Music while you work

by Startacus Admin
One of the greatest things about having your own business is the ability to do what you want (as long as it’s productive!). And here at Startacus, we’re no different, and music is the one thing we couldn’t live without.
Music can be inspirational, memorable and can get the creative juices flowing. Finding that Jeff Buckley CD from 1994 can feel like finding a £20 note in that jacket you haven’t worn since the winter of last year. And listening to it is just like spending that £20.
But with online music services becoming more and more popular, it’s becoming much easier to discover, and rediscover music that you love.
Here is a few of the services we take full advantage of.
Spotify - The daddy of all music services, and one that we couldn’t live without. This downloadable application for your computer or mobile device has millions of songs right there at your fingertips. Type in your favourite artist , and it’ll give you their back catalogue for you to play until your heart’s content. Also, it lets you listen to similar artists, create playlists and features a radio function, playing your favourite genre of music. The free version is fine if you don’t mind listening to songs interspersed with advertisements every now and again. However, the £9.99 per month version, which gets rid of the ads, allows you to sync offline and listen to your music on your smartphone/tablet as well your computer. Spotify can also syncronise with your Facebook account, allowing your followers to see what you’re listening to. A 30 day trial of the premium version is available.
Rdio - A newcomer to the streaming service world, which is flexing its’ muscles alongside Spotify. Iit works in almost exactly the same way, boasting a massive 18 million songs and the same offline syncing mode. It also promotes the fact that it has zero advertising; but there’s a price to pay...it costs £4.99 for the privilege of using Rdio on your desktop or browser, or £9.99 for the full cross platform experience and a hidden little feature... If you are lucky enough to own either a Sonos or Roku music player, it syncronises to that too, you lucky rich person! There is a 7 day trial period available, and it’s the first time I’ve been tempted away from the mighty Spotify...
Last.fm - An online service, last.fm is a personal radio service in which you type in an artist or song you like, and it’ll play music similar to it alongside the artist/song you typed. The website is easy to navigate, and the music is of pretty decent quality. All you need is to set up an account to get started. You’ll hear the music you forgot about and might discover the next big thing. It also keeps a record of what you’ve listened to, so you can go back and enjoy it again! It’s called scrobbling. They made that word up, and I love it. And the best part? Free free free!
TuneIn radio - Ah, the proper radio stations. This service basically tunes you into all the radio stations you can think of from around the globe, and streams them straight into your ears. It has applications available for smartphones & tablets, but uses a web based player for playing from the computer. And now that Chris Moyles has moved onto pastures new, BBC Radio One could quite possibly be listenable again! Just like last.fm, it’s free!
With more and more services in the world wide web, and available in your pockets, it’s down to personal preference what you use.
Our advice is, avail of any trial period that some services offer, and play around to get a feel for them. Also, take full advantage of the free ones, they may not be free for long!
If you’ve found online music services and want to share them with the rest of us, let us know over at the forum.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Planning to launch a fashion brand this year? Here are a few basic tips that will help you do just that and get your business off to the right start

Bippit is an online platform and app that helps companies to support the financial needs of their employees - not just via their salary

2021 may be a challenging time to start a business, but these tips should help you get it right...

Startacus and Hatch Enterprise celebrate International Women’s Day by partnering with NetMinds to bring together female founders for a virtual speed networking event

Keeping customers engaged is vital for any small business - these basic tips will help you do just that

Alchemy Technology Services, the Derry-based centre of excellence for insurance software implementation receives recognition for its commitment to diversity

For the first time ever, the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge has both a British winner and runner up in the form of innovative startups SoluBlue and Jiva Materials

The innovative Italian company that has created Handshield, a hand protection wrap to protect users from bacteria and viruses

If you’re thinking about starting an ecommerce business, these tips will help you do just that...

The lowdown on Pentaform, the London-based startup that has created an easy-to-use and eco-friendly personal computer that is globally accessible
Published on: 17th August 2012
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Startacus and Hatch Enterprise offer speed networking IWD-inspired event 24th Feb 2021 Startacus and Hatch Enterprise celebrate International Women’s Day by partnering with NetMinds to bring together female founders for a virtual speed networking event
- Alchemy Technology Services receives Bronze Diversity Mark NI Award 23rd Feb 2021 Alchemy Technology Services, the Derry-based centre of excellence for insurance software implementation receives recognition for its commitment to diversity
- Groundbreaking British inventions win global sustainability prize 23rd Feb 2021 For the first time ever, the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge has both a British winner and runner up in the form of innovative startups SoluBlue and Jiva Materials
- Wombat lands £2m investment as appetite for thematic, fractional trading grows 9th Feb 2021 The innovative investment platform Wombat secures major funding to help with further development and to expand the shares and investments on offer