Personally, I like when people do walking vlogs or podcasts, and they just talk about a topic and/or narrate what's going on around them. If a car honks, you could just comment on it.

I abhor background music. It distracts and makes the speaker seem unserious. Many italki teachers have music in their profile videos. It makes a bad impression immediately.

Yay! A woman after my own heart! I too absolutely loathe background music in podcasts. Irritates me enormously and I switch off. I want to hear the voice, not music. I also hate music in supermarkets, malls, restaurants etc. Perhaps I would not mind IF they played something I liked (?). But they never do. They crank out brain-numbing low-brow cheap head-stuffing of the lowest common denominator: my opinion, as you can see, is strong.

I am glad you asked this. Here are my thoughts... Sometimes background music or background noise in podcasts can be very distracting, or even annoying. Learners have enough to contend with! )) But, it also depends on the listener and whether they can cope with the different, sometimes competing noises of speech and other things going on in the background. In context, it may make the podcast sound more genuine. And provide a suitable ambiance to help convey the topic. Background noise is a normal part of life. You're never going to please everyone Good luck with your podcasting!

It'd be great to have a light melody for background, but not metal or rock, of course. Sounds of nature are suitable almost everywhere, so go. It also would be great for telling stories with calm voice.