Active MP3 Tray

If you are looking for a quick way to launch music files or add your favorite songs to the active playlist, you might want to use a dedicated program, like Active MP3 Tray.

Unobtrusive interface

This application does not have a main window. Your interaction with Active MP3 Tray's main features, as the name hints at, is done though its tray menus. By left-clicking or right-clicking on the program's icon, you can access the playlist or context menu, respectively.
Furthermore, to customize the way the indexed tracks are displayed, you have to access the Settings window. You can select the typeface, choose the sorting order, limit the maximum number of files that can be displayed and assign the grouping preferences for music files. In the Settings window, you can choose the external player that is used, along with command line parameters, if needed.
You able to set a global hotkey that displays your playlist, so you are never too far from your favorite music files.

A bit of tinkering is required

Because the program does not include a built-in audio player, it must rely on the default Windows Media Player or alternatives installed by you. Consequently, because of this dependency, and the utility not providing a database of command line parameters for the major multimedia players, the ability to queue tracks does not work out of the box.
While the majority of audio files are using the MP3 filetype, it is not the only one available. Sadly, this application cannot index and interact with AAC, FLAC, WAV or other popular extensions.

Access your favorite music with just two clicks

Overall, Active MP3 Tray is a easy-to-use launcher for your audio tracks. While it has its shortcomings, as described above, if you are just looking for a fast way to play music, this might be the solution for you.