There's a number of reasons why music can be used to good effect in a website, but there are also reasons why you should keep from using music in your specific website. All in all, you should use your own judgment and try to decide which is best for the specific website you're developing; if you're not sure whether background music loops is a good idea in your specific situation, this article might help you decide.
Just little bit more than a decade ago, before anyone had heard about MP3's, many websites used simple MIDI music loops as a way to supplement the browsing experience; and while sometimes it was relatively interesting, usually it was quite annoying! And many such websites didn't really provide a way to control the music volume or even turn it off: this is is a fatal mistake that oftentimes drives visitors insane, and makes then feel like going away from a website and never coming back. It's also a lesson we should always remember, when thinking about using background music for websites: it's very important to let people know where the music is coming from so they can choose to turn it off. Also, there's no point in including such options if they're not clearly visible. Make sure it's noticeable and preferably above the fold (in the top section of your web pages).
We're now living the heights of the multimedia age. Music is available everywhere, and that's a good thing, too! We have access to portable music players, and we all have vast collections of music in our computers. The advent of the MP3 quickly reshaped our perception of music, since it provided us with a way of distributing high quality digital music rather easily. It goes to say that nowadays we all have access to the music we like, and we can listen to it in a number of different ways. And usually we tend do do so! Most of us enjoy keeping their favorite play lists on while using the computer and browsing the internet and this is exactly why web masters should be cautious when setting background music loops in their websites.
Music can be one of life's great pleasures, but music preference is a highly subjective matter. You may think that a specific music is amazing and that everyone who visits your website will love it... but your visitors may wholeheartedly disagree, and usually you'll never really know about it. If you're using background music, make sure it's not at all agitated or noisy: quiet, soothing music usually works better to this effect. Regardless of the kind music you're using, make sure to let know your visitors where it's coming from. One of the most annoying Internet experiences known to man involves realizing that among a dozen browser tabs, a single page is playing background music on its own volition, without any sign where it's coming from. Enjoy your music and have fun creating websites, but make sure you're mindful when it comes to putting both things together!