With no radio, how do you find new music?

On TV shows, in movies, or while dining in restaurants. I'll pull out my phone and use SoundHound to ID it if it really sounds interesting.

 

When my BL tells me to learn a new song that I've never heard of. I'm an ostrich when it comes to exploring new music anymore. Been that way for about 30 years now.

 

i think so --- i think it has been mostly that way for me since the beginning, with exceptions.

almost always suggested by someone i know (most often by another musician).

 

I rely on my friend, who has links to music rabbit holes all around the world, for everything I've listening to.

 

I sometimes listen to the radio in the car (usually a commercial-free jazz station) but never at home. Spotify creates playlists allegedly based upon my listening preferences; I don't understand their algorithm, and I am often surprised by their music recommendations - sometimes pleasantly. Sometimes Youtube and Facebook provide a pleasant surprise.

The vast majority of the music that my kids and grandkids like sounds like noise to me. But, music recommended by musicians I've played with is often quite good.

 

Pandora, certainly, but that only gives me stuff back related to what I’ve put in already. We get Sirius on our satellite TV feed, and the channel that suits me the best is Little Steven’s Underground Garage. No, they don’t cover everything I’m into, but they rarely, like almost never, play anything I can’t stand. I’ve heard newer bands that fit in the general scope of their programming, and old artists/tracks that I never heard before, great overlooked stuff. There’s also college/listener supported stations, and while you say no one listens to radio, that might be true for broadcast, but most of those kinds of stations stream online, and you now have access to them all over the world that way. Lots of specialty/niche programming to expose yourself to. Commercial radio has nothing to do with music anyway.
There’s Allmusic.com or Amoeba.com (shameless plug ‘cause I used to work there)for recommendations, and lastly, I still pick up on print media…my range of musical interests are for the most part covered by the magazines Shindig, Ugly Things, Viva Le Rock, Mojo, and to a lesser extent, Prog, and if you can’t make it down to Barnes and Noble, they are online. Many times they go beyond my comfort zone, which is a good thing. Learn about new artists, get introduced to older ones that are new to you, get new insight on ones you think you know.
For amusement and surprises, look up Amoeba’s What’s In My Bag series on Youtube.

 

Pandora and Spotify both have algorithms that will give you new music in a particular genre or that fits into a playlist you might have created. A lot of the newer music I like has come to me while casually listening to Pandora out by the pool. That's how I discovered bands like Galactic, Trombone Shorty, Lettuce, etc.

Sometimes I see great suggestions for music on social media, and I'll give it a listen. A guy I used to be in a band with turned me on to Snarky Puppy that way. Or sometimes I'll see posts on here with music I've never heard before. Sometimes it's even someone's band that posts here that I end up liking.

The thing about music these days is that being a passive listener won't get you everywhere you might want to go. There's lots of music out there that you might like but you might have to actually click links and be a bit more proactive in order to discover it. We don't have announcers. If a song comes up on Pandora, you might have to look at your phone to see what it is, or, as someone else mentioned, use an app to identify it.

 

They've got this new fangled invention called the internet ...

 

The interwebs

 

My kids make suggestions.

 

I am a member of a small private forum that shares a lot of good music.

I also follow a number of genre-specific Instagram pages, like record labels or zines. I mostly listen to hardcore punk music, so that is an endless rabbit hole that spans 40+ years in every corner of the globe, so I am never running out of new things to listen to.

 

Decibel magazine is an excellent resource if you like metal.

 

I buy most of my music from Bandcamp.com and once I buy something I start getting notification emails of new releases from the artist/label so I check those out. Bandcamp also does weekly and monthly posts where they highlight new releases, as well as other posts where they highlight stuff by genre, from a particular artist, etc. Because I try to avoid Spotify and have never messed with Apple/iTunes, Bandcamp is the primary way I find out about new music.

 

My son will suggest new (and old) music to me, but I have to say that Spotify has turned me on to a bunch of artists I would probably not have encountered otherwise. I haven't listened to terrestrial radio in 15+ years.

Every Monday my Spotify account generates a Discover Weekly playlist and every Friday a New Release playlist, both based on my Liked Songs and other stuff I seek out on my own.

Among others, I've discovered Ashely Campbell (daughter of Glen), Judy Sill (70s singer-songwriter), and William Onyeabor (Nigerian Afro-funk).

 

Pandora. I've found so much excellent CURRENT music that I've reevaluated my "rock is dead" mentality.

It's not dead, its just not Top 40 anymore. Here are some of my favorite record labels (remember when people used to say that?)...no affiliation, of course.

USA Shop

Ripple Music - Now It's Time For Your Classic Rock!

Shop — Stolen Body Records

Of course it goes without saying that you'll probably find what you're looking for with an open mind. Don't expect to find new music on a Led Zeppelin channel that you create. I'm just saying.

 

LiveXLive unless you're listening to a specific era. They aren't making any new 70's hits.

 

Interestingly, our teenaged kid got a car this year and only has AM/FM radio, CD player, and aux in. He listens mostly to FM radio, but occasionally will plug in his phone to listen to some tracks he loaded from my iTunes. He got fed up with modern pop years ago and prefers a lot of the music I listened to in my younger years. But he also listens to YouTube music while at home and will sometimes cast a song to the TV so I can listen.

 

You mean there's more than p**n on the internet?!