A few months ago, my mom and I were having a conversation about the music they play at the store where she works. She was talking about how they've been playing the same mix for so long that she can tell the time by what song is playing. I've worked a lot of retail jobs where they had a mix that we were supposed to play for a certain length of time (during a themed promotion) or at a certain time of year.
"Now, don't get me wrong," she said, "it's a good mix. Fun stuff, a lot of oldies, some songs from movies. But it just gets old after a while."
"Huh," I said, a theory forming. "A lot of oldies?"
"Yeah - Beach Boys."
"And more recent stuff? Billy Joel? A couple songs from Grease?"
"Yeah!"
"And 'Professional Pirate' from Muppet Treasure Island?"
"Oh, my gosh - yes! Were they playing that mix when you worked there?"
"That's the mix I MADE for them when I worked there."
One summer, seven years ago, when I worked at the school supply store she's currently working at, my coworkers and I were lamenting that we had to play the CDs that we sold in the store - kids's songs, nursery rhymes, circle-time songs that in children's high-pitched voices became very grating very quickly. Someone asked why we couldn't listen to the radio. The owners said since we couldn't control what songs are on the radio - even the more family-friendly stations - or that there might be ads for competitors that they really didn't want to do that.
"What if someone brought in CDs?" one of my coworkers asked.
"Well, if everyone brought in CDs, we'd have to approve them all, and that would take a while, especially since we'd have to do it every time someone brought in something new."
"I've got a lot of family-friendly stuff," I said. "What if I made a mix, 2 or 3 hours long, and you guys could approve all the songs on it?" They decided that was decent idea, so I made a mix, kind of on the idea of a family-fun summer mix - the sort of thing you might have playing at a family pool party. I had imagined they'd use it for a few months and then I'd make another mix. But I got a full-time job with Cobb County Public Library shortly after this, and never really gave my mix more thought - until my mom brought it up. It kind of tickles me that they're still playing my mix so many years later.
I like making mixes. I made a playlist for my engagement party. Rather than hire a band or a DJ for my wedding, I made playlists for the "cocktail hour" (before Jason and I came to the reception) and for the reception.
I like making themed play lists that tell a story. I make mix CDs for my parents for presents. I remember back a few years ago, I mentioned this to a coworker (who was only slightly younger than myself) and she said, "aw, that's cute that you still make mix CDs for your parents." The tone kind of said, "how retro and quaint," and to this day I'm not sure if she meant that making mix CDs for other people was retro and quaint or that making mix CDs at all was retro and quaint.
That was a few years ago, before computers stopped coming with CD drives, back when buying a physical album and buying a digital album was probably still 50/50. Now it's getting to where physical media is a lot less common. I'm going to need a new laptop soon, and I have a feeling it won't have a CD drive or burner.
I made three mix CDs for my mom for Mother's Day this year - I don't know if I'll be able to do that next year.