Optimizing your music: Playlist
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Spotify is a unique music streaming service that provides access to millions of songs, making it the perfect platform for curating playlists.
Last week, for the Opinion section, I wrote an article in defense of playlist-making as a form of art. While writing this, I figured that if something is a skill or art— it ought to be able to be taught. So, this week, I take it upon myself to talk about the process of deciding what kinds of playlists you might need, conceptualizing said playlist, and creating the finished product.
The initial question to ask before starting to curate is to consider the kinds of playlists you need. Everyone’s array will look a little different, and playlists can serve a myriad of purposes. Are you looking for a playlist to make you believe in love, wallow along with you, channel your rage, or place you into your imagined movie montage? Trying to pick a specific mood is something that I feel helps a lot, or for the fandom enthusiast, you might be trying to channel a particular show, movie, book, or character.
Once you have decided on the basis for your playlist, it is time to think about sound. Making these decisions will help to create a more cohesive playlist overall. For example, if you are creating a main character playlist, you might want songs that have a very opened-up and atmospheric quality to the instrumentation to give it that big-movie-moment feel; or, if you are making a comfort playlist, you might fill it with singer-songwriter tracks. Having a specific vision for your playlist, especially mood playlists, helps refine each playlist and make it more distinct from others.
The biggest piece of advice I could give to playlist endeavour-ers is this: do not be too sentimental. While picking your initial songs it makes sense to pull from songs you already know and love that fit the vibe, part of playlist curation is in the exploration. Your favorite songs, or the ones you cannot stop listening to, change pretty regularly, so just putting songs on a playlist because you like them will ultimately cause these playlists to date much faster, and you will get much less use out of them. Rather, a playlist with a mix of songs you already know and love, along with songs you find that fit the vibe you are looking for, will have a longer shelf life.
To find new music that is similar, stay informed on budding artists that you know have similar sounds to artists you already like. If you are a Spotify user, take advantage of things like the “Recommended Songs” tab or the “Discover Weekly” playlist that Spotify curates for its users. Artists' pages will even have a “Fans Also Like” section where you can find similar sounds. This can help keep your music life open and curious, enriching your music lifestyle. Part of the joy of playlist-making is changing what you are listening to regularly and avoiding music slumps.
Once you have your mood and a rough collection of songs you feel might be appropriate for the playlist, start listening to it! The first couple of times, ensure it is with a critical ear. This is the stage for refinement; really listening to each song can help you figure out what in your playlist is or is not working. Be ruthless and cut whatever you feel is not serving the atmosphere you aim to curate.
With this, I leave you to some mighty playlisting, and I hope some of these tips can be helpful for you in your future endeavors!