Finding new music is a great feeling. It’s awesome when you find a song that expresses every feeling you have felt. It can be hard to break out of your bubble of the same artists, genres, and songs though. It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of playing the same songs all the time and not knowing how to get out of it.
Here are some of the ways I have found new music that I love:
- Your favorite artists’ inspirations and recommendations
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Many current, popular singers are not shy about their personal favorite artists. These could be their inspirations for their own art or artists that they just love. This strategy is good if your favorite artist posts music recommendations on their social media. Sometimes, they may also talk about their favorites in interviews as well.
- Streaming services “Discover Weekly” Playlists
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One feature about Spotify that I enjoy is the personal playlists that are generated for users. The best user generated playlist on Spotify for finding new music is “Discover Weekly.” This playlist updates weekly and recommends about 30 songs, new and old, that the platform thinks you will love. Using this playlist is a great way to find music that is very similar to genres and artists that you already know and love.
- Other generated playlists from streaming services
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Spotify has a large category of playlists that users can dive into when finding new music. For example, the platform has zodiac sign inspired playlists. They also have playlists that are updated weekly like New Music Friday. The playlist has one hundred songs from all different types of genres and artists. Finally, there is an extensive category of playlists on Spotify’s profile.These playlists range in all genres and moods that users can discover.
- Search for specific playlist titles that fit the mood you’re looking for
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While Spotify does have an extensive catalog of playlists of all varieties, they sometimes can be general or basic. Another way to find new music is to look for specific, niche playlists. Type in some key words you want in your music. Want to listen to a playlist full of 2000s pop stars? Done. Music for cleaning the kitchen? Done. You can really find playlists for anything if you look hard enough.
- The “Fans Also Like…” section on artists’ profiles
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On every artist’s profile on Spotify, there is a section called “Fans Also Like” which is filled with artists that are similar to your favorites. There are multiple artists listed where users can click on their profile and take a deep dive into their individual discographies.
I have found that these strategies for finding new music produce the best results. It takes some trial and error to become attached to new artists, but it’s fun to get lost in an artist’s world (even if you never return). Don’t be afraid to get lost in some music rabbit holes either.