The University created its first public playlist on Spotify for Solarpalooza last spring. This playlist has 57 songs, making its duration three hours and 30 minutes. The artists of this curation of songs include Pink Floyd, Elton John, David Bowie, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, The Weeknd, Billie Holiday, Bruce Springsteen, Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles, Coldplay, OneRepublic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Maroon 5, Weezer, Stevie Wonder and more.
“The University Strategic Communication department came up with the idea to create USI Spotify account {…} We knew there was a lot of music out there with the theme of eclipses, space, etc., so we thought it would be a fun way to commemorate the historic event,” said Kaylee Johnson, Media Relations Specialist, who runs the account.
This Spotify account has 14 other public playlists. Some of these compilations are month or holiday specific like “January Blues 
” and “Holiday classics 
”, while others are situation or event focused including “Songs to send to your campus crush ” and “
USI GAMEDAY”.
Other artists that are included on this account are Hozier, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, Lana Del Rey, Billy Joel, Billie Eilish, One Direction, Bruno Mars, SZA, Bee Gees, Ed Sheeran, Michael Buble, Shania Twain, Wham!, Kelly Clarkson, Elvis Presley, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Whitney Houston, Luke Bryan, Ariana Grande, Fleetwood Mac, Post Malone, The Lumineers, Jonas Brothers, Dua Lipa, Shawn Mendes, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, Drake, Miley Cyrus, Chris Stapleton, Alicia Keys, blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne, Paramore, AC/DC, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Olivia Rodrigo, Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Pitbull, Kesha, Beyonce, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Conan Gray and more.
Johnson said that she tries to create a playlist for each month based on holidays and University happenings.
” and “Archibald T. Eagle’s favorites (Photo by Abigail Durham; Courtesy of Spotify)Johnson said that there has been positive feedback on the account so far, with saves on the playlists.
“I’ll take the saves on our playlists as a little pat on the back,” Johnson said.
If students want to make suggestions of music, Johnson said she is always open to suggestions for new playlists, but she doesn’t have a process for recommendations yet but would love to have one soon.
So far, Johnson said there has been no challenges with the Spotify account, but that the profiles will definitely be evolving soon.
“My hope is that the Spotify account will resonate with students and give the University more of a personality,” Johnson said.
These playlists can be accessed by searching “University of Southern Indiana” on Spotify, or by clicking this link.
