Before the doorbell
How to make a party playlist
A good party playlist starts with the people coming, builds as the room fills up and saves its biggest songs for late. Here's how to make one in an evening, and what to do if you'd rather not.
Six steps to a good playlist
01
Start with who's coming
Think about the ages in the room and the years they were teenagers, because that's where most people's favorite songs come from. A room of 30-year-olds and a room with three generations need very different lists.
02
Work out how many songs you need
Most songs run three to four minutes, so plan on 15 to 20 songs an hour. A three-hour party needs about 60, and a few spares will save you if the night runs long.
03
Pick one idea
A theme makes the choosing easier because it tells you what to leave out. A decade, a genre or the birthday person's favorites will all work, and you can always break the rule for one great song.
04
Plan the night in three parts
Keep it easy while people arrive and want to talk, pick up the pace once the room fills, and save the biggest singalongs for late. If you play your best song at 8:15, nobody's there to sing it.
05
Put similar songs next to each other
A slow ballad right after a dance hit can stop a room cold, so change the energy a little at a time. Keeping similar genres together does the same job, and it makes any jump you do take feel like a choice.
06
Test it before anyone arrives
Play a minute on the real speakers or TV while the house is still quiet. Check the words too if kids or grandparents are coming, so you aren't looking for a clean version with guests at the door.
Or let us do it
The shortcut
Audiotape makes music video mixtapes from any idea, and we call them tapes for short. Type a line about your party and we'll pick the songs, put them in order and line up each one's official music video, which takes about five minutes. Watching is always free, and you only pay to record one.
- “Sam's 30th birthday” Record this
- “A backyard party, all 2000s singalongs” Record this
- “The hits from the year we all met” Record this
Free to watch
Tapes you can play right now
These are Audiotape Originals, the mixtapes we make ourselves. They're free to watch on any screen, and nobody needs an account.
01 / 04
The One With All the Hits (1990s)
“The biggest hits of the 90s”
C-120 · 2 hrs Play02 / 04
Y2Play (2000s)
“The biggest hits of the 2000s”
C-120 · 2 hrs Play03 / 04
Only Bangers in the Building (2020s)
“The biggest hits of the 2020s so far”
C-120 · 2 hrs Play04 / 04
Pop Fiction
“Top hits of 1994”
C-60 · 1 hr Play
Music videos from YouTube
Questions
- How many songs do I need for a party playlist?
- Plan on 15 to 20 songs for every hour of the party, since most songs run three to four minutes. A three-hour party needs about 60 songs, and it's worth adding a few spares.
- What order should party songs go in?
- Start with easy songs while people arrive, pick up the pace as the room fills, and save the biggest singalongs for late in the night. Change the energy a little at a time, because a big jump can stop a room.
- What songs work for a mixed-age crowd?
- Songs that have lasted work best, since grandparents and teenagers may both know them. Pick a few from every decade in the room, and keep a clean version handy if kids are coming.
Make a tape of your own
Type any idea, like a decade, a band or a friend's birthday, and we'll record the tape in about five minutes.