i’d say making a mixtape for someone really depends on a few factors: how personal you want it, what their preferred form of media is, and how much you want to spend.
spotify playlists are cute and basically free, but they sometimes come across as less personal. however, if they don’t have a cd/cassette player, it’s probably your best bet.
burning a cd is fun and relatively easy, and it takes more work to do so it’s more personal. also, you can draw or paint the cover for the cd. however, if you don’t have the means to burn one, paying someone to burn one could get a little pricey.
making a true mixtape on a cassette is my personal favourite, because tapes are my favourite form of media and making a mixtape on a cassette takes a ton of work. however, again, paying someone to make it for you takes time and money.
overall, in terms of length, a good 30-45 minute play time is expected. try to pick songs that you know they’ll like, or that remind you of them, and maybe have something to go along with it that explains why you picked certain songs.
good luck!
Jun 29, 2024
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i recently made a cd mixtape for a gift exchange with friends and i had to limit myself to 80 minutes. first step was to stalk the spotify of the playlist receiver, and i added songs that i knew from their playlists to the playlist for them. i also added songs from artists we liked in common, and songs from memories we have together. it ended up being like 7 hours worth of songs so i just sat down for a looooong period of time and cracked away at editing it, trying to just curate that indescribable feeling that you find in a playlist someone made for you. i also like to order songs to make the transitions between them sound good when i’m making a playlist for someone; i imagined them listening to the cd in the car and how it would sound for the songs to switch, would it sound natural or clunky? and a playlist made with a loving hand will always have a beautiful charm to it so don’t worry or overthink it to much. 💌
Aug 29, 2024
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in a very digital era, it is so special to literally hold a collection of songs that reminds someone of you/reminds you of someone. i’ve started a tradition of making several of my friends mixes around christmas time, and every year they are so so excited and it’s just so sweet. you get to share some songs that they may not know, but you think they’ll like; you get to share some that you associate with a memory with them; you get to put some on there that you are 100% sure they love. playlists are extremely awesome and cool, but so much more thought has to be put into a cd/tape because it takes so much longer to put it all together, has a time limit, etc.
bring back the art of mixtapes!!!
Oct 7, 2024
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yesss! first mixtape i gifted someone was a burnt cd, then i just made ppl playlists on spotify, but i think it would be cooler to use other mediums. perhaps send them a flash drive with the songs and a little note card, where the songs are listed and you write smth to the person. if that's not an option, a .zip folder with the mp3s seems like a nice idea too :) or also a landing page on a website where the songs play in the background and you write whatever you'd like on there? length i'd just go with what feels right
Jun 29, 2024
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