How to Find New Music
August 14, 2020 - During this pandemic, it can be difficult to find outlets to relieve stress or just take your mind off of things. Exercise and artistic projects are great ways to find some calm, however the stress reliever that is near and dear to my heart is listening to music. I find that music can alter my mood or perspective, almost instantly depending on the song. While listening to music you know and love is comforting, I love to find new music. Hearing an interesting song or composition for the first time can be a revelatory experience. So…what are you waiting for?!
Well, it can be hard to find new music. Especially new music that you might enjoy. So, where should you go? How do you start your search? These articles and resources will help give you some starting points. There are platforms and resources that highlight new releases as well as suggest similar music groups and styles that you already enjoy.
It’s a fun way to spend some time and hopefully you’ll find your new favorite group in the process.
Spotify ‘Discover Weekly’
Already use Spotify? Or interested in getting a free account? Well, Spotify offers two options for discovering music you may not have heard of. One is the ‘Discover Weekly’ playlist. Each week Spotify generates a playlist of new music you may not have heard, and it updates every Monday. The feature has been very popular among user. Here’s a little history of the feature.
Pitchfork.com
Pitchfork has become the place for music reviews online. Each day of the week they give in depth reviews of four new albums. It’s a great way to keep up to date on new releases. The website has a lot of clout in the music world, and a good review of an album can instantly launch a musician’s career.
“Best of” Lists!
Why not start with some “best of” lists to see what other outlets think are great albums. For example, Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time. Allmusic.com is another great website to explore, they have many lists worth browsing. And of course, Pitchfork.com has lots of lists as well. I also think NPR does a great job reviewing music. Check out their Best Albums of 2019 to get started.
Bandcamp.com
Bandcamp.com is platform that caters to musicians/record labels and hosts loads of indie labels and artists. I love Bandcamp because many musicians I enjoy release albums that are only available through this platform. You can purchase music through this platform and they have a better profit-sharing model with the artists than other platforms. The website offers a few ways to find new music, such as their Bandcamp Daily articles, a ‘New and Notable’ section on their homepage, as well as way to filter by genre/style. The app for your phone is also very easy to use. While there are many big name musicians that are on this platform, there are countless small and indie groups.
What am I listening to right now?
Why thanks for asking! Here’s a few things I’ve been enjoying lately:
“Lucky Thompson & Gerard Pochonet et son Quartette”
“Annual Flowers in Color (2020 Remaster)” by Imaginary Softwoods
Elliot Stapleton, Library Associate
August 14, 2020
