I’ve come across three different people in the past month that I’ve shared how I find great (and free) new music to listen to. And when I tell them, they actually appear interested, so I figure I’ll share it with you, too.
Long ago, back in 2005, I listened to Yahoo’s Launchcast and found new artists like Jamie Cullum, Keane, and Snow Patrol. They then got weird with their stations and commercials. So when I started looking for something new I stumbled upon Pandora and their Music Genome Project. I have had my original station since 2006 and it is a combination of all of the different types of music I like to listen to. I initially seeded it with the new bands I learned about, and from those I also discovered the The Blow, Fleet Foxes, Moloko, and The Bravery. I then started adding all of my other favorites and now I have the best station in the world. 🙂
Anyway, I now have about 10 different stations when I feel like a theme, but I’m also always on the hunt for new artists that Pandora may not know about yet. You see, if so many people start requesting an artist or genre of music enough, Pandora will go out and find them. I remember when Enter the Haggis and Caravan of Thieves weren’t available; regardless, it didn’t stop me from creating stations that at first didn’t play them but did find other artists that were like them. That’s where I grew my appreciation for Dropkick Murphys and Green Mountain Grass. I also just found out that there were enough people looking for
Indian music, so Pandora went on an entire genre hunt and has now coded thousands of songs.
Where do I find more new cool (and free) music then?
Grooveshark – When I am in the mood to just listen to Passion Pit or Mumford & Sons, I can go to Grooveshark and just search for their music and just play it. I create playlists and it will even recommend songs, if that’s what I want. It’s like having access to everyone else’s iTunes.
Spinner – Every week, Spinner selects new CDs to be available to listen to in their entirety. I’ve discovered Gomez, The Vaccines and Givers and they are great! I’ve also listened to Adele, Weird Al Yankovic, and this week they have They Might Be Giants. (If you’re more of a pop music fan, check out AOL Music’s main site, it’s more top 40 stuff.)
NPR – Yes! NPR! They are always having music reviews and if they do review a CD, they normally put the whole thing up on their site. I’ve listened to the Gorillaz and Caravan Palace. I liked Caravan Palace so much I started a new
station on Pandora with it as the seed.
So you can now get a sense of the kind of music I like. And coming soon, Pandora will launch it’s new social components through their site where you can friend me, follow me, and see what I’m listening to and giving thumbs ups and downs to. And then you can comment on if you like/don’t like it, too! And then I can do the same with you! The beta version has launched through Pandora’s subscription members, but they’re predicting they’ll be ready to roll it out to everyone at the end of the
year.
Happy listening! I’ve hot-linked all of the bands so you can learn about them, too. Your welcome! 😉
Patti is still learning 