Playlist Definitions & Our Playlist Game
I (Melissa) been told by Jacob that I do playlists wrong more times than I care to admit (and more times than he can remember).
So, in order for you to get to know us all more, I wanted to welcome you into our playlist lives:
Melissa:
Throw a shit ton of songs together that I like, often of a similar style or feeling, and hit shuffle.
Jacob:
This is a bit more calculated than Melissa's. Depending on the reason for a playlist, they should range from 3-5 songs, 10-12 songs, 20-25 songs. The high-end of this number is for road trips only. The middle arena is for introduction playlists to someone you already know kind of well. The lowest end of this is for those people you barely know but that still want to know what you listen to. These 3-5 songs should be dreaded - you should have night-sweats about what songs these are you're giving to someone else. Also, as you're adding them to the list, if you're not trembling a bit or your heart isn't jacked, stop making the list altogether - you're wasting that other person's time. The music should be so important that you can't stand the thought of someone else not getting into it.
Kyle:
The key to a good playlist is sequencing.
No weak-ass bullshit.
You can't have more than one of the same artist - that's a no no. No side projects either, that's cheating.
Our game:
Despite our different views on playlists, we all come together every once and a while to make something awesome. When we're bored, or a thought enters our mind that warrants sharing, we like to challenge ourselves to make a playlist. It's a great brain break or distraction, and I highly recommend doing this with your friends, band mates, co-workers, family, etc. All we do is create a playlist on Spotify, make it collaborative, and share it. You could also do this via YouTube, iTunes, or whatever your preferred music platform is.
Some examples of what we've done (click the names to listen to them on Spotify, and find West Side Sound on Spotify by clicking here):
Goin' Solo (Artists that were once part of a band but are now solo)
You get the idea. Admittedly, Jacob and Kyle are infinitely better at this than I am, but I am thankful they let me participate. They also make sure I don't get too add-happy and put it in the correct order.
Have ideas of playlists you'd like us to make? Or have you ventured to make your own? We'd love to hear from you in the comments.