While there is plenty of criticism to be hurled at what music the algorithm serves to us, and how, the real problem with music discovery in the age of algorithmic recommendations is that listening has become a passive activity. It’s too easy to press play and let a pile of code take the wheel. Whether that’s creating a “station” based on a particular song or artist, firing up Discover Weekly, or just letting Apple Music autoplay into infinity after a particular album or song ends.
With less involvement from the listener, less intentionality, it’s easy for music to simply become background noise. Research suggests that younger generations are discovering new artists at a lower rate than previous ones, and there’s a direct correlation between lower levels of music discovery and reliance on the algorithm. So, how do you find new music with intention?
Music media
The simplest and most traditional is through music media. There are countless sources of excellent music journalism and criticism, it’s just a matter of finding one that speaks to you.
Pitchfork may not be the hip young upstart anymore, but it’s still a relatively reliable source for discovering new music. It threads the line between mainstream and independent music pretty well, covering everything from pop stars like Taylor Swift, to experimental electronic artists like Feeo.
If Pitchfork is a touch too corporate for your liking, several former staffers have formed their own independent outlet called Hearing Things, and there’s always that stalwart of the early music blog era, Stereogum, which recently relaunched.
Bandcamp Daily is also an excellent resource. In addition to an album of the day and essential weekly releases, Bandcamp’s editorial side publishes monthly genre-specific guides to new releases in hip hop, metal, and even field recordings. If your thing is tiny labels that focus on cassette releases, there’s a column for that. How about a guide to prolific vaporwave label Geometric Lullaby? Here you go.
YouTube
Just like everything else on the internet, music has its influencers. Chief among them is Anthony Fantano, who the New York Times called “the only music critic who matters (if you’re under 25).” Fantano is an institution at this point. His YouTube channel, The Needle Drop has over three million subscribers, and his secondary news and commentary channel has over two million.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t call out Amoeba Records and its What’s in My Bag series, where celebrities and musicians go on a shopping spree in the legendary record store, talk about what they decided to buy, and why.
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