We all love music.
While I admit that the level of seriousness with which I care about my Spotify playlists might be bordering on obsessive, there’s no denying that there’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes with a perfectly curated list of songs. A well thought out playlist can change the entire meaning of a moment, alter the mood of an important event, liven up a dull party, or accompany you during a rough study session. Here are some tips and tricks that’ll help you really define your music tastes, as well as guarantee your friends exclaiming during your hangouts, “Hey what playlist is this? I love it!”
Spotify, for me at least, will always reign supreme as the top music streaming service out there. This is due to the fact that they make it extremely accessible to explore hidden genres of music and podcasts alike. You can browse through an endless amount of playlists (created both by Spotify as a company and listeners themselves) of both music and podcasts, sorted by charting hits, international jams, genres, decades, moods, and more! For a more personalized experience, there’s an entire Made For You tab to scroll through, so there’s really no excuse to rotate through the same six songs every day. Not only is your personally curated Discover Weekly playlist updated every monday, but so are six individual contrasting Daily Mix playlists made, mixing songs that are already in your library, and new ones to discover. There’s music, podcasts, and news segments to start your morning off with in Your Daily Drive, Your Release Radar will make sure you never miss new hits from your favorite artists, and Spotify Wrapped helps you relive all your favorite musical memories from each year, almost like a scrapbook of sorts. Now- organization!
Having a primary go-to playlist has really been a game changer for my personal Spotify account. I keep a master playlist (that I’ve endearingly titled ‘things you should listen to ASAP’) of around 60 to 70 songs that’s regularly curated with new, current, and recommended music from all over. This really gives you a chance to expand your musical horizons as well as taste (never neglect that Discover Weekly!) without getting too hectic in terms of placement. I usually keep new songs in my master playlist rotation for about a month, listening to them daily, or at least until I’ve really gotten a chance to sort out what I feel for that particular song. Whether this be on my walk to work, while I’m getting dressed, or when I’m running errands, these songs accompany me for around a month or so, really solidifying themselves in my head. That brings us to….
After a song has been worn out of the master playlist, take a second to really listen to it. No distractions whatsoever! Make sure you let the tune run all the way through from beginning to end. Take stock of your immediate reactions. How does the song make you feel? Does it fit a certain mood? Does it remind you of a particular time in your life? Is it one of your new all-time favorites? Play it over again if you’re still uncertain. Be absolutely certain of the emotions a specific song brings to you, especially if it’s a strong gut reaction. Even if it seems like you’re being ridiculously picky, look even deeper into both the lyrics and the melody. Too much is never enough when it comes to musical introspection. Then…
Songs can determine the entire way we go through life. They make up our memories and the way we look back on special moments, filling the soundtracks of everyday life. Oftentimes, unexpectedly listening to a song from one’s past library can make one feel nostalgic, bittersweet, or tender. So it’s important to have these tunes perfectly laid out now, so they can affect us and remind us of those moments in the future. A song might be upbeat and fit for a summer party, the perfect chill study melody, a tear jerker to get over a breakup, or only apt to be heard while having a late night drive with your best friends. Because of this, I like to classify my playlists by emotional reactions: cute, groovy, vibes, melancholy, dancing, happy, chill…. The list goes on and on. Some people will often choose to title their playlists around months or events, and as organized as this may be, I’ve found that categorizing music according to moods is by far the most effective way to go, and that it always guarantees the perfect tune for any given occasion. After you’ve gotten through this step, the only thing left to do is…
Logging onto Spotify directly from your laptop allows you to access features that the mobile app doesn’t support, such as playlist images and descriptions, as well as Friend Activity (a personal favorite of mine), that lets you view and listen to what your friends are currently into. Take a few minutes to get the app loaded on your computer and mess around with these options. Come up with funny descriptions for your playlists, add images that complement the titles, and check out what your friends are currently jamming out to! There really is no limit to how creative you can get with this part, and the more of yourself you put into these playlists, the more enhanced your listening experience will become. You’ll be itching to share your masterpiece with everyone you know.
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