An embodiment may involve a server device obtaining an audio file containing a story. The server device may determine a mood of the story. The server device may select an audio file containing music, where the audio file containing the music is associated with a music attribute that is indicative of the mood. The server device may generate a playlist for the client device, where the playlist includes (i) a reference to the audio file containing the music, and (ii) a reference to the audio file containing the story. The server device may transmit the playlist, over a wide area network, to the client device. Reception of the playlist at the client device may cause an audio player application to retrieve and play out each audio file therein.