> For me, I guess the bottom line is that bad music is probably better than no music (as long as there is a readily available mute button).
>
No. Sometimes bad music is the worst option. Even if the mute button is found, it's still a registered negative.
But some amateur 'musicians' do have an inflated ego of the amateur trade. In many cases, if you did a simple beginner's keyboard melody, that's plenty (and often better than the garbage amateur games have). Just a few simple bars is often enough.
If not, then there's plenty of places to get free sound tracks for your work.
You shouldn't need to go the paid musician route, unless you're a professional (proven) commercially profitable concern, with A grade products.