Fanmix

A fanmix is a compilation of songs inspired by a fannish source, such as a fandom, a character, or a ship.
Fanmixes can also accompany a fanwork, as when a fic writer puts up a soundtrack alongside their story. Often fanmixes come with Photoshop cover art and/or creative titles. Some fanmix creators will specify that the fanmix should be played in order, in order to tell a story with the progression of songs; others will group together songs thematically, but without a particular order.
The name is a portmanteau of fannish + mixtape. In some fannish communities, the term fan soundtrack or FST is more commonly known. In the digital era, they are also referred to simply as playlists.
In the past, some fanmixes have been shared on tape, such as the soundtrack tape that came with the Miami Vice zine Crockett-Dial #6 (1996). They moved online with the advent of the internet, and are now typically created on websites that offer a wide selection of music that can be curated into playlists, such as Spotify, 8tracks (a major site of fanmix creation since its launch in 2008) and YouTube, and shared on social platforms like LiveJournal and Tumblr. An advantage of this is that fanmix creators can choose from a wider variety of songs without needing to own them, but they are also more easily lost if the platform goes down (such as with the increased instability and eventual closure of 8tracks).
== Subjects ==
The subjects of any given fanmix vary as much as any other fanwork, even within the same fandom. Typically, a fanmix will focus on a character, a pairing or relationship, another fanwork, or some element of the setting or themes of a fannish source text. 
Character and ship fanmixes sometimes focus on a fan's interpretation of the character, while some are also using music to tell the story of an established fannish trope, like genderbending or Coffee Shop AUs.For example, this 8tracks search shows a handful of results for Female Bruce Wayne or this search, shows 40 results for Coffee Shop AU. Some fanmixes do not focus on a particular character or topic and instead take a broader approach, but one that is still thematically linked to a fandom. The Star Trek fandom, for example, has some digital fanmixes focused on the themes of exploration espoused in the franchise. The Harry Potter fandom has a very significant trend of fans making fanmixes to match a particular Hogwarts House.
The creation of fanmixes for fan challenges is also fairly common, especially for big bangs, these mixes are usually accompanied by cover art.
==An Example of the Changing Meaning of Vocabulary==
In the late 1970s and the 1980s, fanmixes were often referred to as "song tapes", "songtapes", or "mix tapes"Mix Tape; be aware that for a decade or so, VCR vids were also referred to as song tapes. In the 2010s, with the rise of new ways to create song lists online such as 8tracks and Spotify, the term "8tracks" has become synonymous with a fanmix in fandom,Editor's Note: For example "I'm going to make an 8tracks for my favorite character" automatically is understood as someone making a mixtape or playlist for that character, though with the connotation that it will shared via the website 8tracks. (Patchlamb, 11/9/2020) and the more general "playlist" can also be used.
==The Evolution of Platforms & Media==
The media used to create fanmixes have evolved as audio technology has evolved, beginning with cassette tapes and progressing to CDs, MP3s and eventually digital file formats. With the advent of widespread free (or subscription-based) music streaming online, fanmixes shifted to websites like Spotify, Youtube, Soundcloud and 8tracks, which has become the de facto home of fanmixes since its launch in 2008.
However, the age of streaming websites has made fanmix preservation more precarious, as their existence is directly tied to the platform remaining online, and they are difficult to archive. This was starkly illustrated by the abrupt closure of 8tracks in 2019, with many fans struggling to save thousands of fanmixes before the site went offline (see Attempts to save fandom playlists). 8tracks has since relaunched, but is currently only available to users in the United States. Because of these issues, it is increasingly commonplace for fanmix creators to share their mixes across multiple platforms (such as Spotify and 8tracks and Playmoss, or 8tracks and Youtube).
Fans typically share their fanmixes in online communities and social networks, with a link to download or stream the mix. The LiveJournal community fanmix was very active in the 2000s and 2010s. Fanmix creators post direct download links to each mix and associated cover art. The community also allows 'genmixes' (general mixes) that are not fandom-specific. While still technically active, the community has been less active since fandom began migrating to Tumblr in the early 2010s. 
Tumblr took over from LiveJournal as the major site for sharing fanmixes as fandom activity shifted there in the 2010s, and fans began creating fandom-specific fanmix communities such as whatfanmix (a Homestuck fanmix directory) and supernatural-fanmixes. Some panfandom Tumblr fanmix communities include fanmixes, fanmixesmostly and fuckyeahfanmixes. Fans also use Twitter and Pinterest to share fanmixes.
=="Songtapes": Some Early Comments by Fans==
* (1980) "Alot of people seem to associate certain songs with the men, their relationships, episodes, zine stories. I have always thought of 'Thank You for Being My Friend' as foremost. I know a lot of others that fit certain times in their lives, including the one mentioned in Australia, 'Sometimes When We Touch'. Can we make a list of songs that seem to fit the S&H world?" S and H #6 (January 1980) 
* (1980) "How about sending a two hour music tape around and get most of them? Then, someone with a good tape recorder can make tapes for others?" S and H #9 (April 1980) 
* (1980) "Would anyone else like to contribute songs to my 2-hour round robin tape which is collecting S&H related songs? When filled, I'll make tapes of the whole thing for anyone who wants them. Send me a note or card to let me know if you have songs to add, and I'll send you a tape." from S and H #6 (December 1980) 
* (1989) "Any words that aren't quite right, I apologize, but it is the result of listening to the record and taking my best guess." a reminder that before the internet, access to song lyrics was time-consuming and fraught with error, Cold Fish and Stale Chips #1 (1989) 
* (1989) "Regarding the songtapes -- a good third of my stories come from songs: sometimes just the melody, sometimes just the title." from Cold Fish and Stale Chips #2 (1989) 
* (1990) "I love songtapes, especially with the words written out." from Cold Fish and Stale Chips #5 (1990) 
==Essay On Fanmix Attributes==
Posted at Fail-Fandomanon."Let's talk fanmixes" thread at Fail-Fandomanon, 12-13 Dec 2011. (Accessed 20 Dec 2011) The originating post is quoted below: 
==Example Works==
===Spotify-Playlists===
*in love with you // apartment 42 - an MSR fanmix
*especially one of you - a Gillovny fanmix
*red, white & royal blue by Victoria Oms - a playlist and fanmix for the novel Red, White & Royal Blue
*there is a light that never goes out by sophelstein - a Zuko-centric fanmix
===Livejournal===
*The Truth on the Road fanmix is a set of songs--12 from Dasha K., 12 from Adrienne--that represent Mulder and Scully, their relationship, and/or the path they travelled during our interactive fic story Truth on the Road.
===8tracks===
*I HOPE YOU EXPIRE - An 13 various electronic type music playlist for Mr. Scratch of Alan Wake
*happy together by gayhepburn - a Bucky/Natasha fanmix with a Soulmates AU theme
*pondering mysterious lights overhead by priince - a Welcome to Night Vale fanmix
*...and we watch it fall by reh-sa - a Captive Prince fanmix
* Or Perhaps In Slytherin by dornröschens - "A Classical/Instrumental playlist for the Cunning"
* SLIT by Complots (Sharp Objects)
* i'm glad i met you by Filaceous (IT) - a Reddie fanmix
* summer, lifelong friends, and crawling through the sewers by Lydiduh (IT)
* you're an asshole, but i love you; by Tamotsu (IT)
===YouTube===
*Mistakes of Our Hearts by Ирина Афутина - a Hannibal Fanmix 
*Good Omens fanmix by JanePotter06
* Trinity Universe: The HYDRA Years is a fanmix that serves as a prequel to the MCU fanfic The Trinity Universe.Playlist for the Trinity Universe: The HYDRA Years has creator's commentary and a list of the songs. The fanfiction is available on AO3. (Link to Volition, part two of The Trinity Universe).
===Playmoss===
*the bible didn't mention us by Red Wolfe. A Good Omens Ineffable Husbands fanmix
==Cover Art==
Image:MagicOfUs-01.jpg|The Magic Of Us (2010) front cover, includes the title and the pairing,Merlin example of photoshop cover art
Image:MagicOfUs-07.jpg|The Magic Of Us (2010) back cover, a tracklist of all the songs of this fanmix
File:Tblodfront soundtrack by anmita.jpg|Cover art by Anmita, created for Bright Lights of Disturbia (2010), Supernatural example
File:Tblodback soundtrack by anmita..jpg|Tracklist for the Bright Lights of Disturbia mix (2010)
File:Intohishandsoundtrack.jpg|Fanmix art by cathybites for the PBR 'Verse created as part of the 2008 Supernatural and J-Squared Big Bang Challenge!, an example from J2 fandom
==Further Reading==
* , post by marginaliana at Fanthropology, July 15, 2007
*The Death and Resurrection of the Fanmix by Y YENRADECKI , Novmeber 1st, 2017, hypable.com
==Links==
*Post tagged with #fanmix on tumblr
*Search result for fanmix on Soundcloud
*Playlist with fanmixes on YouTube
* Works tagged fanmix on Archive of our Own
*Fanmixfest: a Dreamwidth community where fans create fanmixes based on prompts or a general theme
==References==
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