Frequently Asked Questions

A playlist is a selection of chosen songs organized in a specific way. Playlists are played back in the Playlist.com player (also called the "Playlist widget"). You'll find the Playlist player on your profile page, on the Playlist.com search page and on the Playlist.com Home page.

1. First, be sure you are logged in to your free Playlist.com account.
2. Click "Create a Playlist" from the top menu bar.
3. Give your playlist a title and description.
4. Check the box "Make this a group playlist so my friends can add songs" if you want to collaborate with others on your playlist.
5. Use the Search box to search and find the songs you want.
6. On the search results page, you'll see your new playlist on the right side of the page. (Make sure playlist displayed is the one you want to add songs to. If it's not, then click on the pop down menu at the top of the player and choose the right playlist.)
7. Click on the "+" button next to the song title you want to add. You can add lots of songs (up to 200) to one playlist. (Though we think it's good to make playlists to suit different genres and moods.)

There are two ways to find songs to add to your playlist:

Browse other Playlist.com community playlists:

1. On the Home page of Playlist.com, click "View more Features" to view featured playlists, or click "View All" to browse top playlists.
2. When you hear a song you like, click "add" next to the song.
3. Select the playlist you want to add the song to, and click "add" again.

Search for specific songs:

1. Search for the artist or song you want to add.
2. If you're logged into your Playlist account, you'll see one of your playlists on the right side of the search results page. (Make sure playlist displayed is the one you want to add songs to. If it's not, click on the pop down menu at the top of the player and choose the right playlist.)
3. Click on the "+" button next to the selected song to the add the song to the selected playlist.

You can add up to 200 songs to a playlist. However, we recommend, for ease of organization, that you keep your stuff organized in different playlists. Maybe you'll have a dance playlist, a sad song playlist, a party playlist. Whatever.

Lots!

A group playlist is a playlist that you can share with others, and they can add songs to the playlist too. It's a great way to collaborate on songs for parties, events, or whatever. Recently, for example, the Playlist community helped the actor Edward Norton build a group playlist of songs he can listen to when he runs his marathon.

To make a playlist a group playlist, click on the link "Invite Friends to Add Songs" above the playlist. (If you don't see the link, it means the playlist is already a group playlist.) You can then send an email to your friends inviting them to participate in the building of the playlist.

Yes. It's free to join Playlist.com. You can only build playlists and enjoy music on Playlist.com if you're a registered user.

1. Display the playlist you want to edit.
2. Click "Rearrange Songs" above the playlist.
3. Click "x" next to the song(s) you want to delete.
4. Click "Save Changes" to save the changes you made.

1. Display the playlist you want to change.
2. Choose "Rearrange Songs" above the playlist.
3. Move tracks around until you have the order you want.
4. Click "Save Changes" when you're done.

1. Display the playlist you want to delete.
2. Click on "Delete This Playlist" on the right side of the playlist.

To transfer or merge music from one Playlist to another:

1. Log into the Playlist.com account with the playlists you want the music transferred to.
2. Display the playlist with the tracks you want to move.
3. Click on the "Add" link/button to the right of the song(s) you want to transfer. Note: If you have more than one Playlist you will be prompted to select a Playlist to add the new song/link to. Select that Playlist from the drop down menu.
4. Continue clicking the "Add" link until you have added all of the songs you want transferred.

Not all songs and artist catalogs are available online. There are a number of labels and artists that restrict music content on the web. If the song you are looking for does not come up through a search, it is most likely unavailable for Playlist.com to offer the music stream. Sorry. We don't like it either.

There are a few ways to share a playlist with a friend:

1. Go to your profile on Playlist.com by clicking on "My Profile" at the top of the page.
2. Click "Share" next to the playlist you want to share. You can post directly to your Facebook or Twitter accounts if you have connected them to your Playlist profile.
3. Click on "Share with Friends" to send an email or send a message on Facebook or Twitter.
4. OR, you can simply copy the URL for your playlist in your browser and email or IM it to a friend.
5. OR, you also share all your playlists by choosing a custom URL for your profile and sharing that with everyone you know. A custom URL makes a great email signature!

You can "embed" a playlist with your selected songs on any other Web site, including your blog or social network profile. This allows you to show off your favorite music to anyone who visits your profile, Web site, or blog. Every time you update your embedded playlist on Playlist.com, the widget for that playlist will automatically update too. Because the code references and uses JavaScript and Flash the website you are trying to post/add your Playlist to must allow both JavaScript and Flash. Not all websites allow you to use code that uses JavaScript and or Flash. Also, some websites only allow adding JavaScript and Flash only to certain sections of the site or page.

To embed your playlist on another site:

1. Display the playlist you want to embed.
2. Click "Embed Code" at the bottom of the playlist.
3. OR, display the playlists on your profile and click "Post" underneath the playlist.
4. Choose the site you want to share to.
5. For most sites, the link "Get the code for any other social network, blog or your own personal website" at the bottom will work well.
6. Follow the instructions on the other site to embed the HTML code.

For additional assistance with posting your Playlist you can E-mail support.

1. Display the playlist you want to embed.
2. Click "Embed Code" at the bottom of the playlist.
3. OR, display the playlists on your profile and click "Post" underneath the playlist.
4. Choose MySpace.
5. Follow the instructions on MySpace to embed the HTML code.

There are three ways to share music on Facebook:

* Copy the browser URL to your playlist, or even to your whole Playlist.com profile, and share it a link on your wall, or onto a friend's wall.

* OR, click "Share" underneath the playlist and connect your account to Facebook to share directly with your friends.

* OR, use Gigya to post your entire playlist on a wall. Here's how:

1. Make yourself a fan of the Gigya page. Search for Gigya in Facebook. You may have to "view all page results" to find the "official" Gigya page.
2. Click on the "My Stuff" tab at the top of the Gigya page.
3. Click on the "Grab This" link on the Gigya My Stuff page.
4. Go back to your Facebook profile. You now have Gigya on your own My Stuff page.
5. Go to your Playlist page and display the Playlist you want to post. Click on 'Generate Code' on the right side. Choose the option for "get the code for any social network."
6. Go back to your MyStuff tab on Facebook. Click on "Get Code" in the top right. Or, if you already have Gigya installed, click on “Add Code.” Paste the code you got from Playlist.com.

You now have your Playlist music on your Facebook profile. We know it’s a bit of a ‘round-a-bout’ way to do it. We’ll make it better. But it does work! Thanks, Gigya.

There are two ways to share music on Twitter:

* Copy the browser URL to your playlist, or even to your whole Playlist.com profile, and share it as a tweet.

* OR, click Share underneath the playlist and connect your account to Twitter to share directly with your followers.

There are a few cool gadgets that clever Playlist.com users have built to allow embedding of playlists to Google sites. Here's how:

1. Use whatever method you use to add a Google Gadget to your site. (For example, in iGoogle, choose Add Stuff.) Search for playlist.com
2. We've tried out all the gadgets. Right now, we're liking the one made by the user isbinod. You can find it here. Add the gadget and click on Edit Settings.
3. Choose one of the built-in colors for the background, or you can choose a JPG for the background. To use a JPG, turn the "use skin" checkbox on, choose white for the background color, and add a link to a JPG. To get some cool ideas for backgrounds, go to Photobucket's Find Stuff area. They have a section just for backgrounds that work nicely. You can find it here: http://photobucket.com/findstuff/backgrounds/.
4. Finally, enter the number of your playlist. To find your playlist's number, display your playlist in Playlist.com and look for the 11 digit number in the address/URL line. Just copy that 11 digit number into the playlist # box.
5. Save and you're done.

Yes. To do so:

1. Search for the song you want to share.
2. Click the "Share" link alongside the song.
3. Share directly to Facebook or Twitter, or send an email.
4. OR just copy the URL to the song, and share it with your friends by email or IM.

Click the "Fan User" button on your friends' Playlist.com profile pages. Once you're following someone, you will have easy access to their profile and playlists.

You can fan people you don't know, if you like their taste in music. If they want to be fanned, they'll have a "Fan User" button on their profile page. If you don't want to be fanned, you can turn off that option in your account settings. (Go to My Profile and then Settings to adjust your privacy settings.)

No problem-- you can send yourself a password reminder. To do this:

1. Go to the Request new password page.
2. Enter either the email address you used to sign up with. Or enter your Username.
3. The new/re-set password is only sent to the email address contained in your Playlist.com profile. So make sure to use that address on the Request new password page. If you do not receive the automated email (with your log-in information), please check your Junk Mail/Spam folder. Sometimes the email gets snagged in there.
4. When you receive the automated email reply make sure to click on the link in the email to validate/verify the password re-set request -- clicking that link is what activates the new/re-set password.

Your must click the link in the email! Otherwise, it won't work. So don't forget to click in the email!

If you're still having trouble, please E-mail Support for additional assistance. Our Support department is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday; users typically receive a reply within 24 hours during normal business hours. We'll do our best to help you.

If you are sure you are using the correct login information and are still not able to log in, do the following:

1. Go to the Request new password page.
2. Enter either the email address you used to sign up with. Or enter your Username.
3. The new/re-set password is only sent to the email address contained in your Playlist.com profile. So make sure to use that address on the Request new password page. If you do not receive the automated email (with your log-in information), please check your Junk Mail/Spam folder. Sometimes the email gets snagged in there.
4. When you receive the automated email reply make sure to click on the link in the email to validate/verify the password re-set request -- clicking that link is what activates the new/re-set password.

Your must click the link in the email! Otherwise, it won't work. So don't forget to click in the email!

If you're still having trouble, please E-mail Support for additional assistance. Our Support department is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday; users typically receive a reply within 24 hours during normal business hours. We'll do our best to help you.

Still not working?

Once you have verified the new password try copying and pasting BOTH the Username AND password from the email to the fields on the log-in page (instead of typing them). Make sure there are NO extra spaces at the very beginning or very end of what you copy/paste.

Pssst.... want to hear a secret? Okay, we'll tell you, but keep it secret ;-)

You would be surprised how often Support assists someone when the password is not the problem, it is the Username. It is not uncommon that a Username was set up differently than what a user is trying to use to log in with. So make sure to check the Username listed in the email you received is the same as what you think the Username is. Make sure you are entering it EXACTLY the way it is listed in the email. Even an extra space or a missing space is enough to cause the login to fail since it is not technically a match for what the Username was setup as.

The other common problem is that when someone uses the 're-set password' page/function they get an email with a link that MUST be clicked to verify the request was from that email address. Once that link is clicked/verified the password is actually re-set to the new one. If that link in the email is never clicked, that password will never work.

If you're still having trouble, please E-mail Support. Our Support department is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday; users typically receive a reply within 24 hours during normal business hours. We'll do our best to help you.

Getting a message that the email address or Username is already in use can happen for a few reasons:

If you are receiving a "This Username is already in use" message it means that the Username is already taken. Try different Usernames; maybe adding numbers at the beginning or end.

If you are receiving a "This email address is already in use" message it means an account has already been registered under the email address you are entering. The most common reasons this happens is that someone with a similar email address made a typo when registering for their account.

Or, maybe you registered for a Playlist.com account and you don't recall registering. If which case, follow the instructions on this page for resetting your password.

If you are not able to register for a different reason, please E-mail Support for additional assistance. Make sure to provide as much detail as possible regarding the problem you are having, including the text of any error messages you may be getting

Yes! Here's how:

1. Log into your Playlist.com account.
2. Click on My Profile at the top of the Playlist.com page.
3. Click on Settings, and then on Custom URL.
4. If your Custom URL is available, it'll become your URL.

Your account settings allow you to customize your experience with Playlist.com.

Click on My Profile at the top of the Playlist.com page.

Use your account settings to:

• Change your profile picture.
• Upload photos and write blog posts.
• Choose your featured playlist.
• Tell others about your musical tastes.
• Update the email address associated with your account. (It's really important to keep this up to date -- it's the only way we can help you log into your account if you forget your password!)
• and more ....

The Playlist player uses Adobe's Flash browser plug-in; the player requires that version of Flash to be version 9.x or higher.

Since Flash is a plug-in for the browser, you can have different versions of Flash for different browsers you may have installed. To see what version is installed for the browser you are currently using you can go to the link below while using that browser:

http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_15507

Adobe's website has a page for troubleshooting Flash problems; it can be accessed at:

http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_19166

One of the things Adobe suggests is completely uninstalling Flash, making sure NO programs are running when you run the uninstaller, before you re-install/upgrade.

The Adobe Flash uninstaller can be downloaded by going to:

http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_14157&sliceId=1

After using Adobe's uninstaller you can re-download/re-install Flash from:

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer

If you are still having a problem with Flash after uninstalling/re-installing you should ensure any browser plug-ins or 3rd party security software you may be using have been configured to allow JavaScript and Flash to run.

The music on Playlist is streamed directly from the Internet. So if there are lots of active Internet connections, play back can be slow or may skip.

Try closing programs you are not using that use an Internet connection and see if the problem clears up. Or try re-starting the computer in case something is hung in an odd state or system resources are low.

If you are seeing this behavior on a work computer it could be that the network administrator has limited or blocked streaming traffic. This is sometimes done to give priority to other types of Internet traffic.

A red link on a song can be caused by a number of things:

It could be a temporary communication problem between your location and the location of the music file.

Or, the link may point to music that's no longer available.

Or, it can indicate that the link is for content that the artist (or artist representative) may have specifically limited the availability of.

A immediate solution would be to delete that track, and search and add it again. Or you can just wait and see if the link becomes available later.

You cannot upload music files to Playlist.com.

You can, however, input URLs linking to music files that you own the copyright for or legally have the rights to distribute; we do keep a large database of such song links.

To get a URL for a music file that you own the copyright in or legally have the rights to distribute, find a website that hosts or stores files. Once you have posted the file there, the file should be assigned a URL that you can then enter into the Playlist.com expanded search page.

Please note that if the link is not accepted, it could be due to one or more issues:

The URL you are using is not valid - it points to a web page and not the actual music file (the URL should end in .mp3)

Or, the artist (or legal agent for the artist) has not authorized the music to be made freely available on the Internet.

Or, there is something blocking access to the hosting site.

Or, the file is too large.

Or, the file is a video file rather than an audio file, or the file format is not correct (file must be an .mp3 file).

Please note that it is a violation of our Terms of Service to upload links to unauthorized files. If you are not sure whether you have the legal right to distribute a file OR whether that file is authorized by the copyright owner, you should NOT upload a link to that file.

To review the Playlist.com Terms of Service, in particular the "User Compliance with Copyright Policy" section, please visit the Playlist Terms of Service.