About Stephania Varalli
Stephania Varalli was sweetspot.ca’s first employee and is currently off on one of her many adventures (though thanks to her life motto of "seemed like a good idea at the time," she still has a myriad of stories archived to enjoy).
Rules For Road Trip Playlists
that's what sv said canada
(May.07.09)
You may have noticed our handy new Road Trip Guide went up yesterday. One of the featured sections of the guide is Soundtracks, offering suggested playlists in multiple categories to meet all your auto audio needs. Putting the lists together was great (I now know the musical tastes of all my fellow Sweetspot staffers), but it did highlight an inevitable truth: you can't please everybody all of the time.
I've had a few road trips where this issue has come up. On a recent drive to Michigan, I discovered just how much Taylor Swift could fit on one iPod playlist. When we made the pact to switch players at the border, I inwardly sighed with each favourite song that was quickly skipped past. (If I Could Turn Back Time, I wish I could turn back to you.)
So what's the solution? There's no chance that one car full of people (or even a dynamic duo, as I often travel) is going to agree on every tune. I'm not some smug audiophile that will suggest one genre is better than any other, or compare the merits of individual songs. People will like what they like, and that's how it should be. There needs to be a compromise.
So for the future of all road trips, I'm suggesting some basic rules:
- If you are in the passenger seat, you are the primary DJ. All requests/skips must go through you.
- All passengers may choose to veto the playing of a song by making a verbal request to the DJ. This is a "no-play" veto.
- All passengers have the right to counter the no-play veto with a must-play veto. The no-play vetoer can then decide to allow the song to be played, or request the must-play vetoer to plead their case.
- If their case is based on "I like it", the song is skipped. If they love it, the fate is decided by the DJ.
- If their case is based on deep emotional connection (crying will help here) the song is played.
- If their case is based on the fact that the no-play vetoer has not actually heard the song and should expand their musical horizons, the song will be played for one minute to allow for fair review.
- In the case of multiple iPods or CDs, an equal rotation will be established, starting with the driver.
- The volume is decided by the driver.
- Power is usurped if the set volume is too quite for the back seat to rock out.
- Silence can be requested by any passenger to allow for thoughtful lyrics to be heard. Unless the song is longer than four minutes. Then breaks must be allowed. (Check out our lyrical playlist for examples).
- The driver can turn off the music only when they get close to a destination and have to "really look" for something (you all know you do it...)
Let me know what you think of the rules. I'm open to additions and revisions. And don't forget to check out our Road Trip Guide!
On a Taylor Swift note, I'm actually a big fan of her I'd Lie tune. (Even though I can see my 16-year-old grunge-loving self traveling forward in time to punch me in the stomach for admitting that.)