There’s something unsettling that happens when I look for new music. I’ll find a song I like on Spotify, click on the radio and spend the next hour listening to songs that sound suspiciously similar.
Every now and then, I’ll find something great. But more often than not, I’m left wondering why I’m hearing the same artists over and over again. At the top of the playlist, I’m met with a disclaimer that reads, “about recommendations and the impact of promotion.”
The more we rely on streaming services and social media to find music, the easier it becomes to forget that there are other ways to listen. The thrill of the hunt disappears when new music is simply handed to you through a personalized playlist.
Though these algorithms can be convenient, there’s a lot of music out there that won’t show up on your Discover Weekly. Here are three ways to find it.
Social media
The recommendation to use social media in your pursuit of finding new music may seem like swapping one algorithm for another. Social media algorithms, just like the ones on music apps, are incredibly rigorous in choosing what content you see. But there is still choice in how we engage with these algorithms. Independent artists often post about their music, using the algorithm to their advantage with hashtags and content format. Dev Lemons and Emma Ogier both put out singles recently that I found through their self-promo on Instagram. The more you engage with content like this, the more it will appear.
But it isn’t just limited to intentional advertising, as music is used passively in social media posts too. “Come meh way” and “I call upon…” are two songs that I found while scrolling on Instagram. The music is there; you just need to find the gumption to stop doomscrolling and add it to your playlist.
Music journalists also offer insight to new music you might not be familiar with. Some of my favourite music journalists include the following creators: @marg.mp3, @pigsandplanes, @exclaimdotca and @kieranpressreynalds.
Radio
I’m sure that the only time you want to hear the radio is for the first 10 seconds of sitting in your car, putting the key into the ignition and waiting for it to connect to your phone. This has been true for me too. But the radio doesn’t have to just be the same “Top 40” on repeat.
Radio has historically been one of the most vital resources for music and media exchange all over the world. Our consumption has changed, but if you look a little closer, radio has too.
When you need creative inspiration, or you think you know all the music that has ever been played, NTS Radio is the best place to go. With two live shows that are always on, streaming from various parts of the world, you’re bound to find a new sound. You also have access to past shows, and the options feel limitless. From their homepage today, I began listening to NTS Guide to: Italian Library, Soundtracks and OSTs, based in Rome. It then led me to listen to Carlos René: Makossa en Acapulco – ’70s Mexican psych, funk & soul, based in Mexico City. Then finally, Archived w/ Rotational, based in the Netherlands. Every sound was diverse, and I hadn’t been familiar with a single song.
College radios are also important, as the music is often curated by your peers. Brock even has its own radio station, CFBU.
The physical
The transfer from vinyl records and CDs to digital streaming has changed our relationship with both music and the community around it. You no longer own the art that you love, and you don’t get to communicate with other fans directly when you buy it.
A great way to become more engaged with music is by starting a physical collection, whether that be through CDs or vinyl. It can begin by going to a music store and getting recommendations from the person selling it to you, or buying a record solely based on the cover art. The music might suck, or it might change your life. The bottom line is that the experience is distinctly yours.
With this, talking about music with friends is important too, and hopefully they know you better than any algorithm ever could.
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Though the algorithm works well enough, there are still so many artists to be found. Here is the link to some songs I’ve found recently, using all the methods listed above. Though you might not like all of them, and you might love some, at least you know they came to you 100 per cent organically.