More than ever before, streaming platforms play a major role in music discovery. Through an algorithm that studies consumer behaviour and preferences, the software suggests artists and songs it thinks you might like.
This sure sounds like an easy way to discover new songs and artists. All you have to do is sit back and let the algorithm suggest new stuff. However, this can become routine, predictable, and steadily rob you of the excitement that comes with discovering new songs and artists.
If you’re at the point where the algorithm keeps rotating the same set of artists, songs, or genres, this is when you might need to break free and take matters into your own hands.
When you want to break your reliance on the algorithm from streaming platforms, you need to go from a passive to an active mode of music discovery. Instead of sitting back and waiting for suggestions, you need to actively seek out the music you want.
Here’s how to go about it.
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Playlist Curators
Depending on the genre and the type of artists you’re looking to discover, there are privately curated playlists that cater to these niches. You can tap into these playlists by following curators who do the heavy lifting by compiling the songs and curating the playlists across streaming platforms.
Taste Makers and Influencers
Those who work within the music industry ordinarily have their ears to the ground more than the average listener. A&Rs, Music Journalists, and Influencers usually keep up with the culture’s pulse. This makes them reliable sources to discover new music and talent.
To find music outside the algorithm, you can follow these tastemakers and social media where they share their discovery and put the audience on new materials.
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Artists Communities
There are online and offline communities that cater to emerging artists and their music.
These communities curate playlists, hold events, and activations that expose emerging artists to a bigger audience. Depending on the type of music you like, you can find the right community and be a part of it to discover fresh sounds and new artists.
Shows and Events
There are events across different genres that cater to rising stars. These events are a hotspot for A&R, Curators, and Critics who attend them to discover new tunes and prospective future stars. If you want better than the algorithm can offer, you should attend these events too.
Interact and Ask For Recommendations
Social media is filled with listeners with different music tastes. You can broaden your playlist with new music by interacting online with more music lovers and asking them for recommendations.
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Embrace Radio
While Radio might sound a little old school in a digital era, it remains an exciting and effective means of discovering new artists and songs.
There are several radio stations with popular music shows you can listen to, find new materials, and break free of the algorithm’s predictability and monotony.
The bottom line is, if you seek more than the algorithm can offer, you have to find it in the right spaces.
You have to adopt a more active mode of music consumption that connects you to the people, platforms, and places where these gems are hidden. If you look hard enough, you will find what you desire, and some more.
