How Do You Discover New Music?

[Melaszka]

I don't think this one has been discussed before, but I'm interested in how people initially discovered the artists they like.

I do most of the things in the poll, but one of my favourite bands I discovered entirely by accident, owing to a printing error! According to the newspaper radio guide a gig by one band I quite liked was going to be broadcast on Radio One one night. Actually, they had the dates mixed up, and it was a gig by a completely different band. I tuned in expecting one band, and ended up falling in love with another one.

EDIT: Sorry, I meant to have a poll with this, but forgot to add one, because I'm rubbish. Is there any way of adding one now?

[NickHeartsMat]

I find most of my music completely randomly. I get some from friends, but most I find when I use my stumble toolbar (where one of interests is set as music). Sometimes I will swing by last.fm, not because I am a member but just to sort of browse through the tags.

The funniest way choose music is purely based on how I feel about the band name. If it amuses me I will listen to it and then decide whether or not I like it

[YellowBrickRoad]

Movie soundtracks, friends, or myspace. Usually I browse myspace for new bands.

[LilyDreamsOn]

I mainly get new music from friends who recommend an album or link me a youtube video of a song. I also use last.fm religiously. It's shows you the music your "neighbours" (people who have similar musical taste) like. I'll often find music through soundtracks as well.

[CARROLiZER]

Myspace, Friends, youtube or spotify and ofcourse,
movie soundtracks.

[Melaszka]

I find out about artists when:

- friends recommend them
- I read about them in the music press
- artists I already like cite them as influences or collaborators, or I read somewhere that someone thinks they are similar to artists I like
- they crop up in my Amazon recommendations
- I hear them on radio stations/shows devoted to specific genres I like

I then check out these artists' work:

- on MySpace
- on Spotify (thanks, kittling!)
- on YouTube
- borrowing friends' CDs

[Freak of nature]

Music, I can't live without it. And I find my music in many ways. Sometimes my friends make me listen some bands they like and sometimes I end up falling in love with the same bands. This was the case with Hammerfall and Sabaton. Sometimes I find the band names online, mostly on discussion forums and then I decide to check them up, mostly in youtube. This was the case with Abney Park, Emilie Autumn and Despair's Ray. Sometimes I listen to radio and they play awesome music. This is the way I found out that Green Day actually sounds good. Their song Peacemaker is a very, very good song. Tennessee Ernie Ford also sound very good.
Sometimes I borrow cd's from frinds or from libraries. And sometimes I just surf on youtube

[Outnitwit]

Usually come across stuff on the internet, but my new favourite source is this guy who works at this amazing local used cd/record store, every time I buy something he goes "oh! this is so great- have you heard of ______" and I say "no" and I go home and look it up on the internet, and then go "oh! this is so awesome!" This guy has never been wrong about guessing what I'd like yet.

[Oceans2342]

I subscribe to some podcasts that give you a new song every day or week and if I like the song I'll try to find some more stuff by that band/artist.
I also used to go to a lot of concerts and a few times I've fallen in love with the opening act (I found 2 of my all time favorite bands that way.)

[PureBloodGirl]

I usually find new music on lastfm or youtube. Lastfm will give me recommendations based on what I've already listened to on there and youtube what with all the fan-videos I watch with music set to them. I also find new music from a few shows I watch and also, Voldemorts8thHorcrux is basically my music adviser on here.

[Siriusly_C]

Um, I usually discover music thru the radio, vh1 channel on TV, or just thru word of mouth from other people.

[YellowBrickRoad]

I forgot lastfm!

[Melaszka]

Originally Posted by Freak of nature

Sometimes I borrow cd's from frinds or from libraries.

I'd forgotten the library, but yes, I borrow CDs from there, too. A big advantage, IMO, that borrowing from the library has over discovering music on the internet is that, because I have to pay a £1 fee to borrow a library CD and I know I only have 3 weeks to listen to it in, I tend to really listen to it, in order to get my money's worth. I can think of a couple of albums that I thought were just white noise when I first listened to them, but because I didn't want to waste my £1 fee, I made myself give them a 2nd, 3rd, 4th chance and they grew on me so much I ended up buying the CD.

By contrast, on the internet, because there's so much other music to choose from on sites like Spotify and YouTube and I can access it all for free, if I don't like something immediately the first time I listen to it, the temptation is to abandon it (sometimes only about halfway through the first track) and never give it another try.

[Freak of nature]

Originally Posted by Melaszka

I'd forgotten the library, but yes, I borrow CDs from there, too. A big advantage, IMO, that borrowing from the library has over discovering music on the internet is that, because I have to pay a £1 fee to borrow a library CD and I know I only have 3 weeks to listen to it in, I tend to really listen to it, in order to get my money's worth. I can think of a couple of albums that I thought were just white noise when I first listened to them, but because I didn't want to waste my £1 fee, I made myself give them a 2nd, 3rd, 4th chance and they grew on me so much I ended up buying the CD.

By contrast, on the internet, because there's so much other music to choose from on sites like Spotify and YouTube and I can access it all for free, if I don't like something immediately the first time I listen to it, the temptation is to abandon it (sometimes only about halfway through the first track) and never give it another try.

In Finland all the things you borrow from library is free. You only pay, if you return the material late. So I cannot completely agree with the really listening part. But I still listen the music more when I play it on cd. When the music cmes from the internet, it's more like a background noise for me.

And I agree, that internet makes the listening part s easy that if something don't stick to you with the first listening...you'll abandon it. And never give it another go.

[Hysteria]

I don't know anymore. I used to hear stuff on the radio but I never hear my kind of music anymore... then it was by word of mouth but none of my friends like my music anymore Recently I looked up Nuclear Blast Records on YouTube and found some new bands signed to the same label as some others I like- I'd recommend that method but now I'm out of ideas again

[xXLilyLunaXx]

Usually on the radio, from browsing iTunes (the Genius feature is really awesome, it recommends artists you might like by your previous purchases), and from friends with similar musical tastes.

[gipro2003]

Usually just by listening to the radio. I have Sirius Radio in my car, and whenever I have to go to school or something, I'll like to flip through the radio stations and see if anything catches my attention.

[Insomniatic]

Youtube is a good way to check out random artists and Last.Fm has encouraged a couple of bands into my collection...and radio back in the day, and video channels are a good place too

[LilyLunaPotter]

Well...sometimes I will be sitting there...bored and then I'll remember a t-shirt, or something a friend was wearing, and look it up. (Which, by the way, is how I found Tokio Hotel. I LOVE YOU VIVI!).

But usually, on youtube, i will click on a video in the "Related Videos" box...just last night, I found this awesome band/person "the Rocket Summer"...he's amazing!!

[Yoana]

Almost exclusively through friends. My friend all have excellent tastes And also last.fm radio, before they shut it down for poorer countries. That was how I found how great Amy Winehouse was.