How To Find New Music

     I want new music. Sure, I like to go back and listen to old faves, but not that often. I used to have a couple of radio stations that played only new music. Nothing beats that moment when you suddenly discover a new artist and their music speaks directly to your soul. So where do you find that music now?

     Well lots of internet sites claim to have the answer. Pandora will find new music based on your tastes. Other Internet Jukeboxes like Imeem and Deezer and Songza do similar things. Many create a playlist based on music you already have. But that’s not good enough for me. Because most of the music I like doesn’t sound alike. Maybe The Rolling Stones might lead a site to give me The Who; or Franz Ferdinand will lead to The Hives. But what about a new artist that doesn’t match anything I’ve got on my playlist? Last year I discovered Bat For Lashes, which doesn’t sound like anything I’ve ever listened to. I heard a Bat For Lashes song on the late, lamented Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles which went off the air due to low ratings. How would I find that song now? How will a band like the Raveonettes come to my attention if it’s not similar to what I’ve got right now?

     There are sites that stream live music, like Awdio. So that’s a possibility. And that late, lamented Indie 103.1 lives on as an internet radio station. But I don’t think the problem is solved. You need people who find new music and program it, not just a computer system that finds similar sounds.

     Let’s look at the other side of it – you’re a new artist and you want to get your music out there. What do you do? Certainly you start a MySpace page. And you might even start your own website. And you play as many venues as you can. As Trent Reznor says on his site: “Make your record cheaply (but great) and GIVE IT AWAY. As an artist you want as many people as possible to hear your work. Word of mouth is the only true marketing that matters.”  But you’re in Massachusetts and I’m in Arizona. How do I find you? Well for me the best place still is on the radio. A few stations have shows devoted to new music, usually local music. But a local band will talk about other bands that influence them and suddenly you’re checking out that other band’s MySpace page and you’re hooked.  And a few magazines like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly still showcase new musicians once in a while.

     Other music fans out there: demand that your radio station play new artists. Those of you going into radio and broadcasting: talk to musicians in your city, see what’s new and play it. Don’t go for the old and tired. Sure, you’re going to have songs you must play, but squeeze in a newbie or at least mention them on the air. If you’re in television, try doing a show where you interview new artists and showcase their music. Isn’t it time to stop repeating what everyone else is doing and try something new?