SPEND THREE WEEKS PLANNING A PERFECT PLAYLIST / NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION TO THE SONGS
November 18, 2011 2:30 PM Subscribe
Playing music at a party - should I use iTunes or Spotify?
I've been charged with creating the playlist for a disco party, and I have it all set to go in Spotify.
My only concern is that Spotify does not allow cross-fading - there'd be a moment of silence between each track. (I'm a complete Socially Awkward Penguin and would probably spent the entire party going OMG THE NEXT TRACK IS NOT GOING TO START THIS IS A DISASTER)
iTunes allows cross-fading, but I don't own all the songs on the playlist, and I'd probably have to spend between $15 and $20 to buy all the songs. Money which I would prefer not to spend.
So which should I do? Would you be annoyed if you went to a party and the songs did not blend into each other?
I've been charged with creating the playlist for a disco party, and I have it all set to go in Spotify.
My only concern is that Spotify does not allow cross-fading - there'd be a moment of silence between each track. (I'm a complete Socially Awkward Penguin and would probably spent the entire party going OMG THE NEXT TRACK IS NOT GOING TO START THIS IS A DISASTER)
iTunes allows cross-fading, but I don't own all the songs on the playlist, and I'd probably have to spend between $15 and $20 to buy all the songs. Money which I would prefer not to spend.
So which should I do? Would you be annoyed if you went to a party and the songs did not blend into each other?
I have almost never been at a house party or similar and had any more attention paid to the song selection than "oh man these are awesome and it would be hilarious to follow up the MGMT with the theme from the 90s X-Men TV show!" This is in a social circle with several people who regularly DJ events semiprofessionally.
posted by Tomorrowful at 2:34 PM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Tomorrowful at 2:34 PM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
The only time lack of crossfade is obvious is on a song with a long fade-out. But even then, a global 2-sec crossfade isn't going to do anything; you'd need a human starting the next track as one is ending.
Short version: don't worry about it. Maybe spring for the paid version of Spotify for a month for higher-quality audio (though I'm one of the few who notice this), no ads, and offline storage (buffering gaps are more obvious than gaps between songs)? Mostly, don't worry about it.
posted by supercres at 2:38 PM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
Short version: don't worry about it. Maybe spring for the paid version of Spotify for a month for higher-quality audio (though I'm one of the few who notice this), no ads, and offline storage (buffering gaps are more obvious than gaps between songs)? Mostly, don't worry about it.
posted by supercres at 2:38 PM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
Is this a disco party with the intention of everyone dancing all the time, or a disco-themed party, complete with disco music which could encourage dancing?
My only concern with Spotify (besides load-times and possible ads) would be how the songs end. You don't want a song to end in full force, only to pause a moment, then start a song with a slow fade intro. At least, I wouldn't.
Other thought: if you're going to ever do this again (or someone else will throw a similar party), pay the money for the music and (or someone else) can re-use it.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:40 PM on November 18, 2011
My only concern with Spotify (besides load-times and possible ads) would be how the songs end. You don't want a song to end in full force, only to pause a moment, then start a song with a slow fade intro. At least, I wouldn't.
Other thought: if you're going to ever do this again (or someone else will throw a similar party), pay the money for the music and (or someone else) can re-use it.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:40 PM on November 18, 2011
What kind of Spotify subscription are you asking about?
posted by John Cohen at 3:44 PM on November 18, 2011
posted by John Cohen at 3:44 PM on November 18, 2011
I would not notice, and historically have not at parties where we get our dance on. Of course, I also drink adult beverages at these parties and that may be part of the reason. But it's never something I've noticed.
posted by hepta at 4:06 PM on November 18, 2011
posted by hepta at 4:06 PM on November 18, 2011
Never make a party dependent on an Internet connection.
posted by Benjy at 4:49 PM on November 18, 2011 [8 favorites]
posted by Benjy at 4:49 PM on November 18, 2011 [8 favorites]
I'm with Benjy. I would more concerned with internet crapping out mid-party than with cross-fade. If you have some time, why not look for those songs on CD at the library and then rip them. If they're disco songs, I doubt you would have any trouble utilizing a major metro library and/or inter-library loans to track down all of the songs.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 5:35 PM on November 18, 2011
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 5:35 PM on November 18, 2011
Response by poster: I am using premium Spotify, so there will be no internet dropping issues or ads.
Thanks for putting my mind at ease!
posted by Lucinda at 5:45 PM on November 18, 2011
Thanks for putting my mind at ease!
posted by Lucinda at 5:45 PM on November 18, 2011
iTunes.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:12 PM on November 18, 2011
posted by oceanjesse at 6:12 PM on November 18, 2011
Internet dropping issues have nothing to do with the type of Spotify you have. If the wireless goes wonky, so does your music. Having a premium account won't stop that.
posted by theichibun at 8:38 PM on November 18, 2011
posted by theichibun at 8:38 PM on November 18, 2011
Best answer: Theichibun: Actually, Spotify Premium lets you sync playlists so you can play songs offline, so you can use it just fine without an Internet connection.
I'd go with Spotify, because if you do have an Internet connection, you can easily take requests, or guests can add songs as they think of them, for free.
posted by alicetiara at 8:50 PM on November 18, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'd go with Spotify, because if you do have an Internet connection, you can easily take requests, or guests can add songs as they think of them, for free.
posted by alicetiara at 8:50 PM on November 18, 2011 [2 favorites]
Use Grooveshark! I've never used Spotify, but Grooveshark seems to be what you're looking for: you can find whatever specific songs you want, throw them on a savable playlist, and it has a cross-fading option.
posted by Pwoink at 6:55 AM on November 19, 2011
posted by Pwoink at 6:55 AM on November 19, 2011
Grooveshark has cross-fading. Groovylists.com will convert your spotify playlists to grooveshark playlists. Plus, it will work on any computer*[with a modern browser that supports flash]
posted by czytm at 12:29 PM on November 19, 2011
posted by czytm at 12:29 PM on November 19, 2011
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posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 2:33 PM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]