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common-void · 5 years ago

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Where do I find new music?

I got to be honest, none of my friends ever asked me about how I find new music to listen to. But, indeed, most of them have told me that I got a good taste in music (excuse me). Sorry for bragging but it’s actually my kind of favorite compliment. Kudos to anyone who (still) thought that way. I would say that I’m lucky enough to experience a lot of genres since my childhood. From Disney bop (was a huge fan of Jonas Brothers when I was 10 years old, but that’s where I discovered Shania Twain), rock, electronic, pop, alternative, even latino. Those things shaped me into a multi-genre music snob. Just to be clear, I’m not an expert but my ears are somehow above average (I really have to stop bragging), and I got 62,160 minutes listened on Spotify. Sounds fair enough to you? Sure, what I mean by “new” music, it’s not always a “recently released” music. It could be songs from the 80s or the 90s that I just discovered. There is still a lot of good music out there that I haven’t discovered yet. But hey, enough for the chit-chat, let’s get down to business.

1. Music Blogs

I would really recommend visiting music blogs like Pitchfork, Stereogum, NPR Music, or anything you find intrigue. They got a lot of different genres of music from a lot of artists, mostly independent. For a first-timer, you could just pick up their monthly chart playlist or start a baby-step by listening to their best music from a particular year. Example: Best Music of 2019. If you thought of Billboard, I don’t think they give a recommendation for a variety of genres as they mainly focus on pop and hip hop. Anyway, sometimes when I feel like it, I do surf on Tumblr just for finding new music. Some of the music blogs on Tumblr are inactive nowadays but it doesn’t matter to me as long as I found some stuffs worth listening to. Of course, of course! Music streaming platform is not limited to this point, try the easiest like Soundcloud or Bandcamp to discover newly born artist.

2. Social Media/Forum/Communities

Whew, a lot of slashes! True, most of my music I discovered are from social media like Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, even TikTok (guilty). When someone uploaded a song that they’ve been listening to on their social media, if it catches my attention, I’d give it a try. Set following on music communities you like on Instagram, they give cool recommendations. On Twitter or Reddit, someone usually just asking people “What was your favorite song this decade?” or “Your favorite album of all time?” something like that. In an instant, it becomes your music recommendation galore. Even on Reddit, the music enthusiasts have their own music chart which by the way, doesn’t suck! Bravo, bravo! For TikTok, some people (well, a few) do use cool songs as their background music. Just don’t forget to take notes or else you lose it.

3. Youtube

Isn’t it Youtube a social media? Yes. But I prefer to break it down since the method I use is pretty different than the one mentioned above. I didn’t really fancy (not never) surfing this site to find any particular song. What I do is to only watch the Full Set of live performances on Youtube. Could be from festivals, talkshows, or sessions. If you’re serious enough, you can subscribe to music critics like The Needle Drop (for album review) or Alfo Media (for songs in particular). Besides, I don’t think Youtube is the perfect platform for discovering new music. From my experience, the music they’re trying to recommend me sucks. In the case of Youtube Music, I haven’t tried it. But for now, I don’t think I might. Another thing to keep in mind, we are all only human, sometimes our ears are tired and sick of listening too much music. How do I overcome it? Give it a break OR you could just binge-watching music videos on Youtube because visually, you’re not tired (yay). Or just give it a break, mate.

4. Soundtrack

Don’t ever think about googling “Best Movie Soundtrack” or “Series Shows With Best Soundtrack”. Trust me, don’t. You will end up not enjoying it. My tip, if you’re watching a movie or series you like, try to pay attention whenever a song plays in the background. On Netflix, sometimes they even put the song title on subtitle (if you do watch your movie with subtitle). Take notes on whatever catches your ears or simply just search the playlist on Spotify.

5. Spotify

Ah, yes, finally! You might be wondering why I didn’t mention Spotify earlier even though Spotify is the one and only music platform I use daily. To be VERY honest, I do get a bunch of music recommendations from Spotify but what can I do if my ears often disagree with their choice. I’m not saying that their curated “My Discover Weekly” sucks, just not really clicked with my preferences. So, what I would do is exploring Spotify users with legit playlists. Whether it’s from music blogs, music critics, or even some random person I found along the way. Hey, if you my friend, found out I’ve been jamming to your playlist, don’t bother, because I think you’re cool.

Those five points only narrowing down my sources on finding new music. In fact, you can find any new music everywhere. At a bar, a bookstore, the mall. Just seize your Shazam app on your phone or if you don’t have one, type the lyrics you heard on google. One last tip, in the journey of discovering music you like, you might find some that didn’t fit your taste or preference. Hell, you might even hate a few. Just remember to give your ears a chance. Don’t judge too quick unless you already try to listen to their stuff (wise, huh?). May you find a gem. Good luck!

Adios, Risdiana Izzaty

#music #musicnerd

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common-void · 5 years ago

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