An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed song lyrics from the Broadway show "Avenue Q" to the band Semisonic. The error has been corrected in this version.
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Downloading Empathy to Your iPod
With weeks to prepare for the inevitable, Wessel turned to iMix and downloaded songs to help her get through. "I chose songs that had words that would be appropriate to the situation," she said. "And some people mentioned songs they liked, so I downloaded them."
Though she made the playlist for herself initially, she soon decided to post it for the benefit of others. "I can't write a song, I can't write a poem, but this helps," she explained. "Whenever I find something that has helped me, I share it."
 Justine Saylors with her son, Lance, in 2003, the last year of his life. (Courtesy of Saylors family) |
On the opposite coast, in the opposite corner of the country, Saylors came across Wessel's playlist while compiling her own collection several months later. "I downloaded a few from her mix and rated it five stars. That is how Carla and I got in touch via e-mail."
And Wessel, in turn, encouraged Saylors to continue iMixing in memory of Lance.
"Seeing the attention it was getting, and the attention for pediatric cancer, it's been a trip," said Saylors. She has gone on to post "Missing My Son Lance" parts 2, 3, 4 and 5, drawing in part from suggestions offered by the scores of visitors who have signed the guestbook of Lance's memorial site since her first playlist was first published.
"I found you on iTunes," wrote Jerry of Nashville. "Your story made me hug my son just a little tighter tonight. May God bless and keep you wrapped in his loving arms."
"I found the site on iTunes," wrote Stuart of Boca Raton, Fla. "My eyes are filled with tears."
Wrote Matt of Shreveport, La., "I never thought in a million years something so powerful as your words and dedication to your son would be discovered on a music download service."
And this, say Slater and McGuire, is what they're getting at when they write of personal playlists "democratizing culture."
"Once they find others that have similar or at least interesting tastes, consumers might interact with each other," the two wrote in their December study. "Some of these interactions may be simple and fleeting, but others may help form stronger bonds.
"To the extent the tools can create bonds between people, the creation of these communities may have beneficial spill-over effects into the rest of our lives."
Benefits of Self-Expression
The current percentage of sales driven by playlists is hard to pin down, according to McGuire. But with some 10 million credit cards reported on account with iTunes last quarter and the number of individual playlists approaching 400,000, McGuire said, "it is still a relatively small amount." ITunes does not have information about iMixes' effect on sales, according to spokeswoman Amy Gardner.
