How to Discover New Music to Love

There are some days when I listen to the same song on repeat for hours. But I also get into phases where I am obsessed with discovering new music. I know a handful of artists and songs that I absolutely love, which can make it hard to really branch out.

Here’s a bunch of ways to discover new music to love. And, to clarify, this isn’t sponsored by Spotify or anything, I just happen to use them the most.

1. Watch Your Fave YouTuber’s Monthly Favorites

A lot of YouTuber’s have begun incorporating shows, movies and music into their monthly favorites and I am so here for it. Even if you’re not sure of the YouTuber’s taste in music, it’s worth giving them a shot. If you like their content, you just might like their music taste, too. In fact, I just found some great songs by St. Vincent because of a YouTuber I really love mentioning her new favorite album.

You can also check out your fave bloggers’ favorite songs. I wrote a post a while ago about 8 of My Favorite Albums. Maybe it’ll help you to discover some new music…let me know if you listen to any of them!

2. Try Spotify’s “Related Artist” Feature

I can fall down this dark hole for hours. Simply visit the landing page of your favorite bands/artists and check out the “Related Artists” tab or sidebar.

Sometimes “related” means they’re just from the same country, but other times it can be someone with a fairly similar style or genre. It’s helped me find some pretty good indie bands. Also, Marina & the Diamonds is one of my favorite artists of all time, I wrote about my concert experience here!

3. See Who Your Favorite Artists Tweet About

Skim through the artists’ tweets. Whose album are they supporting? Who are they tweeting “Congrats!” to after award ceremonies? It’s interesting to see who you’re listening to is listening to, and you might just like them.

4. Try Spotify’s Release Radar

This is such a fun feature I recently discovered. You can find it on the Spotify landing page. It shows you what’s recently came out, but tailors it to what you listen to and add to your playlists. So, if you were recently listening to All Time Low or the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack, it might show you a new release of All Time Low’s acoustic cover or something, or something the creators of Dear Evan Hansen had just released. It’s pretty handy for keeping you in the loop. The more updated your library is, the more accurate these tend to be.

5. Look up Who Opens for Your Favorite Artists

Oftentimes the openers have similar vibes or styles to the main act. If you like the main act, sometimes you’ll dig the opener. I found James TW because he opened up for Shawn Mendes and Tori Kelly because she opened up for Ed Sheeran.

Even if you won’t be attending the tour, a quick Google search can even help. Look at past tours, too. Or, if you’re attending a concert, be sure to check out my Ultimate Guide to Surviving A General Admission Concert!

6. Create a Spotify or Pandora Radio Station from a Song You Love

I love doing this with songs that I absolutely love. The Lorde “Liability” radio station has helped me to discover plenty of wonderful new songs with the same sort of mellow, sad vibe. This way to discover new music works really well if you’re seeking songs with similar vibes, you know?

7. Attend Local Open Mic/Small Concerts

This is especially good for those who are really into indie music or acoustic vibes. Oftentimes, small business coffee shops have these events, especially ones near big cities. They can definitely be worth attending (plus they’re something fun to do!).

8. Revisit Artists You Once Loved

I always check up on The Fray and OneRepublic, bands I loved when I was younger. Oftentimes I find a new single to love. Or, in some cases, you find that the band broke up and you have a new solo act to listen to. One of my favorite bands from when I was a younger was A Rocket to the Moon. They broke up and the lead singer, Nick Santino, went solo. Turns out his solo music is fantastic (and he ended up performing at my college!!)

Maybe your beloved artists don’t have anything new, but that’s okay, too. Your worst case scenario is a bomb throwback playlist.

9. Get Shazam Ready

The app basically helps you figure out what song is playing, which can help you find new songs to love. My boyfriend has created entire playlists out of songs he heard at random bars and coffee shops that he loved and Shazam’d. It’s a fairly authentic way to discover new music.

10. Look Up Artists Who Have “One Good Song”

You ever hear a song and fall in love, but then only listen to that song and forget who even sings it? I do this, but I have started looking up the artist before writing them off as a “one-hit wonder.”

Oh Honey is a great duo that I only found because I loved their song “Be Okay.” Turns out the rest of their discography is pretty sweet, too.

11. Explore Soundtracks of Your Favorite Shows and Movies

Shows like Grey’s Anatomy have bomb soundtracks and chances are they’re not hard to find online or on a Spotify playlist.

12. Ask Friends for Recommendation Playlists (or do a Swap)

Most people love making these. You can also do a playlist swap with a friend or S.O. and open each other up to new music that you might not have picked out yourself.

What are some of your music reccomendations??