As much as you love your favorite musical bands and artists, there are probably times when you want to branch out and switch up your usual listening habits. But as the popularity of radio programming has declined in the past couple of decades, many people find it challenging to identify new music that they like.
The good news is that many sites can simplify the music discovery process. In this post, we’ll share four of the most useful websites for learning about new music – so read up and prepare to find your new favorite song!
SoundCloud
Although SoundCloud is frequently associated with rap and hip-hop (as evidenced by the emergence of “SoundCloud rappers” over the past several years), you can find an assortment of musical genres on the site. From alternative rock to drum and bass to trance, there’s something for everyone here.
In particular, SoundCloud is an excellent resource for discovering new artists who haven’t yet developed a large following. In fact, many of today’s biggest rappers got their start on SoundCloud, including Post Malone. It’s also a fantastic place to dig up lesser-known tracks from established artists.
On SoundCloud, you will find platform-generated playlists, as well as playlists curated by artists and other users. You can access many features for free or sign up for SoundCloud Go+, which gets you ad-free content, high-quality audio, and offline listening.
Last.fm
Do you love data? If so, Last.fm is perfect for you. The platform analyzes the music you listen to and compiles data around your listening habits to give you insight into your top artists, songs, and more.
But Last.fm is also a useful tool for new music discovery, allowing you to dive into various genres to monitor the top tracks, musicians, and sub-genres. You can also add friends to get inspiration from their listening choices and view local concerts to attend.
Last.fm is free to use and also integrates with the most popular music platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Tidal, and SoundCloud.
Bandcamp
If you want to provide financial support to up-and-coming artists, Bandcamp is a terrific way to do so. Not only can you use this hip platform to discover the latest and greatest musicians within your preferred genres, but you can actually purchase music directly from the artists themselves. Bands and singers on Bandcamp control their artist profiles, where they can upload music and merchandise for sale and determine what they want to charge.
You’ll also find lists and articles on the Bandcamp Daily blog, which is a great resource to find out about hot new acts.
Gnoosic
Gnoosic is an extremely straightforward way to learn about new music that aligns with what you already like. From the homepage, you simply type in three of your favorite bands, and the site’s algorithm (called ‘Gnod’) will take care of the rest.
The result is a user-friendly website with the name of a band that you may or may not know, along with an embedded YouTube video of one of their songs. Gnoosic is a fabulous option if you want some quick options, rather than spending hours searching for the next best thing.
If you’re looking for more music-related content, check out the Melodyful blog.
