How to Be Everyone’s Favorite Person on Aux

Image Courtesy: Instagram

At any party or gathering, the music playing has the power to amplify the mood or ultimately bring down the vibes. Whoever is connected to the speaker, the aux, plays an important role in dictating how the evening will go. It is a daunting task that is not for the faint of heart, but this list of tricks and tips should ensure that your time as the aux will be a success and “get the people going” as Will Ferrel put it. 

Let’s start with the basics, a fully charged phone and a good signal are essential. Nobody wants the music to abruptly stop because your phone is dead or you aren’t connected to wifi. If you have a feeling that you will be on aux that night, consider downloading a playlist or two in advance. You must also be under the assumption that you lost your phone for the night. Calls and  Snapchat videos are off-limits. You are connected to the speaker, so when you look at that snap video from your friends, it will inevitably stop the music and play that audio instead. It’s a great sacrifice that you have to make.

Now that we have laid the groundwork, time for the fun part…what to play. When deciding what to play, there are a lot of things to consider. What is the setting? Are we at a party? Are you and your friends just lounging outside? The setting is everything, but the most important thing to consider is your audience. Who is listening to the music and what music do they want to hear? This is the most important factor because not only are they the ones who vested you with the power of being the aux, but they are your toughest critics. Although the best part of being on aux is getting to play what you want, that is not the job, it’s about playing what the people want. Is your audience a group of country music fans or possibly pop music? Once you know what your audience likes, you should be able to play the music that gets your audience excited, and singing every last word. 

While being on aux is more of a selfless role in which it is not necessarily about what you want to listen to, it is still a great opportunity to introduce people to new music; however, there is a way you can do this that is subtle. Let’s say I am about to go out with my friends. We are getting ready and listening to music in the similar vein of upbeat Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, and as a little bit of Lorde. Think Homemade Dynamite (Feat. Khalid, Post Malone & SZA). This pop genre is generally what my friends are into, but I want to introduce them to The Strokes, which is more along the lines of the alternative/indie genre. If I want to ease them into it, I pick a song from their catalog of music which is popular and that my friends would have maybe heard before either on the radio or Tik Tok even. However, the song also has to match the vibe of the current music we are listening to. The songs I would then choose by The Strokes would be The Adults are Talking or Bad Decision. Both are upbeat songs that they could have heard before, but would not be very familiar with, possibly prompting my friends to look into other songs by The Strokes. 

Now there is a chance that my friends don’t like the songs I’ve played, whether that is the new song I was attempting to introduce them to or a song that I queued, which they claim is “not the vibe.” There is no shame in skipping the song. Not every song you play will be a crowd pleaser, so just swallow your pride and press skip. This doesn’t mean that every time someone dislikes the song you play, you should skip it, as you can’t please everyone and there are bound to be a couple of people who simply will not like the things you play. 

If you feel that you are at a loss for what to play or what people want to listen to, maybe it’s time to open the floor to requests. Opening the queue is tricky. Once you make it clear that you are taking requests, there is no end. If you start taking requests, you most likely will be for the entire night, which can be good as you are then listening to the wants of the people; however, you will also be pestered to play someone's favorite song, or possibly some weird song that is only an inside joke among friends. This is where you need to say no. While it is good to gauge the opinion of the public, you must also have a little bit of a backbone and say no, or simply don’t queue the song. Don’t forget that you are the one who is ultimately in control.

While this list of rules may seem like a strict guideline from a music elitist, which is partially true, it is honestly just a list of things I wish I knew when I was an aux at a party. Being on aux is fun because you get to see people having a good time, and see how your music choices affect their night, hopefully, in a positive way. As someone who has always had a love for music, I have always enjoyed both sharing and listening to music with others, whether it is at a party or a nice night hanging out in someone’s backyard. Being on aux can be scary and carry a lot of pressure, so I hope that list ultimately calms some of those nerves and improves the music listening experience for you and your friends. 

Strike Out,

Writer: Isabelle Grassel

Editors: Katie Sharp, Natalie Daskal