How do I make a free playlist?

Intro

A playlist is a curated list of songs that allows you to collect and organize your favorite music in one place. With the rise of music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music, playlists have become incredibly popular. In fact, playlists now account for over a third of all listening on streaming services (Source). People create playlists for many reasons – to set the mood for an activity or event, discover new music, reminisce on old favorites, share music with others, and more. The best part is that many streaming services allow you to create customized playlists for free. This guide will walk through how to make free playlists on some of the top music platforms.

Choosing a Platform

There are several popular free platforms that allow you to make playlists. Here’s an overview of some top options:

YouTube – This platform is known for hosting videos, but you can also create playlists to organize your favorite YouTube videos, music, and more. Playlists are easy to make right in your YouTube account and can be accessed across devices.

Spotify – This music streaming service allows you to make custom playlists to organize songs and share with others. Spotify offers a free ad-supported tier that allows unlimited playlist creation. Playlists are shareable via social media or Spotify’s built-in social features.

SoundCloud – On this audio platform, you can make sets which are similar to playlists. Add any tracks hosted on SoundCloud to a set and share it or embed it into websites. SoundCloud offers limited free access to create and share sets.

Creating a YouTube Playlist

Making a playlist on YouTube is a simple process that can be done in just a few steps. Here is a step-by-step guide for creating a YouTube playlist:

1. Log into your YouTube account and go to your YouTube home page. In the left sidebar, click on the “Library” tab.

2. Under “Playlists”, click on the “+ New playlist” button. This will open the playlist creation page.

3. Enter a name and description for your playlist. The name will be shown publicly, so make it something descriptive.

4. Click the “Create” button. Your new empty playlist has now been created.

5. To add videos, click on the playlist title or thumbnail image. This will open the playlist page.

6. Click the “Add videos” button. This will let you select videos to add from YouTube.

7. Find the video you want to add and click the “+” icon next to it. Repeat this to add multiple videos.

8. Once you’ve added videos, arrange them by dragging and dropping into the desired order.

9. When done, click “Save” to update the playlist. You can now share or embed your new YouTube playlist.

For more details, see this step-by-step tutorial: [url1]

Creating a Spotify Playlist

Here is a step-by-step guide for creating a playlist on Spotify:

Open the Spotify app on your device and log into your account.

Tap on the “Your Library” tab at the bottom.
Tap on “Create Playlist” or “New Playlist” to start making a new playlist.
Give your playlist a name and description. The name will be the title of the playlist.

Start adding songs to your playlist by tapping the “+” icon next to tracks or albums.
You can also hit “Search” to find specific songs to add.
Drag and drop to rearrange the order of the tracks.

Once you’ve added all the desired songs, tap “Done” in the top right corner.
Your new playlist will now show up in Your Library.

Spotify makes it quick and easy to put together custom playlists. You can add any song available on Spotify, arrange the tracks however you like, and share your playlists with friends or make them public. Refer to Spotify’s guide for more tips on creating playlists.

Creating a SoundCloud Playlist

Here is a step-by-step guide for creating a playlist on SoundCloud:

1. Go to SoundCloud.com and log into your account.

2. Find a track you want to add by searching or browsing SoundCloud.

3. Click on the “…” icon below the track and select “Add to playlist” from the dropdown menu.

4. Choose to add it to an existing playlist from the list or click “Create new playlist”.

5. If creating a new playlist, give it a name and description then click “Create playlist”.

6. The track will now be added to the playlist. Repeat steps 2-4 to add more tracks.

7. To access your playlists, click on your profile picture in the top right and select “Playlists”.

8. From here you can play, edit, share and reorder your custom playlists.

Adding Songs

The key to a great playlist is curating the perfect selection of songs. When adding tracks, focus on creating cohesion through matching moods, genres, eras, artists, or themes. Consider the overall listening experience and how the playlist will flow from one track to the next (see source). Start by picking a few anchor songs that fit the vibe you want, then fill in with complementary tracks. Search streaming services by keyword, genre, or mood to find fitting options. Ask friends for song suggestions or check out playlists with similar themes. Mix up lesser-known gems with popular hits to create surprises. Stick to a consistent number of songs per artist for diversity. Keep listening as you build the playlist and tweak song order or substitutions to optimize the experience.

Organizing the Playlist

Once you’ve added all the songs, it’s time to organize your playlist into a cohesive listening experience. Here are some tips for structuring your playlist:

Think about the tone and flow you want to create. Put your more upbeat or energetic songs towards the top to make a strong first impression.

Place a strong opening track as the first song to serve as an “intro” and grab the listener’s attention.
Similarly, choose an impactful song for the final track or “outro” of the playlist.
Group songs with similar styles, moods, or genres together in sections or “chapters.” This helps create a natural ebb and flow.

Vary the pace and intensity between sections to maintain interest. Break up long stretches of high or low energy with contrasting songs.
Use short 1-2 minute interlude tracks between sections as “palate cleansers.” This smoothes the transition between very different styles.
Avoid jarring jumps between extremely loud and soft songs. Use fades, transitions, and tempo changes to bridge these gaps.

Putting thought into the playlist structure, intro/outro, and flow will elevate it from a random assortment of songs into a complete listening journey.

Customizing Playlist Details

Once you’ve added all the songs you want, you can customize the playlist details like the name, description, and artwork. This allows you to make the playlist feel more personal.

Think of a descriptive name for your playlist that captures the overall theme or mood. For example, you could name it based on the occasion like “Dinner Party” or “Road Trip Playlist.” Or name it after the genre or feeling like “90s Hip Hop” or “Chill Vibes.”

In the description box, you can add additional details about the playlist. Mention the theme, purpose, or story behind the song choices. For example, “All my favorite feel-good songs for cruising with the windows down.” This gives listeners context. You can add emojis and humor too!

Add eye-catching artwork that represents the vibe of the playlist. This makes it visually appealing when users are browsing. You can upload your own photos, use album covers from songs, or choose from the platform’s artwork options.

These customizations let you show off your personality. So get creative with the name, details, and artwork to make a playlist that speaks to you.

Sharing Your Playlist

Once you’ve created the perfect playlist, you’ll want to share it with friends and family so they can enjoy the songs too. There are a few easy ways to share playlists on the major music platforms.

On Spotify, playlists can be shared by tapping the three dot menu next to the playlist name and selecting “Share”. This will generate a shareable link that you can send to others. For public playlists, the link can be shared directly. For private playlists, the link allows invited users to view the playlist.

For Apple Music, tap the three dots next to a playlist and choose “Share Playlist”. You can share via Messages, Mail, social media and other options. Those you share with will need an Apple Music subscription to listen.

On YouTube, once you’ve created a playlist, click the “Share” button below the playlist details to grab a shareable link. Anyone with this link can view and listen to the YouTube playlist.

No matter which platform you use, sharing playlists provides an easy way to exchange music picks and favorites with friends. Just be sure those you share with have access to listen based on the platform and account access requirements.

Conclusion

In summary, there are many benefits to creating your own free playlist, whether on YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud or another platform. Playlists allow you to organize songs in a personalized order and listen to music suited to your tastes. They can boost your mood, reduce anxiety, help with exercising, and encourage productivity. Artists can also use playlists to establish their musical identity, engage with their audience, and gain new listeners. The process of making a free playlist is simple on most platforms – just search for songs, add them to a new playlist, organize the order, customize details like the title and description, and publish the playlist to share. With the ability to stream millions of songs for free and create endless personalized playlists, you have an abundance of musical joy at your fingertips.

As discussed throughout this article, key benefits of crafting your own playlist include efficiency, knowledge sharing, relationship building, branding, audience engagement, mood enhancement, motivation, and more. The customized nature of playlists caters to individual preferences. Given the ease of creating playlists on platforms like YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud, you can readily reap these rewards yourself by compiling your favorite tunes. Your personalized playlist truly has the power to change your life.