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It is a truth universally acknowledged that the internet is both a blessing and a curse - and nowhere is this more true than in the world of music.
While having basically every song in the world at your fingertips 24 hours a day is a beautiful opportunity, it can also be overwhelming. Paralysing even. Some music fans’ response to the ubiquity of modern music is to shut it out completely, retreating to the safe haven of their 30-strong record collection.
But to do so is to miss out on a vast wealth of brilliant music. The over-used mantra that rock ’n roll is dead, and that music ain't what it used to be, is just plain wrong. You just need to know where to look. Here’s five ways to discover new music without getting overwhelmed by choice.
Subscription-based streaming services
The best way of collating the best new music across all your devices (phone, laptop, iPad, typewriter, whatever) is to subscribe to something like Spotify - either the free version, or the ad-free paid version. The paid version is actually worth the money, if you can spare it, because it lets you download all your playlists to listen to offline. Tidal is sleek and new and gets some massive exclusives from the likes of Beyonce and Rihanna, but it’s more expensive and not quite as simple to us. There’s also Apple Music and Amazon Prime.
Sessions
Once you’ve got to know a really good session series, you’ll discover all sorts of weird and wonderful artists. NPR’s Tiny Desk Sessions are among the best, as are KEXP’s sessions and Triple J’s Like A Version series. Then there’s Gigwise Office Sessions, of course, which has hosted the likes of Marika Hackman, Blossoms and Mitski.
Blogs
From massive websites such as Pitchfork and Pop Justice to smaller blogs like Pigeons And Planes, there’s all sorts of lovingly-curated music sites out there - Gigwise very much included. Then there’s Hype Machine, which aggregates the most recently posted songs from about 800 music blogs and lists them in order of, well, hype.
Radio stations
The best straight-forward radio station in the UK is surely BBC 6 Music, and the US has more than you can shake a stick at, but there’s also countless online and personalised radio stations, such as Pandora or 8tracks.
Browser streaming services
Free streaming sites such as SoundCloud and Bandcamp can be brilliant for discovering new music. For one thing, even talented unsigned artists can upload their music, and it can spread through simple word of mouth. It also autoplays other songs you might like once you’ve finished listening to the track or album you’ve selected.
Music identification apps
Apps like Shazam and Soundhound might seem like fairly inconsequential gimmicks, but they're actually incredibly useful. They don't introduce you to new music themselves (although Shazam is broadening its horizons), but they facitilate your ability to do so. Any song you hear on the radio, in a shop, pumping out of a car as it drive past, you can identify it and download it within a matter of seconds.
