It is up to parents’ discretion as to what content is age-appropriate for their children to consume; Mix Tape Journey does not purport to be family-friendly or child-safe.

Songs deemed to have explicit content are denoted by a small ‘E’ in the corner of the Spotify block on the blog or next to the song title within Spotify.

Mix Tape Journey explores many topics across mix tapes – some of which parents may deem inappropriate for some children.

I chose Spotify because its features and benefits are hard to beat. Firstly, their free option makes music accessible to everyone, allowing me to share music with more listeners; for those with the resources, the paid version of Spotify provides excellent value.

Secondly, Spotify’s algorithms and curated playlists make it easy for me (and you!) to find new tracks and artists.

Thirdly, while not perfect, Spotify compensates artists for their streams, which is a step above platforms like YouTube, where monetization can be less straightforward.

Finally, Spotify integrates seamlessly with the tools I use to produce the Mix Tape Journey blog, enhancing my workflow and improving the overall user experience for our listeners.

What is the story behind the name DJ Ponyboy?

The moniker DJ Ponyboy is an homage to Ponyboy Curtis, the main character of the book The Outsiders, a 1967 coming-of-age novel set in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1965, and one of my very favourite fiction books. Written by teenager Susan Eloise Hinton when she was 15 and 16, the book was published when she was 18 under her initials (S.E.) so her gender would not lead male reviewers to dismiss her work.

The Outsiders details conflicts between two rival gangs of White Americans divided by their socioeconomic status: the working-class “Greasers” and the upper-middle-class “Socs”. In 1983 it was adapted into a movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane.