Silly idea, backed by "research" from the world of business-studies pseudo-academia. Do you trust the results of a paper that starts with the sentence "Creativity is ubiquitous in the realm of consumption"?
It's not a silly idea as it actually works, and works quite well, for some people.
I'm one of those people. While this particular site's ambient noise doesn't suit me (too many sharp, distracting sounds) there are many sounds that do help. I typically find I get far more done and am able to focus better when i have my headphones on playing music that has few words.
Many others are the same way. While the paper you link to might not be 'research' (don't know, not paying the $14 to read it) it's not a silly idea by any means.
Didn't mean that noise/music doesn't help some people work. But I do contend that creating a web page with the sole purpose of playing noises that sound like a cafe, is silly.
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1086/665048?uid=3739560&...