# Genres in your MP3 collection **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978 "2006-10-10T21:26:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/21 "2006-10-12T15:23:58Z")
I 100% ignore genres. If I have a complete album of something then I have a playlist for that album, but all the random stuff is just that. I do have two playlists set up for mood, “Boogie Nights” for upbeat music, and “Booty Call” for slower, mellow stuff, but that’s it. Usually I just put iTunes on shuffle and let it run. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/22 "2006-10-12T15:52:51Z")
The genre tag is useless for me. I even gave up filling in my own custom genre. The problem is that so much music (in my collection anyway) crosses genres. I’m waiting for a “Keyword” feature to be added to the ID4 tag so that I can apply all pertinent genre and style tags. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/23 "2006-10-13T12:40:17Z")
[QUOTE=Hey you!] The genre tag is useless for me. I even gave up filling in my own custom genre. The problem is that so much music (in my collection anyway) crosses genres. I’m waiting for a “Keyword” feature to be added to the ID4 tag so that I can apply all pertinent genre and style tags. [/QUOTE] I use the comment field rather extensively, too, and I build playlists based on mood. For example, when I’m working on something that requires heavy focus, I don’t want lyrics distracting me, so I have a list that pulls out only instrumentals (using the comment field), and picks a bit among the genres (no Christmas). I also have an “upbeat” keyword in the comments so that I can build a list that includes upbeat songs from multiple genres. I have wide musical tastes, but I’m not always in the mood for every kind of music: hence dozens of playlists. Today, I’m running a “current favorites” list that has a mix of Celtic rock, classical, acoustic guitar, classic rock, and bluegrass. I’m a strange animal. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/24 "2006-10-13T13:15:01Z")
Mine are Christmas Classical Comedy/Weird Country/Folk/Bluegrass Jazz/Swing/Standards Jimmy Buffett Live/Acoustic/Acapella Pop by Decade Rock R&B/Funk/Blues World ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/25 "2006-10-13T15:02:23Z")
A whole genre for Jimmy Buffet? I love it! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/26 "2006-10-13T22:06:13Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] I hate the label “alternative,” which has evolved from being vague, to meaningless, to outright self-contradictory: “alternative” is the mainstream anymore. [/QUOTE] “Indie” has kind of become the new “alternative” ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/27 "2006-10-13T22:53:29Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] “Indie” has kind of become the new “alternative” [/QUOTE] Well you can’t get much less descriptive of the actual music than “indie.” ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/28 "2006-10-13T23:22:48Z")
Shoebox - Worn Heel, Grind, My Obsession, other mainstream shoebox stuff Alternative shoebox - Tag Nog, Bash, early Grind Indie shoebox - The Spangles, Pacers, Topic Indie alternative new shoebox - Jan Tomaceski, Stokoe’s Sunderland, The Opal Mints, etc. Alternative Indie shoebox - DVLA, post-_“Eater”_ Tag Nog, The Clegg Commission ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978/29 "2006-10-14T00:01:15Z")
[QUOTE=Usram] Shoebox - Worn Heel, Grind, My Obsession, other mainstream shoebox stuff Alternative shoebox - Tag Nog, Bash, early Grind Indie shoebox - The Spangles, Pacers, Topic Indie alternative new shoebox - Jan Tomaceski, Stokoe’s Sunderland, The Opal Mints, etc. Alternative Indie shoebox - DVLA, post-_“Eater”_ Tag Nog, The Clegg Commission [/QUOTE] I must be too old to know what any of that stuff is. I find Beastie Boys, Beck and Gorillaz largely unclassifyable (but strangely similar in their blending of hip hop, alt rock and electronica) so they get called “Alternative Rock” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genres-in-your-mp3-collection/375978.md?page=1)