Hitchhiker's Guide to Discovering New Music

Just a fun little list I wrote up because I was bored... 7 random(ish) tips for how to discover new music

    Have you ever gotten into that rut where you're bored with all your favorite music, and yearn for something new? Chances are, most of you have felt that way at one time or another, yet failed to take any kind of action. Sure, waiting for that phase to pass is acceptable, but why not go out and discover something new?

    Is it because you don't know how to?

    If your answer to the above question was yes, I invite you to read on into my makeshift list/guide for how to discover new music that will suit your tastes.

1) Pandora is your friend
    If you like a certain band for their sound, you'd probably like a different band with the same sound, correct? That's where Pandora comes in. Simply make your station for a band you enjoy, and sit back to listen to what had been deemed similar to that initial group. With many ways to customize your listening experience, I guarantee your time won't be wasted.
    
2) Follow up on your leads
    What I mean is that if you find a song you like, don't leave it at that. Go out and explore that artist's discography. Searching online for top ten lists of that band's best songs is a good way to start, and don't hesitate to use the 30-90 second clips on iTunes to do some discovering. If you liked their sound once, odds are you'll like it again.

3) Keep your options open and give everything a chance
    Don't be afraid to step out of your genre-comfort zone here. Limiting yourself based on pre-conceived, outside notions is absurd. If you're looking for something new, try to leave as many doors open from the outset as is possible. Yes, using Pandora can guide everything into a pretty small window, but only if you make it so. Try to make a station for a genre you haven't tried before and see what comes up. You might be surprised, or, at the very worst, annoyed.

4) Ask and ye shall receive
    Music is a language of its own, and, like any language, is based around communication. Talk to people, see what they like. Or, go online and read about what other people are liking, and even find some pointed suggestions. And again, just because a particular suggestion doesn't fall into your normal genre selection, don't shun it. Many an artist I've personally discovered from types of music I never thought I could dig, all because I took a lot of suggestions seriously.

5) The iTunes chain
    This is a fun one. It's almost like a poor man's Pandora. What you do, is go on iTunes and search for an album you already like. On the page for that album, look where it suggests similar albums. Sure, you might know a lot of the ones there, but seek out those you haven't heard of. You can go through a lot of music in a very short time, and I've used this technique a couple of times in the past.

6) Tours and features and guest appearances, oh my!
    Check out who's touring with your favorite band. You'll probably find out that their styles are similar, which means you'll probably like them too. Also, if your favorite band has featured a different singer, or the singer from your favorite band has made other guest appearances, go listen to that different singer's band, or just all the different appearances. Making those connections can carve pathways into areas of the music world you never thought you'd find your way to.

7) Never be satisfied
    When you find your new favorite artist or album, don't stop your search process there. You can branch off farther from your new musical addition, often in many new directions. Not to say you should always be actively searching for more, but keep your eyes (and ears) open. There's always going to be something new out there, and all you have to do is discover it.

    Now it's time to venture onwards and outwards into the land that is the music industry. I hope you have gained some form of insight here as to how to go about finding something new to jam out to.
    Rock on.

Author's Note

Nothing serious, just some suggestions from the heart of an avid music listener :3

Reviews

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hit it perfectly. love the name xb