Who killed the mixtape?
Understanding playlists, flow, and individual differences that account for playlist preference.
Fluorescent Adolescent, a song off the Arctic Monkey’s 2007 album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, reminds me of dancing in my kitchen. My older brother, the piano prodigy I attribute my deep-rooted passion for music to, introduced me to the track when I was nearly ten years old. I was initially inspired by the idiosyncratic title and upbeat guitar, but as I age, the lyrics resurface childhood memories and unconditional gratitude for my family.
Now think of a song you love. Why do you love it? Something about the piece is so distinct that it floods your brain with emotions, the dullness of everyday life becomes background noise and you are brought back to a memorable point in time. With 162 different methods to regulate our emotions, does it surprise you that behind thinking positively, the most conventional way to keep your cool is by listening to music?
Compilations of musical pieces recorded on cassette tape have now transformed into an extensive virtual library in which users can organize songs into limitless combinations. These song combinations are commonly referred to as playlists, or simply a collection of songs that are often meant to be listened to sequentially.
Now let’s rewind. Tapes actually began as a secret political tool used by Nazi Germany during the Cold War. Eventually, the allies caught on and tapes infiltrated countries all over the world. In the 80’s, piracy spread, and the music industry battled the tape through propaganda and legal action as means to stay afloat. Soon after, the tape was reinvented as an underground mechanism for hip-hop artists and DJ’s to share their latest work. Artists reconfigured pre-existing songs by tampering with speed, looping, scratching, cross-fading and overlaying pieces with new material. By experimenting with ways to spin records, the mixtape was born.
In today’s fast-paced, data-driven environment, streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL have become the leading way to hear our favorite sounds. 21st-century music streaming has provided listeners with a single platform to hear millions of songs at the touch of a button. The predominant luxury, for three-quarters of music streamers in the U.S., is the ability to create, listen to, and share playlists.
One of the essential components of a successful radio station is ensuring listeners do not switch to another station. Each day, radio hosts are faced with the challenge of constructing playlists that are general enough to capture a large audience, yet complex enough to keep listeners interested and invested. In order to achieve this, listeners must experience flow, known as an elation of positive emotions from effortless concentration and enjoyment. Flow is the driving force for living a sublime life. It is being in the zone, so much so that nothing around you matters. Athletes experience flow during times of intense training and complete focus, artists experience flow when faced with periods of heightened aestheticism and creativity, and people experience flow when they listen to music.
Personally, I am passionate about creating playlists. I find flow while clicking through pages of recent releases and discovering promising new artists. The thrill of stumbling upon a new song (or even better, a song I like but did not know the name of) that fits the unexplainable criteria of one of my many playlists is a feeling I will never grow tired of. Although I generally create them for personal use, I often accept the challenge of developing a playlist for friends and family to enjoy. It may seem relatively straightforward, but the reality behind generating a playlist someone will like, versus a playlist someone will love, is a labyrinth.
Producing a series of tracks in which listeners will undergo flow is a multiplex, yet attainable process. Music listening holds both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that lead to individual music tastes and song preferences. What is the listener’s personality like? How are they feeling when they hear the song? Where are they and what are they doing when they are listening?
Personality plays an imperative role in music choices. People generally prefer music that is in line with how they feel, but this does not always hold true. Research has shown that in a negative state, people who are more open, extroverted, and agreeable tend to cheer themselves up by listening to happy music. Alternatively, people who show high amounts of neuroticism prefer to remain in their negative state by continuing to listen to sad music.
Playlists can be characterized in different ways, such as a mood, activity, or music genre (for instance, check out Spotify’s RapCaviar or Have a Great Day!). Interesting enough, personality contributes to the likelihood of picking a type of playlist. People who are more open tend to browse for music by mood, while those who are more conscientious are more likely to look for music based off of an activity they are taking part in. Those high in neuroticism are likely to search for music by activity or genre.
It is also important to consider the various environmental factors that play a key role in music choice. People seek music that fits the conditions of their surroundings. There is an inevitable difference between music played in the background of a dinner party and music played in preparation for a rave.
All in all, there is no formula, guide, or algorithm that leads to the perfect playlist. Music is, and always will be, a medium for individual expression. It resurfaces forgotten memories, love, sorrow, and inspires a person to achieve great lengths. The array of unforeseen factors that contribute to one’s quintessential playlist are immeasurable, but based on what we do know, there are means to achieve something pretty close.
So who killed the mixtape? It was the playlist — sort of. By killed it, I mean revolutionized it into contemporary art that empowers you to hear what you want when you want it.
