By Ethan Contreras
How It Started
One thing that I always wrestled with, was trying to find new music. I don’t know if it’s the self diagnosed ADHD that runs in the family or something else, but I would constantly search for the latest music. I had no real means of finding music. I tried things like going to different websites where they share new music like albumoftheyear.org or one website that would send me emails to listen to an album that was critically acclaimed and was a top 100 album. It was all a start, but it wasn’t scratching the itch I wanted to find something that was not really developed because I like seeing the potential of things and see the artist’s progression
So it was the beginning of the new year of 2024. I had gone to work, and everything was as expected. I had resolutions like everyone else that I probably wouldn’t stick to. It was the normal start to a new year. At work, one of my coworkers mentioned seeing a TikTok of someone making a playlist where they add a song everyday. I thought this was a great idea, since I love music and I thought it would be manageable. It was something that didn’t take too much effort, and I feel like I could stick to it. That day, I added a song that my coworker played that I never heard before and I liked. It was come again by m-flo. Something out of my usual realm and I thought that was cool. I thought the playlist would be like a memento of the year, and I could ask people to recommend a song so I can listen to it and add to my playlist. And that is where it started.
Finding New Music and Meeting People
Now, making the playlist didn’t guarantee new music to just keep flowing in. I already had a different playlist where I dedicated music to go in there that had less than a million streams. I felt like it was a good threshold, since they weren’t the biggest songs but they were still great listens. I used both of these new playlists in tandem, since if it was a new find I could add it to the finds playlist and also add it to the newly dubbed 2&24 playlist.
As January kept moving along, I was steadily adding music everyday but none of it was completely new to me. So as the spring semester came around, I wanted to incorporate music into conversations so then I could ask about recommendations. Having the playlist of a song everyday was an interesting concept to some and they gladly helped me. I thought it was great since its a conversation starter on something that I am very passionate about and if the other person is passionate about music, they would love to share their taste.
Soon, I was building the playlist day by day, and it was coming out great. It had my own style to it, but there was outside influence that made me more receptive of other music. I think asking people for their recommendations definitely helped me branch out a bit more. Of those recommendations, I would find something good about them because I think everyone likes a song for a reason which is what I like about music so much. I add the one that I liked the most from the collection of recommendations and maybe use other ones that I listened to for another day. The point was, I didn’t want it to just be classics. I wanted it to be more of a song I listened to that day, and I dedicate the day to it.
Why I’m Still Doing It
Having the playlist gives me a bit of a time capsule of what happened that year. Like when you see someone mention a fact you learned from elementary, and you can connect it to what happened during that time. It’s a weird sensation, but for about 90 percent of the songs, I can remember something that happened that day or how I found it. I am separating the playlists by year so that way each year could get its own kind of spotlight.
Right now, as the year comes to an end, I am finishing up the 2&25 playlist. Being on Titan Radio was fun because I was able to even play some of the recommendations that I got from people on the radio. Plus, I had a personal goal of mine to not repeat songs from previous weeks, so finding new music to put on the daily playlist was inevitable.
I’ve learned that my music taste has some obvious tendencies, but it isn’t one dimensional like it used to be. That’s what matters to me, in which I can see my progression through my playlist almost like how I like finding new music and seeing artists progress. Remembering the time when I was strictly listening to rap, I can see how much more open I am to listening to different genres and that’s one of the best parts.
A playlist with a song every day is still a commitment, but I think it’s a good one to have. It’s encouraged me in many ways and I look forward to finding that new song, hidden gem, or someone’s favorite that I can listen to and appreciate as well. The niche music and less mainstream music isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but that’s something that I like. For a playlist where you put music everyday, it could be something you relate the day with, or it could be revisiting favorites. The end goal is to have something that you can look back on and remember, “Hey I did this that day” or something like that. You can personalize it however, and that’s why I think it is such a fun idea. So for those that really enjoy music and having a passion for it as much as I do, I think the daily playlist is a no brainer. It’s also a cool thing to show people/friends and start conversations with. The new year is coming up and its the perfect opportunity to try something new, and start a new playlist with your own twist on it. A song a day might seem small, but its become one of my favorite things I’ve done since starting last year.
2025 Song Every Day Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/67PSkch1nSFI7DMbpJKLUN?si=3Qt7i07fQSCuEpOv392WUQ&pi=VMeZQ8kJSXi9S
