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Where to get new music inspriation

Neil P

Neil P

pfm Member
In my late mid/late teens I'd read NME & MM and buy singles/albums based on their recommendations ... where do people go for their inspiration now? I'd like to read reviews of music either new or re-releases.

I have spotify but really don't like the interface in terms of "artist radio" etc.
 
The “What are you listening to now” thread in here pops up some good stuff, plenty of guys with varied tastes post. I sub to a couple of HiFi mags that have some reviews in like HFNR. Newsletters from shops/SDE/reddit points out upcoming releases and then a Google.
 
In Spotify, go into search, scroll down till you get new releases, in there you'll find both new stuff and a release radar tab which suggests new stuff similar to you have been listening to, I've found loads with this, updates on a Friday.
 
Social media, especially Facebook, is superb. Follow record shops, record labels and the artists themselves. That done not only do you hear about stuff, but you are right at the front of the queue for limited editions, signed copies etc. As you learn your way around do exactly the same on Bandcamp. This done little escapes my attention these days.

The ability to research and hear new music is the best it has ever been in history IMHO. I’d have killed for this level of access back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. I far prefer this way of working than say having to sit through say two hours of Peel to hear one or two things I may want to buy (and Peel had a way better hit rate for me than any other radio show). I can certainly find stuff far faster now as it comes to me and all I need to do is have a quick listen to anything that looks interesting on Youtube or Bandcamp.
 
monkfish said:
In Spotify, go into search, scroll down till you get new releases, in there you'll find both new stuff and a release radar tab which suggests new stuff similar to you have been listening to, I've found loads with this, updates on a Friday.
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Is it possible I need to tweak the settings - the new releases look very random and unrelated to my listening habits.
 
Neil P said:
Is it possible I need to tweak the settings - the new releases look very random and unrelated to my listening habits.
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The new releases is not what I meant, when you click on new releases there should be two tabs, one called release radar, this is the one tailored to your tastes and suggestions thereof.
 
Go onto Ebay
Search on your favourite artists
Look to see what else that seller has on offer

Same on YouTube
Select your favourites, enjoy and see what comes up next
 
Personally, I've found untold new music via Spotify, every week they send me about half a dozen play lists under the tab "Made for" and every Monday they send discover weekly and on Friday's Release Radar.
Mac
 
Tony L said:
I far prefer this way of working than say having to sit through say two hours of Peel to hear one or two things I may want to buy (and Peel had a way better hit rate for me than any other radio show).
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Ah yes, but all the time some of the stuff that didn’t immediately register with you still managed to get into your subconscious and made you more susceptible to it in the future and a better person to boot.

I’m biased, it’s definitely easier now but the Peel era post 1977 was a golden era.

.sjb
 
Sloop John B said:
Ah yes, but all the time some of the stuff that didn’t immediately register with you still managed to get into your subconscious and made you more susceptible to it in the future and a better person to boot.

I’m biased, it’s definitely easier now but the Peel era post 1977 was a golden era.

.sjb
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I remember hearing the end of a track and JP saying "that was Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band". I never forgot that band's name, even though that was the only time I encountered it.
 
maccar said:
Personally, I've found untold new music via Spotify, every week they send me about half a dozen play lists under the tab "Made for" and every Monday they send discover weekly and on Friday's Release Radar.
Mac
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I'm guessing the Release Radar recommendations improve the more you use Spotify?

I wish Spotify had a dislike button!
 
The problem with relying on Spotify recommendations, and indeed AI recommendations in general, is that they never throw you any curve balls and so never expose you to anything genuinely different.

Right around when I started transitioning away from Spotify, someone here mentioned a CD grab-bag sale at a label I had never heard of. I quickly skimmed through their library on Bandcamp, liked what I heard and took a punt on it. This ended up greatly shaping the kind of music I've been listening to over the last couple years. Spotify never recommended anything from this label and it's easy enough to imagine why. It's not exactly like anything else I was previously listening to. However a human would be able to form more abstract aesthetic connections between what I already liked and the output of that label. If I had read some reviews in a diverse magazine like The Wire, I might have come across this label earlier to decide for myself that it sounds interesting and worth checking out.

That said, an issue of The Wire in one hand and a mobile with Spotify and Bandcamp in the other is a powerful combination!
 
Spotify is very clever, especially if you ‘enhance’ your play lists as they drop in artists they think you will like.
 
gustav_errata said:
The problem with relying on Spotify recommendations, and indeed AI recommendations in general, is that they never throw you any curve balls and so never expose you to anything genuinely different.

Right around when I started transitioning away from Spotify, someone here mentioned a CD grab-bag sale at a label I had never heard of. I quickly skimmed through their library on Bandcamp, liked what I heard and took a punt on it. This ended up greatly shaping the kind of music I've been listening to over the last couple years. Spotify never recommended anything from this label and it's easy enough to imagine why. It's not exactly like anything else I was previously listening to. However a human would be able to form more abstract aesthetic connections between what I already liked and the output of that label. If I had read some reviews in a diverse magazine like The Wire, I might have come across this label earlier to decide for myself that it sounds interesting and worth checking out.

That said, an issue of The Wire in one hand and a mobile with Spotify and Bandcamp in the other is a powerful combination!
Click to expand...

A few people have mentioned The Wire - a new one to me, will investigate. I think I prefer reading articles/reviews that AI playlists.
 
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