Your method for discovering great music.

I’d second and third streaming services for discovery with my primary being Spotify discover weekly and release radar, also selecting a song in Spotify you really like and going to the “radio” playlist for that song has generated a lot of new discoveries for me. I’ll add onto recommendations though as well, find a couple of Acquaintances that are into music and join musicleague.app it’s a website, soon to be app where you have a group of people that submit songs based on a chosen topic/category(songs from 1972, songs with body parts in them etc…) and then Everyone votes on their favorite songs and can comment what they like/dislike about the songs. The website/apps keeps tally of the votes so you have a point system for keeping track of who is winning:losing etc… it’s extremely addictive, especially for those that are competitive or think they have “good music taste”. I’ve been using it with two different groups of people for about the last year and my musical libarary has expanded significantly! Not only from songs others have shared but also in doing “research” for songs that might fit the category for that round. If some folks would like to try it out and don’t have others to create a league with, reach out to me as we occasionally look for others to join our various leagues as people decide to drop out. The only “limitation” to music league I know of right now is it only works with songs that are in the Spotify library, but with the “free” option being available it’s not too much of a limitation for those that aren’t in the Spotify userverse.

@n80,

Lol, it was like seven boxes and four milk crates full and very few duplicates.

😀

@curiousjim I would have taken the risk on that box of CDs too!

@jbhiller I am a CD guy. I've got some vinyl but not much. My typical process is to find stuff I like and then buy it on CD. I've slowed down on that a little but if its something really good I get the CD. I have used Discogs in the past. I also consult the Dynamic Range database. My ears are far from golden and I'm not super picky about SQ but compressed DR ruins a recording for me for anywhere but the car or ear buds.

Great thread OP!!!

Do you listen to vinyl or CD?  Well, even if you don't, I do like Discogs for research. I like to look at granular facts about an album, like where it was recorded, record label, release data, who mastered it and so on. Discogs lets you link right to other albums, for example, that might be mastered by the same people. 

I use Roon with Qobuz in the background.  It is better than Tidal, Qobuz or Spotify on their own because it lets you get more information about the music. 

I highly recommend playing with the features in Discogs.  

In addition to trying what others have suggested and what the reviewers mention,  a few years ago I stopped at a garage sale. Ended up buying about 1100 CD’s for $100. They kept me busy for months!  I actually kept about 350 disks and gave the rest away.

All the best.

JD

BTW, new Discover Weekly comes out every Monday morning. Not sure exactly what time, but when I check on Monday morning, there's a new playlist.

Got it. That makes sense. I'll spend some time with Spotify, as I have been this evening. It makes it MUCH easier to browse for new music than Qobuz or even Amazon Music as it is already showing suggestions of bands similar to the ones I just listened to and seems to get closer than Amazon. Can't say I've hit gold yet but certainly some artists to explore. Looking forward to when the Discover Weekly feature kicks in.

@n80 - I just checked Spotify's website to see "what's up". Here's what I found:

On that page, it says "To generate your Discover Weekly playlist - we need to get to know your tastes for a few weeks, so get Spotify above and start listening. If you are already signed up, click get playlist to see if your playlist is ready."

Okay, I’ve got Spotify, the free version. Like it so far.

I like Radio Paradise a lot too.

Now for some tech questions with these:

1) I do not see Spotify Discover Weekly. Either it is staring me in the face or it must be only with a paid subscription.

2) With free Spotify you can select "high" in the qaulity settings but not "very high". Does anyone know what "high" and "very high" mean? To my ear "high" sounds decent. I’m assuming "very high" comes with paid version.

3) My main system is old. I listen to Sonos through an old Sonos Connect. Works fine in that capacity. It does not work with AirPlay. So I access AirPlay through an old AppleTV module. It SUCKS. Audio breaks up and skips constantly. Because of this I can only do Radio Paradise on this system through the Sonos app. For some reason the SQ is a bit flat and you cannot skip through songs within Sonos. AirPlay and the Radio Paradise app works fine throughout the rest of the house because all those Sonos components are newer. What would be the cheapest way to get my main (old) system integrated with AirPlay? I could buy the new Sonos Port but that’s $450 and the only thing I’d get over the old Sonos Connect is AirPlay. There has to be a cheaper option.

4) Happily Spotify works through the old Sonos Connect without AirPlay. I have no idea why. Maybe it came with Spotify integration?

I've been listening to my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist this morning. Half way through the 30 song playlist and I've already added 4 of the tracks to my persistent "discovered" playlist. Music discovery is really easy in the internet age...

KCRW.com from Santa Monica CA. Though I listen via FM. My TIDAL and Qobuz library has grown a lot when I hear music on KCRW.

The newish TIDAL deep dive playlists are also something I like to discover old music/

I use Roon often for this.

I'll pick a song at the end of an album from an artist and the genre I am interested in.  I make sure that I have Roon Radio checked as Yes.  Then Roon just chooses music of the same genre & style, within reason.  The great thing is that Roon choses HiRez tracks that all sound great.

Found so many wonderful recording this way.  Some, not so much, but other have been added to my collection, via Roon.

Searching for new music is my favourite thing to do with streaming. With a good app (I use Auralic Lightning DS) it becomes a journey from one artist which has recommendations of similar and down the rabbit hole you go. I find with the huge amount of music, I will just play the opening 20 seconds of a couple of songs on an album and if I like the flavour that album goes into my favourites. I spend an evening doing that until I have a load of music I haven’t properly listened to yet, but sounded promising. Then the next evening I’ll sit and play those albums properly and delete those that I’m not into and keep those I am, hey presto I’ve just added 3 albums to my collection.

Aside from that, I will listen to YouTube mix’s and Shazam certain songs, or music in hifi demo videos, on tv or noted in print reviews. If it’s individual songs, wherever I am I’ll save them into my ‘test’ Qobuz or Tidal playlist, again ready to listen to properly at a later time. I don’t use the providers streaming apps much (other than to add songs when I’m out) as most of my listening is at home, but I remember when Spotify was my go to I would find lots of new tracks when it would continue playing at the end of your playlist.

For me though, finding new music takes the time spent doing it, I don’t think there is a simple way of having it served up. So I’d suggest dedicating 1 or 2 hours a week looking through artists and listening to snippets to build a catalogue of ‘potential’ new music before doing the critical listening, that has been the fastest way I have grown my digital collection.

primarily "the evergreen channel" [HD#2] broadcast sub-channel on KING-FM 98.1, seattle. sometimes a web search will lead me to a blog or to something on youtube.

I love smooth jazz and have a subscription to jazzradio.com, which also has very specific subtypes.  My favorite subtype is the 'smooth uptempo', to which I listen a LOT.

I learned almost all the new artists and songs by listening to that station.

I am sure there are LOTS of radio stations alike for other genres of music.

I agree with the OP that streaming solutions work best for more casual fans.  The software is trying to figure out what you like and give you similar content.  Great if you're fine walking in place, but if you're searching, it's best to seize the initiative.

The last couple of years have been hard for those of us that rely on a steady diet of live music to bring us new artists, and the chance to watch them mature.  I've been forced to use the Web more - and there is a lot out there!  Here's afew suggestions:

Jazz seems to have done a great job transitioning to pandemic living.  Check out the Jazz at the Lincoln Center website.  They stream a fair number of concerts from Dizzy's, Swing U provides an inexhaustible amount of educational material.  If you like jazz at all, you MUST at least check out a few of the Closer Listening sessions - the amount of jazz knowledge the host has is jaw-dropping amazing (also a frequent teacher at Swing U).  It's free (but please contribute - the cause is music!) and if you enjoy a curated exposure to music, you'll be signing up for Swing U.

SFJazz offers a $50/year digital membership that gives you a livestream concert every Friday at 7:30pm PDT (re-broadcast at 11am Saturday).  Maybe the best deal on the entire World Wide Web.  The price/concert is so low that you may find yourself drooling on the donate button/!

I gotta go, but if you like or want to explore bluegrass, check out Bluegrass Situation and Wintergrass (their annual festival is at the end of February and they're livestreaming everyday from the largest of the venues).  Some of the big bluegrass festivals livestreamed last year, like Rockygrass & Telluride.

Streaming is one tool I use to discover or trial run so to speak new music. When I hear something I like, I seek a hard copy of it, be it an LP, CD, or Cassette....other than that, I buy on impulse and take a gamble on a purchase from either eBay or discogs...I'm a sucker for a nice looking album cover, especially cheese cake, which I have many.

I love to find new artists and groups.  Streaming is the best way I have found.  I have used the premium services of Tital, Spotify, Apple Music, and Qobuz.  The best for finding new artists IMO is Spotify, unfortunately they have not moved into high resolution.  I settled for Qobuz, but as stated above, they suck for finding new artists via any AI applications, it is not easy to share songs nor playlists, but they sure do have the high res thing down!!!  I’m going to subscribe to Spotify as well as Qobuz, just to be able to access Spotify’s “other artists you might like” feature. Plus thanks to this thread I’m going to investigate Radio Paradise.

2 things I do…

1. I check out the bargain bins at the local record shops, I take my chances if the cover looks interesting…I’ll do a quick Google search while there and see if any videos or mp3’s come up that I can hear a quick sample and if I think I’ll dig it, I’ll buy it… worse comes to worse, I’ll sell it back or trade it in on my next visit. You’d be surprised what you’ll find.

2. I’ve started to listen to artists I wrote off on when I was younger being I felt I was too cool to listen to such artists… Man did I miss out on such good music and live concerts that I’d kill to see, nope but I was too cool. … I really don’t listen to the stuff I thought was cool back then unless it comes up on a random mix… I mean seriously how many times can you listen to Stairway to Heaven or Money, good stuff just burnt out / overplayed and just doesn’t scratch the itch anymore.

Also you have to decide are you listening to the music or how your speakers / system sounds because that’s a whole other issue.

I now have gotten into Blues, Jazz, Big Band, Smooth Jazz, Reggae,as well as the artists I passed up on in the past and especially Live Recordings, brings a whole new dynamic especially if recorded well.

Love Radio Paradise for finding new music. Probably the only thing I miss about my previous job was listening to it all day!

...on my playlist.

Some times you've just got to 'throw down' something other than 'entertainment', per se...

'They' are screwing with our voting rights.

Get pissed.

'New Music'......oh 'k....

I stumbled into this attachment today....

Some may pull a Monty Python Holy Grail 'run away!' from it.

It does express some 'observations' in a 'crude fashion' about 'where humanity is at' or heading....

You can always 'mute' and just read the lyrics...

But New?  You betcha', Pilgrim.

Proper enjoyment is Loud. Adjust accordingly.... ;) 

You've been 'Mirandaed'.

Any questions?

Ask yourself.

Love, J

The usual places I look to for new (to me) music are Apple, Spotify and Shazam but the Best source I found started when I got involved with an Unofficial Vinyl Club. Periodically, over the past five years or so, we get together at irregular times (usually once a month, but Covid has made that difficult until recently) to listen to the Hosts system and music. Venues are usually some one's Listening Room although, we have had outings to Live Music (Cinematic Orchestra, King Crimson, Dead Can Dance etc...) and even The Audio Show in Toronto a few years back. When at some one's home rules: BYOB (in moderation if at all), no smoking indoors, no spouses, no pets, no snacks and early start and finish times are the Norm. Usually, a few guys bring Recordings of Special Note.  There is a Pool of about 12 individuals  and events are typically 2 to 8 of those people. But the exchange of Musical information and discussions around members collections, re-collections and experiences leads to some real interesting "discoveries".

Try seeking out Like Minded individuals or Groups to broaden your musical horizons....

In my case, Tidal has created seven "My Mix" old school R&B and contemporary Jazz playlists that contain some of the music in Tidal playlists that I've created; additional music that I've heard or have not in a Tidal playlist; and some new music songs.  Tidal Radio is also good for finding new music, but sometimes it is hit or miss for a song that I like.

Every Friday Tidal has new cuts for me, I don’t alway find a new great artist, but likely every second week. Streaming is fantastic. New this week, Anne Ash.

A hi end streamer is Critical to any audio system for me.

I search one online using Apple Music, using Old blues artists and then search on their more popular songs.  For example, Howling Wolf wrote Smokestack Lightening and many artists covered it.  I listened to a variety of the.  The same with Woodstock, searched on that song.  Eva Cassidy has an amazing version.

Ian attention to the favorites of others who have similar musical tastes to my own to mine their preferences.   It makes for an interesting journey.

I go to plotn08.org pick a category or search.  Lots of indie bands trying to get there music out plus remastered mainstream music. Then I search them on my amazon hd.

I have found quite a bit of new music (and older music) from Spotify---once a week I see a new list on my Release Radar and Discover Weekly charts. 

Interesting...

Thanks...

@aewarren Yes, I have a lot of great recorded music in my collection. And I do play a lot of it, well, a lot. But to me, that rarely represents a discovery or broadens my horizon any further than that music already has.

@mahgister I used to subscribe to a magazine called The Oxford American which was a southern art and culture magazine. Over the years it got predictably ideological to the point of being a cliche'  and I stopped subscribing but every year they came out with the music edition. That edition included a CD of various artists from the south across all genres. Some were extremely obscure and some were superstars. The magazine would have articles about all of the artists and songs on the CD. In the late 90s and early 2000s these CDs and magazines greatly broadened my musical horizons. I still pick up the yearly music edition from time to time. It has been a few years though. Not sure you still get an actual CD. I have 15 or twenty years worth of those CDs and they are priceless. In fact, some of them that are hard to find are fetching silly amounts of money.

• Choose some favorites on Tidal and let Tidal's radio take over when my selections are finished.  I write down the names of the artists/songs I like,
• Just added Qobuz, which opened up a new library of music
• My neighbor is in a blues band so I listen to their gigs or practices occasionally and write down selections that I enjoy but have not heard
• Listen to Sirius XM in my vehicle and occasionally hear new music on BB King's Blues, Lithium, or one of the other stations
• Suggestions from posts here on Audiogon and suggestions by my friends

My method for discovering great music: I walk over to my record shelves, grab an LP and put it on my turntable. Works every time.

I album surf and research, get tips from friends. I had a Qobuz account for a little while and found that it hit the bigger titles, but not the rare groove stuff in post-bop jazz. I think the process of discovery is itself quite rewarding and I enjoy doing the research as well as "the hunt" for a good copy. You learn something about the musicians, the genre and perhaps the cultural context in which they created. All fascinating to me, beyond the simple enjoyment of the music, performance and recording itself. 

Most of my discoveries over the years have been through Pandora, Spotify radio, Linn Jazz radio, Radio Caroline, PowePop Criminals site and reading reviews.

Now you can try before you buy.

I read classical and jazz threads here in audiogon...

I like to  READ why someone enjoy some music and not only listen to the music first...

Why?

Because i like to explore out of my first reflex personal taste...

Then i prefer reading about music before listening to it or during my first listening .... If not, i will entertain only my innate or acquired actual taste... Reading why someone like this or that can awake some unknown fiber in my brain/soul/heart...

I discovered this way, persian music, indian music and more...

My first persian music was a discarded bad recording of persian tanbur album..

The one who own it discard it to me saying that it was horrible music with horrible sound..

For an unexperimented  north american  ears it was not false... 😁😊

But before listening to this album i read the text inside the cd...

And to my suprise the great classical violonist Yehudi Menihin  said that listening to this persian master of the tanbur was one of the greatest musical experience in his life... I was thinking why it is? Spiritual and rythmic, and harmonic, melodic  consumed  virtuosity in improvisation...

I was stunned... Especially when i listened to this album for the first time and my first persian music album by this sufi master... the sound was not very good but it was listenable...

But guess what?

After 2 listening i was completely flabbergasted....I used this music to meditate time to time and i bought many others persian music on different instruments... Same for India...

The rest is my personal musical history...

As bdp24 sayeth...

- The What's On Your Turntable Tonight? thread here on Audiogon.

- The VC (Vinyl Community) videos on YouTube.

- The No Depression website.

- Interviews with artists, who mention others.

- The credits on albums. Brian Wilson led me to Van Dyke Parks, Van Dyke led me to Randy Newman, Randy led me to Ry Cooder, Ry led me to John Hiatt, etc.

I read reviews in print or online publications that have similar tastes to mine, Then I'll go to Qobuz or something and check it out if something seems like it would appeal to me....

Roon is absolute reference for discovery. Between the graphics and suggested artists and Roon radio you will discover endless new artists, genres, sub genres unknown releases by familiar artists. Right now is golden age of audio, no more excuses for not being able to discover new music and artists.

Roon suggests different artists based on what one is listening to and the radio feature plays tracks based in the sound profiles you like.   I use Qobuz so my discoveries are almost unlimited.  Unfortunately Roon is subject  to problems and becomes a “self help” paid for service.   If you are a network engineer or love digging through their forum for answers more power to you.

i just want to play and discover music.   Roon has been down for me over a week and after posting my issue (more like their issue that’s affecting me) I got 1 reply from Roon and after posting almost immediately my reply no further help has been given !!!

Sources for new music:

YouTube videos

college radio stations

www.allmusic.com

New releases reviewed in magazines in book stores

Amazon search,…..complete box search, or those great 5 cd sets for 10-13$

original album classics.

 If price is right, I will buy,

  I’m a diehard metalhead, but some of these odd band sets are too good to pass. 
 

 If it looks good buy it.

expanded the library quite a bunch past few years. 
 

  Too many to list

Reading jazz encyclopedia, finding interesting names and albums, than trying to listen those albums on ytube, than l if I like them, looking for interesting sidemen playing on those albums and than looking for their albums too and than their sidemens...you get the drift. Prefer cold winter nights for doing that. Sometimes if I find some good music on ytube, continue to explore the same chanel, if its made by some jazz enthuziast...and obviously, no pc audio of any kind...

Silly enjoy all music digital or analog.

I listen to Qobuz and find music new and old, then buy the album or CD no downloads for me please. Like having the silver or black discs. That way when my internet is down I am not out.

Digitize that!!!!!!!

I am amazed how quickly I find great recordings while using Roon.

It is actually highly addictive so if you have an addictive personality

do not try it! In an hour of listening I will have 3 new artists best music.

Analog that !!!

@reubent Enjoying listening to Radio Paradise already.

@jim5559 I listen to live music whenever I can.

Including rock.

And I have impeccable taste. 😎

Hmmm opinions are like what @jim5559 ? Yep 

Will never really love music if you don't go to listen to live music .

Except for rock which will only give you bad taste .

@n80  - Radio Paradise is really good. Like a cool radio station from back in the day, but you can skip over stuff you don't like. Also, they stream in resolution up to FLAC (highest lossless resolution), so it sounds really great.

Spotify is good, because you can play whatever you want. And, after a while, it's algorithm "knows" what you like and makes recommendations based on what you've played, or "liked". Also, the algorithm changes if/when you change styles. Another good feature is that it will continue to play after whatever you choose, so it will continue to play similar music once your selection is done.

Great stuff! Also,are you keeping an eye on the "What's playing on your turntable tonight", "What's playing on your system tonight", "What are you streaming tonight", "What's playing on your CD Player (The minority report") and "Song of the day" threads on AudiogoN? Great stuff mentioned there...