# Off-topic: m3u playlist spec **URL:** \ **Category:** Uncategorized\ **Created:** [July 5, 2024, 4:35am UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/off-topic-m3u-playlist-spec/4695 "2024-07-05T04:35:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![avidseeker](https://cdn.commonmark.org/user_avatar/talk.commonmark.org/avidseeker/32/2939_2.png) [@avidseeker](https://talk.commonmark.org/u/avidseeker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 4:35am UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/off-topic-m3u-playlist-spec/4695/1 "2024-07-05T04:35:32Z")
Sorry for the off-topic, but I thought this community would be the best place to find people interested in plain text file formats and their specs. [M3U](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3U) is old and there is no formal specification for it. Many extensions have been added by different vendors. It would be nice to rewrite it as a community-driven spec. And no, m3u is not dead, and there are [still uses for it](https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=2181966). Here are some suggestions I can think of: 1. **Default Player Settings** : Include options to specify default player settings such as shuffle, loop, position, playback speed, and volume. 2. **Track Ratings** : Add an option to rate individual tracks, which could be used by the player to create custom playlists or suggestions. 3. **Conditional Play** : Implement conditional play commands, such as playing certain tracks only if certain conditions are met (e.g., user preference, disable/enable some tracks). 4. **Segmented Tracks** : Allow for the definition of track segments, enabling the player to skip or repeat specific parts of a track. 5. **Playback Notifications** : Add hooks for playback notifications, enabling the player to trigger events or actions (e.g., visualizations, external scripts) at certain points in the playlist. 6. **Custom Tags** : Introduce support for user-defined custom tags to allow for more flexible playlist management and integration with other software. 7. **Chapter Markers** (#EXTM3A?): Enable chapter markers within tracks to allow users to navigate to specific sections of longer audio files, such as podcasts or audiobooks.