentration.
• Do not choose depressing music tracks, as they can have a negative impact on your mind and keep you away from focusing.
• Do not listen to music that can diminish your cognitive abilities.

So, keep each of these points in mind, refer to the best practices, and never miss out on focusing completely while doing homework without surrendering to boredom.

Let’s check out some amazing facts about music and homework.

Incredible Facts About Music & Homework

• Music can help improve your memory.
• Music with lyrics activates the language-processing areas of your brain.
• It elevates context-dependent learning and contributes to educational psychology.
• Instrumental music can improve intelligence.

Parting Thoughts

So, you are now aware of the bigger picture and the type of music you should listen to while doing homework. So, embrace the best practices, refer to the suggestions shared above, and let music be the light to guide you through academic hurdles.

After all, good taste in music can improve your world. Good music will always lift your mood and motivate you toward your goal, no matter how stressful the situation. It’s an extremely powerful form of art that can alter our mood, bring up emotions, and boost concentration to a different level. Music has the power to change the world and help keep all forms of aggressive thoughts at bay. More importantly, the right choice in music defines your characteristics and makes you a better human being. Also, it helps provide a total brain workout and reduces anxiety and blood pressure. Guess what? It improves sleep quality, mental awareness, and decision-making skills. So, no matter how tiring the day is or what stress you must deal with, never underestimate the power of good music. It is one of the best forms of medicine that can heal us.

So, let’s contribute more music to this world, support independent artists, defeat piracy, and make the process of doing and submitting homework less stressful and more interactive in all forms.

Cheers, and good luck!

you might also like

Exploring Crypto Havens: Countries Steering the Future with Tax Incentives

Strategic Ways to Cash Out Crypto with Minimal Tax Impact

How to Protect Yourself from SIM Swapping (AT&T)

• Have your assignments done by seasoned writers. 24/7
• Contact us:
• +1 (213) 221-0069
• [email protected]

Is Listening to Music while doing Homework OK: 21 best Songs

Listening to music doing homework

Listening to music while doing your homework has always caused divisions in its effectiveness. Some argue that it is advantageous, while others argue that it does not help.

As long as the music doesn’t affect your concentration, then there is no reason why you should not play several songs as you do your homework.

This will help you if you want to handle assignments well. However, if you have no time for that, you hire an assignment writer to do the job for you.

Need Help with your Homework or Essays?

Is it ok to listen to music while doing homework.

The answer to this question is twofold. Music can help put us in a better mood, which is good for studying. Music can also distract us, which is not good when studying.

It is OK to listen to music while doing homework if it does not distract you from your studies. In fact, if you get used to listening to your favorite songs, you can increase the amount of time you spend doing assignments. However, listening to music can be a distraction from your studies if you are not used to it or if it is not your favorite playlist.

For music to be effective when studying, the rate at which it disturbs you should be reduced, and the rate at which it makes you feel good should be increased. 

Research has shown that listening to music while doing tests can boost your scores.

This is due to the ability of music to stimulate parts of the mind that play a role in mathematical ability.

This theory about maths was debunked, and it was concluded that the main reason music can make you do well in tests is its ability to put you in a better mood.

Kids enjoyed more pop music than classical music.

Children who listened to pop did better in tests, as per the research. When music makes us feel good, we try harder, and our minds are willing to take on challenging tasks. 

Music can distract us when studying. When you are studying, your mind manipulates several types of information at once and music can distract that.

The working memory gets worse when listening to music with vocals. Vocals and music lyrics can decrease reading comprehension. Introverts are easily overstimulated and listening to music while studying can distract them more than extroverts.

Bill Thompson, a researcher based in Australia, found that the performance of people when studying can be decreased by listening to music that is both loud and fast.

Those who listened to slow and soft music were less distracted. The difference was not too big. The decrease in performance was minimal.

Therefore, it is fair to conclude that listening to music while you are studying is fine if it puts you in a good mood and it is not too fast or loud.

If you are not an introvert, listening to music while studying is less distracting. Less wordy music is fine to listen to while studying. 

Why Do Students Listen to Music While Studying?

If you turn on music every time you study, it can become a stereotype that can help trigger your mental activity.

Students listen to music while studying to trigger their mental activity as they study. Some report that they enjoy music playing in the background as part of the studying environment. Students also listen to music as a form of entertainment while doing homework, a task they find boring.

Music can prepare and tune your mind to do assignments.

The following are reasons why students listen to music while doing their assignments:

1. It Helps Students Relax before Learning

Music can help you cope with stress.

In research conducted by the US Department of Homeland Security, it was concluded that soothing music consisted of classical pieces, and it helped reduce the level of cortisol in the blood.

The music had an analgesic and sedative effect, too. Turning on the appropriate music can help you relax after a long day of classes and concentrate on your assignments. 

2. Improves Concentration

When it is hard for students to concentrate and do their homework, music helps them to find motivation. Music helps create conditions that are right and comfortable for brain activity.

Mozart music, for example, according to scientists, helps improve alertness and concentration. Students can gather information and thoughts as well as process a rich flow of information. Using MRI, scientists concluded that music affects the most active parts of the brain.

3. It Improves Memory

Soft music plays a significant role in activating neural connections that impact cognitive performance as well as improving memory. Soft music increases intellectual indicators.

It enables students to remember new information better and be less biased in solving very unfamiliar problems. Students can rely on soft music to learn faster and improve memory.

4. Helps Increase Creativity

The average noise level is an example of a creative catalyst. If boredom is killing you as you are working on several assignments, you can put on your headphones to your desired volume and set your favorite playlist.

This gives students some pleasure as they work on their assignments. Always note that loud volumes may end up ruining your concentration.

Background noises complicate the process of processing information and stimulate abstract thinking, hence tuning the brain into a creative work mode. 

5. Helps Deal with Noisy Roommates

Most students live together in school hostels. Roommates at many times interfere with each other’s work. A roommate can be a very talkative person and merely cares about the presence of others.

Sometimes, they don’t see the need to keep silent. Music and noise-cancelling headphones can easily help you deal with this problem. Music can be the only way you have to concentrate on your work if the library is closed. 

5. Music Helps Feel Blue Without Any Consequences

Music boosts the psychology of students. Students often think about their problems when they are studying. According to psychologist Stean Kelsch, positively listening to sad music affects emphatic qualities.

A student can then easily cope with problems. Students listen to performers, associate with them, and empathize with them. The brain then can control emotions and allow the student to let out negative emotions.

The sadness that comes with listening to sad music does not cause consequences that are the same as real sadness caused by difficult situations.

6. Music Motivates Students to Study

Students face the challenge of knuckling down to studies. Sticking to studies once you have started is also a problem among many students.

Students’ favorite tunes help them deal with this by creating a playlist of songs that get them in the zone. If you don’t feel like doing your homework , you can use music as a motivator.

They get excited about the assignment they are about to do and focus on the outcomes.

Listening to music helps release dopamine in the brain, which is a feel-good chemical, according to scientists.

Tracing of neural mechanisms using tomography was used by scientists in the study.

It showed that listening to music helps increase blood flow and activate the brain parts that are responsible for emotions, motivation, and excitement. 

Get a Brilliant Essay today!

Let our essay writing experts help you get that A in your next essay. Place your order today, and you will enjoy the benefits.

List of 21 Good Songs to Listen to While Doing Homework

The challenge when it comes to selecting music to listen to when doing your homework comes with the type of songs. Do not choose music that distracts your need to stay focused.

Everyone can have a different list of songs depending on their favorite playlists. The music preference can be piano, acoustic guitar, classical music, Jazz, reggae, or any other genre.

The following is an example of a playlist that you can listen to when doing your homework:

• Jelly 292 –Jimi Hendrix
• Don’t play with my heart – India Shawn
• Death bed coffee for your head – Powu t Beabadoobee
• Friends Don’t Look at Friends That Way – Tate McRae 
• Say Something – A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera
• The Birth and Death of the Day –Explosions in the Sky
• What If I Told You I Love You – Alie Gate
• I hate you, I love you – Gnash t Olivia O’Brien
• Ad Astra Per Aspera –Acceptance
• Out of My Mind- John Mayer
• Happier – Olievier Rodrigo
• Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) –Pink Floyd
• Guilty Cubicles –Broken Social Scene
• Red-Eye –The Album Leaf
• You Don’t Even Know – The Internet ft. Tay Walker
• Open Eye Signal – Jon Hopkins
• Symphony No. 40 in G minor, First Movement – Mozart
• Canon. –Zox
• Svefn-G-Englar –Sigur Rós
•  Stone Cold Heart – Ana Whiterose x RUDENKO
• Let Me Down Slowly – Alec Benjamin.

Josh Jasen or JJ as we fondly call him, is a senior academic editor at Grade Bees in charge of the writing department. When not managing complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In his spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

Related posts

Chegg vs Course Hero: Which is Better, Accurate and Safer

Take my online class

Take my Online Class for me: Pay the Best for Reliable Grade

Can Canvas Detect Cheating

Can Canvas Detect Cheating? Switching Tabs, IP or Copy Paste

M usic is an indispensable part of our life and you will hardly meet a person who doesn’t like listening to it. Of course, it can be a music of different genres, with or without lyrics, modern or classical, but people enjoy listening to music and can combine a variety of activities with it.

Young generations are also fans of music and every second student has always his headphones. Students listen to music everywhere: on-the-go, in public transport, in the shower and even when they do their homework. However, the last habit is quite controversial as scientists have different opinions about the effect music produces on studying. Let’s analyze the viewpoints of different scholars and decide whether pros or cons of listening to music while you do your homework will outweigh.

How can music be beneficial?

It is not surprising to see different studies about the influence of music on learning and their results are sometimes opposite to each other. Some scientists claim that music can influence the brain work positively as well as provide a learner with some huge advantages including:

• Useful for creative and reflection activities The study done at John Hopkin’s University confirms the viewpoint that music can be a great boost in writing , brainstorming, project work, problem-solving activities. It can improve productivity as well as be a perfect solution for several minutes of rest to recharge for the next activity.

Negative impact of music on doing homework

At the same time, many students still call music a distraction. Why does it happen? The answer is simple, students speak about absolutely different styles of music.

It goes without saying that listening to the song with words you will be more likely to distract from studying by repeating the words of the singer. This fact was confirmed by the University of Phoenix where researchers have proved that lyrics activates language-processing centers of the brain and that results in a lack of concentration and difficulties to recall the memorized information .

The last fact was described in the book “ Educational Psychology ”. Context-dependent learning means that people will recall information better in the same environment how they were memorizing it. If it was a music background at home, there are few chances that this background will be at school too, so information recalling will suffer greatly as well.

One more apparent point is a huge difference in people’s learning styles. Some people will have a much better productivity studying in silence, the others chewing a burger and one more group watching a TV. Music can be beneficial only to some of the students as any sound can affect the performance of others negatively. Consequently, it is impossible to make the only right conclusion about the ultimate benefit or the toughest negative impact of music on student’s performance of the home assignment. The only conclusion is apparent: everything depends on the person and his study environment .

• Latest Posts

Latest posts by Noplag ( see all )

• Periodix: intelligent job matching for freelancers | Noplag review - March 30, 2018
• Hard Work VS Talent: Who Beats Whom? - December 15, 2017
• Listening To Music While Doing Homework: Is It A Good Idea? - December 12, 2017

Share the post "Listening To Music While Doing Homework: Is It A Good Idea?"

Post navigation

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured on

Search results for

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

YouTube Music aims for podcast supremacy as users remain unimpressed

Published on April 25, 2024

• YouTube Music has vowed to become the “ultimate destination” for podcasts.
• The platform feels its podcast recommendations are its “secret sauce.”
• However, users who moved from Google Podcasts aren’t pleased with the new experience.

YouTube Music wants to be the “ultimate destination for podcasters and fans alike,” the company announced in its latest blog pos t discussing the future of podcasts on YouTube.

The platform also highlighted recent changes it’s made to improve podcast listening on YouTube Music. These include support for third-party RSS podcasts, updates to the Android Auto experience for easy in-car listening, enhanced download options, and customizable playlist sorting. The last one on that list is the newest and hasn’t rolled out widely yet . It adds more podcast sorting filters such as “Progress,” “Unplayed,” and “Played.”

Additionally, YouTube says it has revamped its recommendation and discovery algorithms “to help creators and listeners discover new content effortlessly.” YouTube Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich feels YouTube’s “secret sauce” is its podcast recommendations.

While all that sounds great, it doesn’t look like YouTube is really listening to its podcast users. Users aren’t happy with the podcast experience on YouTube Music.

The ground reality of podcasts on YouTube Music

Google’s decision to move podcasts to YouTube Music hasn’t been well received by legacy Google Podcasts users. In April, Google officially shut down its Podcasts app in the US and had users migrate to YouTube Music. People outside the US can still use the old app, but not for long .

Those who moved their podcasting needs over to YouTube Music are struggling to use the service. The podcasting experience on YouTube Music lacks basic features such as “Mark as Played” and notifications for new episodes. Users also struggle to discover content on the platform, switch between listening to podcasts and music, create queues and playlists, and more. The list of complaints is very long.

Do you like listening to podcasts on YouTube Music?

“It’s really annoying when it jumps back to a podcast I’ve already listened to, and the played message goes away,” a Reddit user noted just a few days ago.

“With Google Podcast, I was able to select and play several podcasts in a raw. I cannot see how to do that with YouTube Music. Many podcasts are not transferred to YouTube Music and cannot be found with the search option. Overall, the user experience is horrible,” wrote another unhappy user.

“If I pause an episode part way through and close the app, it goes back to the beginning of the episode when I reopen. There is no auto-deleting of downloaded episodes after they’ve been played, and sometimes when I manually delete a download, it won’t go away,” complained another.

Reddit is filled with such remarks from those using YouTube Music to listen to podcasts. A large number of users have also switched to or are looking to move to alternative podcasting platforms such as Pocket Casts.

For Google to make YouTube Music an “ultimate destination” for podcasts, it first has to improve the platform’s basic usability before it adds more complex new features.

You might like

Listen to President Joe Biden’s Full Interview with Howard Stern on ‘The Howard Stern Show’

Tune in to Howard 100 (Ch. 100) or stream it on the SiriusXM app.

President Joe Biden joined Howard Stern today (April 26) for a one-on-one conversation during “The Howard Stern Show.”

Listen to the interview all day Friday on Howard 100 (Ch. 100) with more replays over the weekend. Stream it anytime on the SiriusXM app.

“Sitting and listening to Bruce Springsteen , I am live. I know typically on a Friday I am not live, but I decided to break into my own channel because I’m sitting here with a phenomenal guest,” Howard said at the start of the show, having chosen to play the same song Springsteen performed at the president’s inauguration.

Howard continued, “Somebody I’ve wanted to meet for the longest time and somebody I’m an admirer of and somebody I adore. And it is not somebody doing an impression. It is the real President of the United States of America, President Joe Biden.”

Throughout their very personal conversation, the two discussed Biden’s accomplishments since 2020, his upbringing and early political career, and more. The President also confirmed he would be “happy” to debate Donald Trump this year.

Pete Buttigieg Discusses Key Bridge Collapse, Anti-LGBTQ Laws, and More

Hillary clinton defends biden’s age and rips trump in new interview, kamala harris talks biden, abortion rights and more in exclusive interview, music, sports, news and more.

All in one place on the SiriusXM app

¿Qué Pasa Houston? Here are the events happening around town this weekend

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- T.G.I.F. ¿Que Pasa Houston? This weekend is full of music, art, wine, and activities for the kids.

The third annual Sugar Land Arts Fest is underway Saturday and Sunday with over 100 artists showcasing their work.

They will have a large beer and wine garden area with shaded seating and a massive array of music all weekend.

The arts fest takes place at the Smart Financial Center's plaza. Tickets are $10 and onsite parking is free.

Over at the Houston Botanic Garden, it's the annual Music in the Garden concert series.

Join in on this family-friendly afternoon of soulful roots music at the Bayou Blues Festival . Admission tickets are $15.

For news updates, follow Mayra Moreno on Facebook , X and Instagram .

Related Topics

• COMMUNITY & EVENTS
• WEEKEND HAPPENINGS
• FAMILY & PARENTING

Houston agency hosts inclusive Field Day for Autism Acceptance Month

Houston pediatric patients go to prom with community support

¿Qué Pasa Houston? Events happening around town this weekend

Houston's Art Car Parade was back in full force in downtown

Top stories.

Man charged in connection to woman's death at living facility: Records

• 5 minutes ago

3 high-dollar vehicles stolen on same night in Deer Park

• 3 minutes ago

Driver injured after rollover crash involving HPD officer, police say

Warm, humid weekend with a few stronger storms Sunday & Monday

• 38 minutes ago

Cook charged with child porn weeks after allegedly defiling food

Security guard saves man shot in SW Houston club, suspect unknown

Woman found dead in shallow grave struggled with addiction: Sister

Texans use 1st three 2024 picks on secondary, protection for Stroud

Spotify is currently not available in your country.

Follow us online to find out when we launch., spotify gives you instant access to millions of songs – from old favorites to the latest hits. just hit play to stream anything you like..

Listen everywhere

Spotify works on your computer, mobile, tablet and TV.

Unlimited, ad-free music

No ads. No interruptions. Just music.

Download music & listen offline

Keep playing, even when you don't have a connection.

Premium sounds better

Get ready for incredible sound quality.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Music Features

Ai music isn't going away. here are 4 big questions about what's next.

Jewly Hight

The anonymous producer Ghostwriter, seen here in February at a Grammy party at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, created a stir in 2023 with the single "Heart on My Sleeve," which used deepfake technology to recreate the voices and styles of Drake and The Weeknd without either artist's involvement or permission. JC Olivera/Getty Images hide caption

The anonymous producer Ghostwriter, seen here in February at a Grammy party at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, created a stir in 2023 with the single "Heart on My Sleeve," which used deepfake technology to recreate the voices and styles of Drake and The Weeknd without either artist's involvement or permission.

The radio version of this story originally ran on All Things Considered on April 8, 2024.

For as long as people have been making money from music, there have been disagreements to hash out — over who gets to claim credit for what, where music can be used and shared, how revenue should be split and, occasionally, what ownership even means. Each time the industry settles on a set of rules to account for those ambiguities, nothing disrupts the status quo all over again quite like new advancements in technology. When radio signals sprang up around the nation, competitors proliferated just across the border. When hip-hop's early architects created an entirely new sonic culture, their building blocks were samples of older music, sourced without permission. When peer-to-peer file-sharing ran rampant through college dorm rooms, it united an internet-connected youth audience even as its legality remained an open question. "This industry always seems to be the canary in the coal mine," observed Mitch Glazier, the head of the Recording Industry Association of America, in an interview. "Both in adapting to new technology, but also when it comes to abuse and people taking what artists do."

In the music world as in other creative industries, generative AI — a class of digital tools that can create new content based on what they "learn" from existing media — is the latest tech revolution to rock the boat. Though it's resurfacing some familiar issues, plenty about it is genuinely new. People are already using AI models to analyze artists' signature songwriting styles, vocal sounds or production aesthetics, and create new work that mirrors their old stuff without their say. For performers who assiduously curate their online images and understand branding as the coin of the realm, the threat of these tools proliferating unchecked is something akin to identity theft. And for those anxious that the inherent value of music has already sunk too far in the public eye, it's doubly worrying that the underlying message of AI's powers of mimicry is, "It's pretty easy to do what you do, sound how you sound, make what you make," as Ezra Klein put it in a recent podcast episode . With no comprehensive system in place to dictate how these tools can and can't be used, the regulatory arm of the music industry is finding itself in an extended game of Whac-a-Mole.

Tennessee becomes the first state to protect musicians and other artists against AI

Last month, the nation's first law aimed at tamping down abuses of AI in music was added to the books in Tennessee. Announced by Governor Bill Lee in January at a historic studio on Nashville's Music Row, the ELVIS Act — which stands for Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security, and nods to an earlier legal reckoning with entities other than the Elvis Presley estate slapping the King's name and face on things — made its way through the Tennessee General Assembly with bipartisan support. Along the way, there were speeches from the bill's co-sponsors and performers and songwriters who call the state home, many of them representing the country and contemporary Christian music industries, insisting on the importance of protecting artists from their voices being cloned and words being put in their mouths. On a Thursday in March, Governor Lee signed the measure at a downtown Nashville honky-tonk and fist-bumped Luke Bryan, who was among the supportive music celebrities on hand.

To understand the stakes of this issue and the legal tangle that surrounds it, NPR Music sought the expertise of a few people who have observed the passage of the ELVIS Act, and the evolving discourse around generative AI, from different vantage points. They include the RIAA's Glazier, a seasoned advocate for the recording industry; Joseph Fishman, a professor at Vanderbilt Law School who instructs future attorneys in the nuances of intellectual property law; Mary Bragg, an independent singer-songwriter and producer with a longtime ethos of self-sufficiency; and the three knowledgeable founders of ViNIL, a Nashville-based tech startup directing problem-solving efforts at the uncertainty stoked by AI. Drawing on their insights, we've unpacked four pressing questions about what's happening with music and machine learning.

1) What exactly does generative AI do, and how has it intersected with music so far?

Talk of generative AI can easily slip into dystopian territory, and it's no wonder: For more than half a century, we've been watching artificial intelligence take over and wipe out any humans standing in its way in sci-fi epics like 2001: A Space Odyssey , The Matrix and the Terminator franchise.

The reality is a little more pedestrian: The machine learning models with us now are taking on tasks that we're accustomed to seeing performed by humans. They aren't actually autonomous, or creative, for that matter. Their developers input vast quantities of human-made intellectual and artistic output — books, articles, photos, graphic designs, musical compositions, audio and video recordings — so that the AI models can taxonomize all of that existing material, then recognize and replicate its patterns.

AI is already being put to use by music-makers in plenty of ways, many of them generally viewed as benign to neutral. The living Beatles employed it to salvage John Lennon's vocals from a muddy, lo-fi 1970s recording, so that they could add their own parts and complete the song " Now and Then ." Nashville singer-songwriter Mary Bragg reported that some of her professional peers treat ChatGPT like a tool for overcoming writer's block. "Of course, it sort of became a larger topic around town," she told me, specifying that she hasn't yet employed it that way herself.

What she does do, though, is let her recording software show her shortcuts to evening out audio levels on her song demos. "You press one single button and it listens to the information that you feed it," she explained at her home studio in a Nashville suburb, "and then it thinks for you about what it thinks you should do. Oftentimes it's a pretty darn good suggestion. It doesn't mean you should always take that suggestion, but it's a starting point." Those demos are meant for pitching her songs, not for public consumption, and Bragg made clear that she still enlists human mastering engineers to finalize music she's going to release out into the world.

When you realize your favorite new song was written and performed by ... AI

TED Radio Hour

Holly herndon: how ai can transform your voice.

Early experiments with the musical potential of generative AI were received largely as harmless and fascinating geekery. Take " Daddy's Car ," a Beatles-esque bop from 2016 whose music (though not its lyrics) was composed by the AI program Flow Machines . For more variety, try the minute-long, garbled genre exercises dubbed "Jukebox Samples" that OpenAI churned out four years later. These all felt like facsimiles made from a great distance, absurdly generalized and subtly distorted surveys of the oeuvres of Céline Dion, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald or Simon & Garfunkel. In case it wasn't clear whose music influenced each of those OpenAI tracks, they were titled, for instance, "Country, in the style of Alan Jackson." The explicit citing of those artists as source material forecast copyright issues soon to come.

The specter of AI-generated music has grown more ominous, however, as the attempts have landed nearer their soundalike targets — especially when it comes to the mimicry or cloning of famous voices. Deepfake technology got a boost in visibility after someone posted audio on YouTube that sounded very nearly like Jay-Z — down to his smooth, imperious flow — reciting Shakespeare; ditto when the brooding, petulant banger " Heart on My Sleeve " surfaced on TikTok, sounding like a collab between Drake and The Weeknd, though it was quickly confirmed that neither was involved. Things got real enough that the record labels behind all three of those stars demanded the stuff be taken down . (In an ironic twist, Drake recently dropped his own AI stunt , harnessing the deepfaked voices of 2Pac and Snoop Dogg for a diss track in his ongoing feud with Kendrick Lamar.)

2) Who are the people calling for protections against AI in music, and what are they worried about?

From the outside, it can seem like the debate over AI comes down to choosing sides; you're either for or against it. But it's not that simple. Even those working on generative AI are saying that its power will inevitably increase exponentially. Simply avoiding it probably isn't an option in a field as reliant on technology as music.

There is, however, a divide between enthusiastic early adopters and those inclined to proceed with caution. Grimes, famously a tech nonconformist, went all in on permitting fans to use and manipulate her voice in AI-aided music and split any profits. Ghostwriter, the anonymous writer-producer behind "Heart on My Sleeve," and his manager say they envisioned that deepfake as a demonstration of potential opportunity for music-makers who work behind the scenes.

Perhaps among the better indicators of the current ambivalence in the industry are the moves made so far by the world's biggest record label, Universal Music Group. Its CEO, Lucian Grainge, optimistically and proactively endorsed the Music AI Incubator, a collaboration with YouTube to explore what music-makers on its own roster could create with the assistance of machine learning. At the same time, Grainge and Universal have made a strong appeal for regulation. They're not alone in their concern: Joining the cause in various ways are record labels and publishing companies great and small, individual performers, producers and songwriters operating on every conceivable scale and the trade organizations that represent them. Put more simply, it's the people and groups who benefit from protecting the copyrights they hold, and ensuring the distinctness of the voices they're invested in doesn't get diluted. "I was born with an instrument that I love to use," was how Bragg put it to me. "And then I went and trained. My voice is the thing that makes me special."

Lawmakers and supporters pose at the signing of the ELVIS Act at Robert's Western World in Nashville on March 21, 2024. Left to right: Representative William Lamberth, musician Luke Bryan, Governor Bill Lee, musician Chris Janson, RIAA head Mitch Glazier and Senator Jack Johnson. Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Human Artistry hide caption

Lawmakers and supporters pose at the signing of the ELVIS Act at Robert's Western World in Nashville on March 21, 2024. Left to right: Representative William Lamberth, musician Luke Bryan, Governor Bill Lee, musician Chris Janson, RIAA head Mitch Glazier and Senator Jack Johnson.

The RIAA has played a leading advocacy role thus far, one that the organization's chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier told me accelerated when "Heart on My Sleeve" dropped last spring and calls and emails poured in from industry execs, urgently inquiring about legal provisions against deepfakes. "That's when we decided that we had to get together with the rest of the industry," he explained. The RIAA helped launch a special coalition, the Human Artistry Campaign, with partners from across the entertainment industry, and got down to lobbying.

Growing awareness of the fact that many AI models are trained by scraping the internet and ingesting copyrighted works to use as templates for new content prompted litigation. A pile of lawsuits were filed against OpenAI by fiction and nonfiction authors and media companies, including The New York Times . A group of visual artists sued companies behind AI image generators. And in the music realm, three publishing companies, Universal, Concord and ABKO, filed against Anthropic , the company behind the AI model Claude, last fall for copyright infringement. One widely cited piece of evidence that Claude might be utilizing their catalogs of compositions: When prompted to write a song "about the death of Buddy Holly," the AI ripped entire lines from "American Pie," the folk-rock classic famously inspired by Holly's death and controlled by Universal.

"I think no matter what kind of content you produce, there's a strong belief that you're not allowed to copy it, create an AI model from it, and then produce new output that competes with the original that you trained on," Glazier says.

That AI is enabling the cloning of an artist's — or anyone's — voice and likeness is a separate issue. It's on this other front that the RIAA and other industry stakeholders are pursuing legislation on state and federal levels.

3) Why is AI music so hard to regulate?

When Roc Nation demanded the Shakespearean clip of Jay-Z be taken down, arguing that it "unlawfully uses an AI to impersonate our client's voice," the wording of their argument got some attention of its own: That was a novel approach to a practice that wasn't already clearly covered under U.S. law. The closest thing to it are the laws around "publicity rights."

"Every state has some version of it," says law professor Joseph Fishman, seated behind the desk of his on-campus office at Vanderbilt. "There are differences around the margins state to state. But it is basically a way for individuals to control how their identity is used, usually in commercial contexts. So, think: advertisers trying to use your identity, particularly if you're a celebrity, to sell cars or potato chips. If you have not given authorization to a company to plaster your face in an ad saying 'this person approves' of whatever the product is, publicity rights give you an ability to prevent that from happening."

Two states with a sizable entertainment industry presence, New York and California, added voice protections to their statutes after Bette Midler and Tom Waits went to court to fight advertising campaigns whose singers were meant to sound like them (both had declined to do the ads themselves). But Tennessee's ELVIS Act is the first measure in the nation aimed not at commercial or promotional uses, but at protecting performers' voices and likenesses specifically from abuses enabled by AI. Or as Glazier described it, "protecting an artist's soul."

Tennessee lawmakers didn't have templates in any other states to look to. "Writing legislation is hard," Fishman says, "especially when you don't have others' mistakes to learn from. The goal should be not only to write the language in a way that covers all the stuff you want to cover, but also to exclude all the stuff that you don't want to cover."

What's more, new efforts to prevent the exploitation of performers' voices could inadvertently affect more accepted forms of imitation, such as cover bands and biopics. As the ELVIS Act made its way through the Tennessee General Assembly, the Motion Picture Association raised a concern that its language was too broad. "What the [MPA] was pointing out, I think absolutely correctly," Fishman says, "was this would also include any kind of film that tries to depict real people in physically accurate ways, where somebody really does sound like the person they're trying to sound like or really does look like the person they are trying to look like. That seems to be swept under this as well."

The founders of ViNIL (from left: Sada Garba, Jeremy Brook and Charles Alexander) created the Nashville startup to monitor and offer resources around the escalating use of AI and deepfake technology. Jewly Hight hide caption

And of course, getting a law on the books in one state, even a state that's home to a major industry hub, isn't a complete solution: The music business crosses state lines and national borders. "It's very difficult to have a patchwork of state laws applicable to a global, borderless system," Glazier says. Right now, there's a great amount of interest in getting federal legislation — like the NO AI FRAUD Act , effectively a nationalized version of publicity rights law — in place.

Some industry innovators also see a need for thinking beyond regulation. "Even when laws pass and even when the laws are strong," notes Jeremy Brook, an entertainment industry attorney who helped launch the startup ViNIL, "that doesn't mean they're easy to enforce."

Brook and his co-founders, computer coder Sada Garba and digital strategist Charles Alexander, have set out to offer content creators — those who use AI and those who don't — as well as companies seeking to license their work, " a legal way " to handle their transactions. At South by Southwest last month, they rolled out an interface that allows individuals to license their image or voice to companies, then marks the agreed-upon end product with a trackable digital stamp certifying its legitimacy.

4) New technology has upended the music industry before. Can we take any lessons from history?

The music industry has forever found itself in catch-up mode when new innovations disrupt its business models. Both the rise of sampling incubated by hip-hop and the illegal downloading spree powered by Napster were met with lawsuits, the latter of which accomplished the aim of getting the file-sharing platform shut down. Eventually came specific guidance for how samples should be cleared, agreements with platforms designed to monetize digital music (like the iTunes store and Spotify), and updates to the regulation of payments in the streaming era — but it all took time and plenty of compromise. After hashing all of that out, Glazier says, music executives wanted to ensure "that we didn't have a repeat of the past."

The tone of the advocacy for restricting AI abuses feels a little more circumspect than the complaints against Napster. For one thing, people in the industry aren't talking like machine learning can, or should, be shut down. "You do want to be able to use generative AI and AI technology for good purposes," Glazier says. "You don't want to limit the potential of what this technology can do for any industry. You want to encourage responsibility."

There's also a need for a nuanced understanding of ownership. Popular music has been the scene for endless cases of cultural theft, from the great whitewashing of rock and roll up to the virtual star FN Meka, a Black-presenting "AI-powered robot rapper" conceived by white creators, signed by a label and met with extreme backlash in 2022. Just a few weeks ago, a nearly real-sounding Delta blues track caused its own controversy : A simple prompt had gotten an AI music generator to spit out a song that simulated the grief and grit of a Black bluesman in the Jim Crow South. On the heels of "Heart on My Sleeve," the most notorious musical deepfake to date — which paired the vocal likenesses two Black men, Drake and The Weeknd — it was a reminder that the ethical questions circling the use of AI are many, some of them all too familiar.

Grimes invites fans to make songs with an AI-generated version of her voice

The online world is a place where music-makers carve out vanishingly small profit margins from the streaming of their own music. As an example of the lack of agency many artists at her level feel, Bragg pointed out a particularly vexing kind of streaming fraud that's cropped up recently, in which scammers reupload another artist's work under new names and titles and collect the royalties for themselves. Other types of fraud have been prosecuted or met with crackdowns that, in certain cases, inadvertently penalize artists who aren't even aware that their streaming numbers have been artificially inflated by bots. Just as it's hard to imagine musicians pulling their music from streaming platforms in order to protect it from these schemes, the immediate options can feel few and bleak for artists newly entered in a surreal competition with themselves, through software that can clone their sounds and styles without permission. All of this is playing out in a reality without precedent. "There is a problem that has never existed in the world before," says ViNIL's Brook, "which is that we can no longer be sure that the face we're seeing and the voice we're hearing is actually authorized by the person it belongs to."

For Bragg, the most startling use of AI she's witnessed wasn't about stealing someone's voice, but giving it back. A friend sent her the audio of a speech on climate change that scientist Bill Weihl was preparing to deliver at a conference. Weihl had lost the ability to speak due to ALS — and yet, he was able to address an audience sounding like his old self with the aid of ElevenLabs , one of many companies testing AI as a means of helping people with similar disabilities communicate. Weihl and a collaborator fed three hours of old recordings of him into the AI model, then refined the clone by choosing what inflections and phrasing sounded just right.

"When I heard that speech, I was both inspired and also pretty freaked out," Bragg recalled. "That's, like, my biggest fear in life, either losing my hearing or losing the ability to sing."

That is, in a nutshell, the profoundly destabilizing experience of encountering machine learning's rapidly expanding potential, its promise of options the music business — and the rest of the world — have never had. It's there to do things we can't or don't want to have to do for ourselves. The effects could be empowering, catastrophic or, more likely, both. And attempting to ignore the presence of generative AI won't insulate us from its powers. More than ever before, those who make, market and engage with music will need to continuously and conscientiously adapt.