SOUNDTRACK SUCCESS

er the art of playlist crafting for any so or social endeavor party time, perhaps?).

1 MATCH VIBES

"Choose music that speaks to you," says Sean Heim, a composer and a professor of music at Chapman University. After all, the purpose of a playlist is to target and feed emotions. Sydney Hard, the creative director for record label Mom + Pop Music, recommends building the playlist around one core song that encapsulates the intended message or feeling. Decide first what you want to feel and work backward, focusing on the emotional takeaway from the get-go.

2 STAY SOLID 

Building with a specific theme, genre, or era in mind creates a unified experience that helps the tunes seamlessly flow. Consistency helps make sense of the vast selection available, says Hard Piecing similar tunes together allows for specificity that groups music in "an accessible form." So keep that original intent (#1, matching vibes) in mind for each song you add and watch out for differences that stray from that core purpose.

3 WORK WITH AN ARC IN MIND