Introduction
We all go through times where we rely too heavily on our old favorites when it comes to entertainment.
We watch reruns of the same television show again and again, we rewatch the movies we’ve come to love over the years, and we listen to the same music in the car, at work, or at home.
It’s comforting to return to the media you already enjoy, but there’s a limit to everything. Suddenly, The Office may start to seem boring, and early Drake music feels tiresome and dull.
But when looking for new music, in particular, it can be difficult to know exactly where to start.
Worry no longer. Below you’ll find an overview of several different ways to find new music that you’ll love for a lifetime.
Contents
Streaming Services
15 years ago, we probably would never have imagined that one day a computer algorithm would be able to guess what music we’d like.
But with the rise of streaming services, this has essentially come true.
Each streaming service has its own internal algorithms and logic paths that are used to predict what music you would like based on what you’ve already listened to.
Below you’ll find a brief overview of a few different streaming services and some of the benefits and disadvantages of each.
Spotify
Spotify certainly wasn’t the first streaming service to try to predict what new music you’ll like, but it has become a leader in the area.
Spotify is free to use, but without a subscription, listeners will be subjected to plenty of audio ads.
Users have the option to create a “radio” station based on a single artist or a song, which is the same basic structure as Pandora, which we’ll discuss below.
But the advantage of Spotify is the user’s ability to save songs and artists that they like for future exploration.
Spotify also offers a Discover Weekly playlist which is a weekly batch of new music that Spotify thinks you’ll enjoy, based on what you’ve listened to the most over the past week.
Apple Music
Apple Music is eerily similar to Spotify in overall design and user interface. And it offers similar tools when it comes to finding new music you’ll like.
But one of Apple Music’s advantages over other streaming platforms is that it integrates more easily with other Apple products such as the iPhone or MacBook computers.
Pandora
Pandora was one of the first internet music streaming sites to try and guess what else you’ll enjoy listening to.
You start by entering a song or artist you like, and the site works behind-the-scenes to find music with similar melodic patterns, musical styles, and even similar vocals.
The downside of Pandora is that the free version doesn’t offer the option to save songs or create playlists of your own.
If you want to listen to a specific song, you just have to wait for it to come back up again. Either that or you can switch to YouTube and pull up one song at a time.
Record Stores
Don’t worry, this tip isn’t just for record collectors.
Since retail stores that sell CDs have long since died out, record stores are one of the only places in the real world where you can go to explore new music.
You could simply walk through the store and look for album covers and artists that interest you, but if you really want to get some great recommendations, you should speak to an associate.
Sales associates at record stores are some of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to music and recording artists.
All you need to do is mention a few groups or artists you enjoy. From there, they’ll be able to point you to many different artists who are somewhat similar.
Concerts
Live music can make for a great night out on the town. It’s a chance to get together with other fans and enjoy some energetic performances.
But concerts can also be a great way to find new music to listen to.
Opening acts for a concert are almost always chosen personally by the headlining artists. Don’t just ignore the openers and wait impatiently for the real show to start.
Listen closely and look for catchy hooks and fresh new musical styles.
Also, the music played in between sets is often chosen by the musicians themselves. If you hear a track you like, just Google some of the lyrics to find the name of the song and the artist.
Artist Interviews
Following a similar vein, you may also want to find new music by watching interviews with some of your favorite musicians.
It’s easy to find text or video interviews online, especially on YouTube.
And since musicians are influenced by so many other artists, they often discuss the kind of music they grew up listening to, as well as other contemporary artists they admire and respect.
We can guarantee that you’ll get some great new recommendations from musicians you already love.
Online Research
You can also find new music by researching music trends and genres in a general sense.
For example, if you happen to like a specific noise rock band from the 1990s, it’s unlikely that similar groups from around the same time will still be engaged in marketing efforts.
But if you start to find articles about an artist you already like (Wikipedia is pretty helpful for this purpose), then you’ll be sure to come across plenty of links to other musicians who work within the same genre.
Closing
Ultimately, finding new music based on what you like isn’t terribly difficult in itself. Far more difficult is motivating yourself to look for new music in the first place.
As we mentioned earlier, it’s easy and comforting to fall back on music and shows that you’ve already gone through a million times.
But when you feel that twinge of wanting to experience something new, don’t snuff it out. Follow any of the steps listed above and make sure to keep track of your new findings.
