One question I often get asked is "Where do you find new music?" As someone who is constantly looking to add to their library or stay on top of everything, where does one go? Radio is often behind, and only good for a certain demographic. With thousands of artists out there and hundreds of albums coming out every week, it almost seems impossible. Well the real answer is -- you can't stay on top, there's just too much. But if you're like me and try to do your best to soak up all the music you can, I'm here to offer you a couple outlets that I use.
If I had to give you a favourite app of all time, this would be it. Have you ever been in a situation and you hear a song and want to have it, but don't know what it is? This happens to me all time! I find Shazam good for when watching television and movies, walking the mall, at a restaurant, or wherever music is in the background. You never know where you'll be when your new favourite track starts playing. I think most of you reading have heard of Shazam, even Siri has this function when asked "what song is this." For me, it was more about getting in the habit of using it. Sometimes you have to be fast, especially in movies or on TV, sometimes all you have is a few seconds to catch it before it's too late and the song becomes a missed connection. My ears are always ready. Just ask my wife, sometimes I'll be somewhere in mid-conversation, and I'll stop and pull out Shazam so I can nab the track. It's a way of life really. One of my favourite features is that it now links directly with Apple Music, so I can Shazam a song and add it straight to my library or playlist right then. At the very least it can be a tool to help you remember songs you want to add to your library later.
This is my favourite website for finding music I've heard on a TV show or movie. There a few websites out there that do this but I find Tunefind the most comprehensive (especially for TV) and easiest to navigate. Tunefind lists all shows and movies (broken down by season and episode for TV) and lists the songs that were playing, and goes as far as describing the scene they were playing in. Tunefind also has a trending music page which lists all the hottest and most liked songs of the week. It's helpful because sometimes shows that I don't watch will have good music that I'd otherwise maybe never hear. Check it out, browse through some of your favourite shows, maybe you'll discover something new!
Apple Music & Spotify
I'm biased, but I won't do any grandstanding here. Both streaming platforms have useful tools for discovering new music. Spotify is known for its curated playlists. It can throw together a new list of songs everyday based on what or who you've been listening to lately, known as your "Daily Mix." It can be borderline overwhelming but there's plenty of new music available. The only downside is that this Spotify function does all the work for you, which for most people isn't a downside at all.
I like Apple Music for the ease of finding new music. Categories, genres, and playlists are available through a more user friendly interface. My favourite feature is how you can connect with friends and see what they're listening to. Their avatar will pop up on albums and you can click on their profiles to see what playlists they have made or have been frequenting. If you're interested in some playlists you can give me a follow on Apple Music (find me under Nathan Ahamed) and see if there's are any you like! I probably spend way too much time making and editing them, so there's gotta be something for everyone!
Sometimes when poking around for music you see the same stuff over and over again. Which makes sense in a way, as music gets more popular you see it used more places, more people end up listening to it, etc. Indie Shuffle is chalked full of artists you've never heard of. You know, the ones often found in the small print on the latest Coachella poster. This site posts by song, and there are new ones posted everyday. What I like about Indie Shuffle is how you find the songs you should be checking out according to your taste. Underneath the song title is two or three artists that this song sounds like. I appreciate it because usually you get an artist recommendation based on an artist you like, but then you have to sift thorough all the songs. This way every specific song that's posted by some rando artist is related to artists you might know and you can decide which ones to listen to. This is a great way to discover music that you might never come across!
This Blog! So stay tuned!
Thanks for reading! As I've said before, this is designed to be a conversation. If you have music topics you are interested in, shoot me a comment or slide into my DMs (you can find me as @NathanAhamed on the socials). If there are other ways you discover new music, I would love to hear about them in the comments section! I am always looking...
Comments