It’s harder to share these playlists than I thought it would be. I mean, it’s easy for me to talk about music, and I’ll do it all day every day. I can even share the how and why and wherefore of these playlists and the rules I’ve made up for myself.
In DMs. Or in tweets. Or on my Twitch stream where I had moderators to kick out anyone who’s mean to me.
But posting about it? Posting is proving to be difficult. Especially today when I feel like I need to cry.
Oh well, fuck it. I needed a good cry anyway
I listen to a lot of music. A lot. A lot of music. So much that I could probably put together a resume for my qualifications as a music lover.
I won’t. I’m not a music snob and I don’t do this for a sense of superiority. Just an enthusiastic music lover who wants to make it clear how passionate I am about music.
Mainly because I’m about to share some playlists with you, but I need to alert you to the rules. You know, the rules.
Ginny’s totally arbitrary rules for superior playlists.
First is that the ideal playlist is between 50 and 75 songs. This means that the playlist is, on average, at least two and a half hours long (shorter for punk playlists) but generally not longer than five hours (longer for metal playlists).
But we’ll go with vague generalizations so we’re not here all day.
Two and a half to five hours allows for a good mix of hearing the songs you’re desperate for right now without an excess of skipping but also for a good mix of songs so you don’t get bored. I also primarily use my playlists while working, and since I can’t listen to music for my entire eight hour shift I’m not missing out on a lot of my favorite songs.
Second is that I only allow three tracks per artist on the playlist. I know you’re freaking out. I can feel it. But if I can cut down BTS to three tracks per playlist you can manage too.
This isn’t to say that I don’t have artist specific lists. Or genre specific lists that have a hundred songs by an artist I adore. For daily listening, though? Three songs max or it throws off the balance. The shuffle only finds BTS songs so when Sakima pops up my brain has to actively switch gears.
Now, sometimes you need more than 75 songs. You’re going on a road trip. Doing a deep clean. You can actually listen to music your entire eight hour shift. That’s when the extended cut comes into play. That is 150-200 songs with no more than 5 songs by an artist. This should give you a solid eight hours of music without an imbalance in favor of one artist.
But wait, there’s more.
I try to refresh my lists once a month. For a few reasons. I get bored, I can easily forget about songs if they’re not in front of me, and I like to make playlists to name a few reasons.
The new arbitrary rule I’ve added is that no more than half a playlist can be repeated each month. So if I have a list with 150 songs, only 75 can be carried over to the next month.
Wait, one last rule.
Those songs that are carried over? Cannot be in the next month’s playlist. So if a song is on in August and September it cannot be on the list in October. It can go back in November, but not until November.
Why?
Why the fuck not.
Especially since they’re my own rules and I can come up with legion excuses to bend or break them.
Will I? Or will I stand strong and stick to my totally arbitrary rules for superior playlists? Only time will tell. Stick around and find out.
Game on.
The rules:
- Prime playlists:
- 50-75 songs
- No more than 3 songs per artist
- Extended cuts:
- 150-200 songs
- No more than 5 songs per artist
- General:
- No more than half a playlist can carry over from month to month
- Songs cannot be in a playlist more than two months in a row
Sticky Songs for Summer Nights
Oh yeah, and another thing. I’m working on a monthly thematic playlist as well. Possibly for Patreon and/or Twitch subs. Maybe not. It’s up in the air at the moment. There are rules for this playlist too. Categories I want to ensure are included every list and only one song per artist come to mind. But I’m emotionally exhausted and still have to explain this month’s theme.
Most people experience SAD during the winter, but I get a second round during the summer. It’s warm and I’m always left feeling angsty and aroused. Sad and sexy. Hot, horny, and vaguely hopeless. You get the idea. Thus, sticky songs. for summer nights. Enjoy. Or don’t. Whatever. I’m going to go be emo now.
Ginny Lurcock 