The Master Playlist: Listening to the Power of Playlists. Insights & Resources

How can playlists transform everyday music use by reframing playlist curation as a reflective, intentional practice?

This hybrid session combines a presentation of academic insights with an interactive workshop session that explores the emotional power of personal playlists. First, we'll look at key findings from research on how youth use playlists as tools for self-regulation, self-expression, and socialisation. We'll focus on how music streaming platforms' interfaces influence curatorial habits – and how young users exert agency through conscious listening practices.

The second part of the session invites you to reflect on your own music habits: through guided journaling prompts, and by sharing a set of resources to integrate playlist curation as a conscious habit.

Here are some expected outcomes for:

- Music streaming users: you'll gain a new perspective of playlists as more than just song collections, instead recognising them as personal artefacts you can curate for self-expression and self-regulation.

- Music industry professionals: get insights on how to promote songs for personal playlist inclusion by offering lyric snippets and mood descriptions that support individual emotional discovery beyond algorithmic recommendations. View playlist curation by artists as a powerful storytelling tool that deepens audience connection.

- Wellbeing practitioners (music therapists): practical resources and research insights to introduce playlist curation as a reflective activity in both workshops and individual sessions. Understand playlist as a social practice—based on personal meanings, individual digital media uses, and identity-based choices.