How do you find new music as a musician?

This topic has 10 voices, contains 12 replies, and was last updated by MissusTurner 236 days ago.

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

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September 25, 2011 at 5:06 am #6853
David J. Hahn	<p>Hey all – </p> <p>I’ve been using Pandora a lot lately, and I used to use Last.fm – but both services often come up short for me.</p> <p>I’m sure some of you feel the same way – we’re trained musicians, right? We have picky ears – that’s our job. I don’t just want to find new music, I want to find new <em>good</em> music. And I feel like these algorithmic services often give me crappy songs. </p> <p>I with I could find a recommendation service that was curated by a real person who’s taste I could trust. I’d listen to the radio if the radio wasn’t full of crappy music pushed by huge corporations.</p> <p>I’ve tried Sirius, and that’s not it either.</p> <p>So where do you all go to find new, interesting music to listen to? </p>
September 25, 2011 at 6:15 am #7814
brian	I’ve thought about this for a long time now. I stopped listening to the radio years ago and I’m happy about that but I’ve also felt pretty disconnected with new music – good, bad, and ugly. Pandora takes care of me well enough but nothing does really well. Like you said, I’m left wanting the guidance of a real person who knows his stuff. So in my mind I ask the question, where do these super cool music collectors go to share their talent? It’s not standard radio and it’s not the algorithm dept. of Pandora. Where is it?
September 25, 2011 at 12:47 pm #7816
Joe Stone	Are there any real record stores left where you are? Houston is lucky, we have one or two that are really good. I’ve not asked for many recommendations, but have come across some knockouts over the years. http://www.cactusmusictx.com/
September 25, 2011 at 12:55 pm #7817
law	I’ve not yet found Pandora, etc, to be my cup of tea either. I tend to just ask my friends and associates what they spin on their iThing, or check out venues where artists I like have performed in the past. I guess that makes me a caveman, not having a “Web 2.something” way to do it? :-P In the caveman vein, here’s a couple of artists I consistently enjoy: http://www.charliewood.us http://www.petermulvey.com disclaimer: I have no connection to those cats at all, I’m just a fan who tries to catch them whenever they come through town. Hope this helps! –Lee
September 25, 2011 at 3:15 pm #7819
Cameron Mizell	I’ve always gotten the best recommendations through friends and bandmates. We listen to each others MP3 players while on the road, or talk about music before or after rehearsal, or somebody wants to cover a song I’ve never heard. Or, believe it or not, I still hang out with some friends just to sit around and listen to music… sometimes on vinyl! Doesn’t happen often, but considering most of the music I listen to is music I have to learn for a gig, it’s nice to have dedicated listening time with some friends over beer and pizza. The best technology has helped me find new music is through social networks. Friends with trustworthy taste often mention music they’re currently digging. Pandora, Last.fm, etc. typically present music I already know or stuff I don’t like.
September 26, 2011 at 5:46 am #7821
Jesse Richardson	Hey David- If you haven’t heard of turntable.fm I would definitely suggest checking it out, it sounds like just the kind of thing you’re looking for. It’s basically a social-music-networking site, a place for people to share music. So it can function as a substitute for Pandora or Lastfm, but also allows you to share your own music with others. It’s still in beta mode, so if you’re interested but have trouble getting in, I posted on the musicianwages Facebook page and you can feel free to friend request me (you must be friends with a member to log in).
September 27, 2011 at 2:21 am #7826
Higgs	I think part of the fun is wading through the crap to get to the good stuff. I mean, sure, we know Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart, because they’ve filtered down over the past 250 years. But who remembers Wagenseil, Stamitz, Myslivecek, Pleyel, Hellendaal and Von Dittersdorf? (That’s just the name of my law firm, btw…). Not everyone is going to be Rebecca Black.
September 27, 2011 at 2:46 am #7827
Cameron Mizell	Oh right, I forgot to mention this one show that will give you the low down on the next biggest and greatest thing in music before everyone else. It’s where they really separate the wheat from the chaff… I think it’s called American Idol.
September 27, 2011 at 11:29 am #7831
Joe Stone	[quote]I forgot to mention this one show that will give you the low down on the next biggest and greatest thing in music before everyone else. It’s where they really separate the wheat from the chaff… I think it’s called American Idol.[/quote] LOL :-D
September 27, 2011 at 8:19 pm #7829
funkyguitar	I’ve discovered some great music on Pandora actually (most notably Elliot Smith). Besides that though, I’ve heard great stuff on the NPR/college radio type stations, all those station on the far left of the dial. Afro Celt Sound System being one of the discoveries back a few years ago.
September 28, 2011 at 1:28 pm #7834
BrittL	I get most of my new tunes from going out and watching other live acts. Out of three or four sets you can sometimes walk away with 5-6 songs that you haven’t heard/done before and that can spark the “maybe I should learn that…” phrase. The other good thing about seeing other live acts is hearing the crowd reaction to a specific song. You might love it, but it might be tepid audience. Just food for thought.
September 28, 2011 at 10:39 pm #7835
funkyguitar	Here’s a good jazz radio station out of Portland, OR – [url=http://www.kmhd.org/player/]KMHD[/url] The country’s only 24 hour a day jazz radio station from what I hear. Granted it’s got a mix of older jazz stuff and new recordings too, but I like it.
September 28, 2011 at 10:50 pm #7837
MissusTurner	I find out what my own heroes like, through interviews (when they ask them what their earliest influences were, etc.), and go and look up the names that they drop. That’s actually how I found the Argentine composer Ginastera. I figure that if they’re good enough for the discriminating ears of Keith Emerson or Yngwie Malmsteen, they’ll be good enough for me! (H) I’ve found more beautiful classical cello than I can shake a stick at, all courtesy of Ritchie Blackmore…