{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T17:37:41Z","timestamp":1754156261692,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,26]],"date-time":"2024-07-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1721952000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JD"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>Genre is a valuable access point for popular music collections; however, the blurring of genre boundaries combined with changing listening habits and new forms of classification have brought genre\u2019s importance into question. The playlist is now a common means of classification on music streaming platforms. Recent commentary suggests that context is now a preferred access point. This exploratory study offers an examination of genres\u2019 role in playlists.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>A mixed-methods study investigates, using Spotify, whether genre retains relevance amidst the rise in popularity of playlist-based music classification. Sample size is noted as a limitation of the study.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>Qualitative coding of user and editorial playlist names revealed less than 20% of codes applied were genre-based. However, when non-genre themes were differentiated, genre themes ranked as one of the most prevalent. Context-based themes were most common, though genre was readily combined with other descriptive themes, highlighting its utility. Quantitative analysis of genre tags showed playlists with context-based themes demonstrated higher genre homogeneity than those using generic themes, indicating playlists were named on a genre-by-proxy basis.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>The study suggests that genre continues to play an integral role in a field where an eclectic variety of descriptive themes has emerged, although its role may have changed. Context-based themes are central to the way users organise music, though such terms can often serve as containers for music collections sharing distinct generic and musicological similarities.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/jd-08-2023-0152","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,25]],"date-time":"2024-07-25T09:15:17Z","timestamp":1721898917000},"page":"1-23","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Playlists and genre: the role of music genre in Spotify\u2019s playlists"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"81","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-8464-3083","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Callum","family":"McDonald","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1086-8837","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Allen Edward","family":"Foster","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7575-7871","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pauline","family":"Rafferty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,26]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3-4","key":"key2024121605214673100_ref001","first-page":"144","article-title":"Indexing of musical genres: an epistemological perspective","volume":"30","year":"2003","journal-title":"Knowledge Organization"},{"key":"key2024121605214673100_ref002","unstructured":"Aguiar, L. and Waldfogel, J. 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