My productivity increases with regular brown noise -- it "covers-up" the irregular traffic and train noises outside my apartment so my brain doesn't pay attention to it. Brown noise is also pleasant to the ears.
Music: it depends. Any kind of forgettable music like muzak or background instrumental/classical helps. But anything with lyrics distracts me because it engages the language processing part of my brain -- I need that part to do my work. But I know many people who can work while listening to rock and roll.
Also the article makes a difference between cognitive function and effort-task performance.
If I was a mechanic or someone doing a mechanical task, I wouldn't mind blasting heavy metal in the background -- it gives me a "metronome" to sync to. But I wouldn't do the same if I was a tax accountant where I need the cognitive headspace to do careful work.
If we create a quiet office environment, everybody gets to pick their preferred noise via headphones.