Music Magic Found in the Shuffle: Random shuffle has become one of the key components of new listening habits ushered in by digital music. Michael Bull noted that most listeners use random shuffle in particular settings, or in certain moods. Sometimes, he said, people can’t decide what to listen to: a problem easily solved by random shuffle.

While people often create playlists for specific activities (walking, driving, commuting, workouts, etc.), they also enjoy giving control to the machine, which can surprise and delight with unexpected selections of tracks, Bull said. The player will sometimes throw up combinations the user would never have dreamed of.

One user interviewed by Bull, for example, said the iPod “colors” one’s surroundings, and random shuffle can significantly change one’s perceptions of a familiar place. Bull said the random selection of tracks allows the user to create unique personal narratives, like a private movie soundtrack, or to use the shuffle feature to bring up surprising memories.

Professor James Kellaris: “Personally, and I believe I speak for many old farts here, I appreciate listening to music, be it an opera or a pop album, in the sequence in which the artist decided to present it.”