How I Discover New Music

One of the greatest things about the age of the Internet is how accessible music has become. Any artist, no matter how small, can upload their music to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, or another site to listeners all over the world. On the flip side, though, there’s so much music out there that it can be overwhelming to dig through everything to find something you like. Here are some of my go-to ways to find a new favorite song or artist (but as a disclaimer, this is what I do as a Spotify user, so not all of these will be applicable to other streaming services):

1. everynoise.com

This website is a GODSEND. I discovered it earlier this year, and it’s been my favorite way to find music ever since. The site’s homepage is a list of all of the more than 4,000 genres Spotify uses to categorize music, which lets you find really out-there stuff just out of curiosity. If you see a genre like “Wonky” or “German Cloud Rap” or “Escape Room”, you’ll naturally want to know what it is, and you might find that you like it. (If you know me, you may know about my fascination with Italian Ska, which I also discovered through this website. I also dove HEAVILY into Singaporean indie pop, which is the best decision I’ve ever made.) But that’s not all! If you type an artist into the search bar, you’ll get every genre that artist is categorized under, where you can find similar artists and general playlists of that genre. For example, Bon Iver is categorized under Eau Claire Indie, Melancholia, and Slow Core, all of which have their own pages with a different (but probably overlapping) selection of artists. 

1. Spotify’s “Fans Also Like” tab

Every artist page on Spotify has a “Fans Also Like” tab that displays similar artists big and small, and it tends to be pretty accurate. Sometimes, you’ll find an artist you like and go to the tab only to find that you also listen to ten other artists on there, which just means you have a type. It happens to the best of us.

1. Discover Weekly

If you use Spotify, the all-knowing algorithm makes you a personalized playlist every week of music they think you like. Sometimes it’s perfectly in tune with your tastes, sometimes it just gives you English covers of anime openings, but it always consists of artists you’ve probably never heard of. Spotify also makes six Daily Mix playlists that combine songs you already know and listen to with new songs that fit the same vibe, so you’ll never be short new music to listen to.

1. YouTube

There are a bunch of YouTube channels devoted to music, whether that’s music criticism or simply sharing music. A lot of music critic channels (my personal favorites include Alfo Media and MicTheSnare) will do album reviews or make best lists, which are a great way to find music you may have passed over. Music channels like TheLazylazyme, Kegz, and Nice Guys will also post a lot of lower-profile independent music that you probably never would have seen otherwise. 

1. Spotify playlists

If you use Pinterest, search up “spotify playlist” or “spotify playlist inspo” and you’ll find plenty of people posting links to their own Spotify profiles. Not only can you find new music this way, you can also find really specific playlists that fit every possible mood. (Another option is to search common terms in Spotify itself to find new playlists, like “late night drives” or “indie movie” or even specific songs like “ribs by lorde” or “tongue tied by grouplove”) Need a place to start? Here’s a shameless plug: https://open.spotify.com/user/hctd99?si=WplH7keDS3i4ujP3vyyXUw 

1. Ask your friends!

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned this year is that if your friends tell you you’re going to like something, they’re probably right! They know you, and they’re going to know your taste better than random people on the Internet. For me, this usually applies to shows, but it can also apply to music. Ask your friends what music they’ve been listening to, or put out a posts asking for recommendations on Instagram or Twitter.

1. Here are some of my recs!

Quarantine has given me an excuse to find a ton of new artists and rediscover old favorites, here are just a few: Dizzy, Samia, Charlie Lim, Linying, Jet Black Alley Cat, The New Pornographers, Isaac Dunbar, Loyle Carner, Sunflower Bean, Jetty Bones, Snail Mail, and Voxtrot.