Patent ID: 8910044

Claim:
A method for processing a playlist, comprising: receiving a first tag, wherein the first tag is a first text string that has been input by a user; receiving a directive to associate the first tag with a playlist; responsive to receiving the directive to associate the first tag with a playlist, associating the first tag with the playlist; receiving a directive to associate the first tag with a first media element; responsive to receiving the directive to associate the first tag with the first media element, associating the first tag with the first media element; receiving a directive to associate the first tag with a second media element; responsive to receiving the directive to associate the first tag with the second media element, associating the first tag with the second media element; creating a playlist expansion for the playlist, wherein creating the playlist expansion for the playlist includes determining a plurality of tags associated with the playlist, wherein the plurality of tags associated with the playlist includes the first tag and a second tag, wherein the second tag is associated with the first media element, determining a plurality of media elements associated with the second tag, wherein the plurality of media elements associated with the second tag includes the first media element adding the plurality of media elements associated with the second tag to the playlist expansion, determining a plurality of tags associated with the first tag, wherein the plurality of media elements associated with the first tag includes the first media element and the second media element, determining that the first media element is already in the playlist expansion, determining that the second media element is not already in the playlist expansion, and responsive to determining that the first media element is already in the playlist expansion and that the second media element is not already in the playlist expansion, adding the second media element, but not the first media element, to the playlist expansion; determining a selected media element, wherein the selected media element is in the playlist expansion, and wherein the selected media element is one of the first media element and the second media element; and processing the selected media element.