How to Discover New Music

Bored of the radio? Don't really trust your friends' taste in music? Not really sure how to discover new music? Not to fear - within the vast expanse of the internet, it's getting easier by the day. Sure there's a lot more music to sort through these days, but with a little patience and an open mind, you can find some real gems. Don't worry, though - this isn't going to be a list of cool new bands, or a dictatorial guide to taste. This will simply be a list of tools - a guide, if you will, on how to discover new music.

Blogs

Music magazines are dead. If you really want to read record reviews, and in many cases actually listen to the music they're writing about while you're reading, blogs are the way to go. Pitchfork Media (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com) is probably the most respected publication in the music-blog world. They review a surprisingly vast variety of genres, from country and indie-rock to hip-hop and techno. They also have a wonderful new feature: Forkcast, a section in which you can stream the music and video that they most highly recommend. For those of us who have forgotten how to discover new music, this section is a godsend. But Pitchfork isn't the only music-blog in the world (though it might be the best). A few other favorites of mine are Stereogum (http://www.stereogum.com), Tiny Mix Tapes (http://www.tinymixtapes.com), and PopMatters (http://www.popmatters.com).

Record Labels

It might seem obvious, but on your quest to discover new music, the records you actually own can prove incredibly useful. Especially with less mainstream music, record labels tend to specialize in music of similar genres, or at least similar sensibilities. For example: K Records, while housing bands of incredibly different genres (the brash rock of Beat Happening and the slick indie-R&B / doo-wop of The Blow couldn't be any more different, for example), tend to collect bands who possess an underlying similar sense of aesthetics - as a result, if you like one band on K Records, there's a good chance you'll like a bunch more. If you're trying to figure out how to discover new music, checking out other bands on the same label as a band you already love is a great idea.

Pandora

I've saved the best, by far, for last. Pandora (http://www.pandora.com) is easily the most powerful tool for those of us trying to remember how to discover new music. It's kind of hard to describe - basically, it's like your own private radio station. You input a bunch of bands, albums, or songs that you love, and it plays you things that it thinks that you will like based on what you already like. It sounds crazy, I know, but it really works. Really, really well. If you don't like something it plays, you can just tell it, and it will take that new information into account when picking something new for you. Not only that, but it tells you why it thinks you'll like what it picks. For example, I've learned that I tend to like disco-influenced songs with breathy female vocals and minor key tonalities. Who new?

Hopefully in this article I've shown you how to discover new music. Now, get out there and start listening!