/music discovery/
📌 Written by Dan / FMHY.net
Last updated: 13.5.25
danxyz7 on Discord
Welcome! This guide explores various avenues for discovering new music beyond mainstream algorithms. We'll focus on curated sources, understanding the landscape, and the sheer joy and reward that comes from active discovery versus passive consumption.
Table of Contents
- Music Journalism
- Influencers & Curators
- Online Communities & Platforms
- Radio: Curated Streams
- The Physical Realm: Real-World Discovery
- Following the Trail: Credits, Collaborators, Samples, and History
- Why Record Labels Have Niches
- Beyond the Algorithm: The Importance of Curation
- Every Noise vs. Spotify Playlists: Map vs. Filter
Music Journalism
Music Journalism is often overlooked, but publications cultivate specific niches and target audiences. Historically, different magazines catered to specific tastes:
- Underground to Mainstream: NME, The Fader
- Hip-Hop: XXL, The Source
- Heavy Metal/Punk: Kerrang
- Electronic: Mixmag, Resident Advisor, Fact Magazine
- Mainstream: Rolling Stone, Billboard
- Jazz: DownBeat
- Experimental/Avant-Garde: The Wire (The true nerds' choice!)
Online Publications & Newsletters
Beyond traditional magazines, online sources are key:
Pitchfork
Pitchfork often gets a bad rap, especially with recent absorption into GQ and layoffs, but they undeniably shaped modern online music journalism. Despite challenges, their Best New Music and Best New Reissues sections remain valuable discovery points.
Hearing Things
Hearing Things was started by ex-Pitchfork staff aiming for that early indie spirit.
The Wire
The Wire consistently covers groundbreaking artists years before wider recognition (MF DOOM, Lil B, Moor Mother). Arguably the best source for music far outside the mainstream. Check their Audio section.
The Quietus
The Quietus leans heavily experimental. Excellent for the bleeding edge via their Album of the Week.
Bandcamp Daily
Bandcamp champions the obscure. Bandcamp Daily offers:
- Features: Deep dives into scenes, artists, genres.
- Album of the Day: Daily highlights.
- Lists: Curated discovery treasure troves.
(More on leveraging Bandcamp itself later!)
Music Newsletters
Many individual critics and curators run excellent, often niche-focused newsletters (e.g., via Substack). Examples include Ted Gioia's The Honest Broker or Shawn Reynaldo's First Floor (electronic). Searching for newsletters in your preferred genres can yield great results.
Influencers & Curators
Video reviews and curated channels offer engaging discovery pathways. It's helpful to understand the type of content creator:
- Reviewers: Focus on critiquing new releases (e.g., Fantano).
- Curators/Educators: Explore scenes, history, and connections (e.g., Deep Cuts, Derrick Gee).
- Genre Specialists: Channels dedicated entirely to specific sounds (metal, folk, ambient, etc.).
- Historians: Focus on the evolution and context of music.
Key Examples:
Anthony Fantano (The Needle Drop)
Anthony Fantano is polarizing but undeniably influential (NYT: "The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You’re Under 25)"). He covers a vast range (mainstream, alternative, indie) and has boosted many careers (Death Grips, Charli XCX, Young Fathers). A gateway for many into deeper listening.
Deep Cuts
Deep Cuts explores genres you've likely never encountered. Infrequent uploads, but highly influential (inspiring this guide via this video). Spotify profile: here.
Derrick Gee
Derrick Gee offers interviews (prominent artists), scene spotlights, and art/music commentary. Prefers the term "curator".
A Word of Caution
For every insightful curator, there are many focused on drama over music (e.g., DJ Akademiks types). Be selective; don't let clout-chasing dictate your taste.
Online Communities & Platforms
The internet revolutionized discovery. Early forums and P2P networks (MySpace, Soulseek, even 4chan's /mu/) bypassed traditional gatekeepers, fostering underground scenes and influencing blogs like Pitchfork. Finding genuine, non-commercialized communities is harder now, but dedicated spaces persist.
Key Platforms & Communities
Rate Your Music (RYM)
Rate Your Music is indispensable. User ratings, lists, and charts create a powerful, community-driven discovery engine. Browse the homepage or New Music section for highly-rated releases across countless genres. Excellent for finding consensus classics and current obsessions within niche communities.
Reddit
Subreddits remain valuable, especially for specific genres:
- Ambient: r/ambientmusic
- Grime: r/grime
- Pop: r/popheads
- Hip Hop: r/hiphopheads
- Indie: r/indieheads
- General Discovery: r/listentothis
(Search for subreddits dedicated to your favourite genres/artists!)
4chan (/mu/)
Use with extreme caution. 4chan's /mu/ board has knowledgeable users but is often toxic and requires sifting through noise. Their historical user-generated "essentials charts" were influential, but quality varies wildly now.
Finding Niche Forums
It's increasingly challenging, but dedicated forums for specific scenes still exist. Persistence pays off. Prioritize finding well-moderated communities.
Other Key Digital Platforms
SoundCloud
Still good, especially for electronic music, hip-hop (demos, leaks), remixes, and DJ mixes unavailable elsewhere. Its "Related Tracks" can be chaotic but sometimes more serendipitous than Spotify's.
Mixcloud
Focuses on long-form audio: DJ sets, radio shows, podcasts. Excellent for hearing tracks in context and discovering curators through their selections.
Bandcamp (Beyond Daily)
Leverage its features for deep discovery:
- The Feed: Follow other users/fans with similar tastes to see their purchases and recommendations. A powerful social discovery tool.
- Genre/Location Tags: Explore hyper-specific scenes (e.g.,
raw black metal Finland
,lo-fi house Chicago
,psychedelic cumbia Peru
). Combine tags for specificity. - Label Pages: Follow labels directly to keep up with their entire roster and new releases.
Radio: Curated Streams
Online radio, especially human-curated stations, offers a fantastic alternative to algorithmic playlists.
NTS Radio
Established 2011, NTS Radio is arguably one of the best online music sources globally. Countless shows hosted by artists, DJs, collectors across an unbelievable genre spectrum.
Key NTS Show Formats:
- NTS Guide To...: Deep dives into genres, scenes, labels.
- NTS In Focus: Deep dives into an artist's work.
Example Hosts/Shows:
- Sara A: Obscure 70s/80s punk.
- Fortuna Records: Middle Eastern grooves, psych rock.
- Theo Parrish (Archives): Epic soul, house, disco, funk mixes.
- Jamal Khadar (Reimagining Country): Exploring country's roots and branches.
Listening to artists' mixes (like the old Black Midi Variety Hour) reveals their influences directly, like an audio version of Amoeba's "What's In My Bag?".
SomaFM
SomaFM (founded 2000) is listener-funded, largely ad-free online radio. Multiple channels for specific electronic and alternative niches. Favourites include Drone Zone and Groove Salad.
Here are its channels (as of early 2024):
Channel | Genre/Theme | Year Added |
---|---|---|
Drone Zone | Drone | 2000 |
Groove Salad | Downtempo/Chillout | 2000 |
Secret Agent | Lounge/Jazz with a 1960s spy theme | 2000 |
Indie Pop Rocks! | Indie Pop/Indie Rock | 2002 |
cliqhop idm | Intelligent Dance Music | 2002 |
Beat Blender | House/Downtempo/Chillout | 2002 |
Boot Liquor | Americana | 2003 |
Tag's Trip | Classic Trance/Progressive Trance | 2004 |
Xmas in Frisko | Eclectic Christmas-themed music (Seasonal) | 2005 |
Space Station Soma | Ambient Space Music | 2006 |
Illinois Street Lounge | Lounge Music | 2006 |
Doomed | Industrial/Dark Ambient | 2006 |
Sonic Universe | Avant-garde Jazz | 2008 |
Lush | Female-driven Vocal Downtempo | 2008 |
Digitalis | Self-produced Indie Rock and Electronic Music | 2008 |
Suburbs of Goa | Desi/Arabic-influenced Worldbeat | 2008 |
Underground 80s | Early 80s British Synthpop and New Wave | 2008 |
Christmas Lounge | Christmas-themed Lounge Music | 2008 |
Mission Control | Ambient Music mixed with NASA Mission Broadcasts | 2009 |
PopTron | Electropop/Dance-rock | 2009 |
Covers | Cover Songs | 2009 |
Black Rock FM | Burning Man Festival Broadcast | 2010 |
South by Soma | Music by artists from the SXSW Festival | 2012 |
SF 10–33 | Ambient Music with San Francisco Public Safety Radio | 2012 |
Dub Step Beyond | Dubstep and Bass-driven Electronic Music | 2012 |
Folk Forward | Indie Folk, Alternative Folk | 2012 |
Christmas Rocks! | Christmas-themed Indie/Alternative Rock | 2012 |
DEF CON Radio | Music from DEF CON's Chill Room | 2013 |
Iceland Airwaves | Music by artists from the Iceland Airwaves Festival | 2013 |
Deep Space One | Deep Ambient Electronic and Space Music | 2013 |
Seven Inch Soul | Classic Soul Music | 2014 |
Left Coast 70s | Mellow Album-oriented Rock from the 1970s | 2015 |
Fluid | Instrumental Hip Hop/Future Soul/Liquid Trap | 2015 |
ThistleRadio | Celtic Music | 2015 |
Metal Detector | Heavy Metal | 2015 |
Jolly Ol' Soul | Christmas-themed Soul Music | 2015 |
SomaFM Live | Live Music Broadcasts | 2015 |
Groove Salad Classic | Early 2000s Downtempo/Chillout | 2019 |
Department Store Xmas | Christmas-themed Beautiful Music | 2019 |
Heavyweight Reggae | Reggae, Dub, Ska, and Rocksteady | 2020 |
Vaporwaves | Vaporwave | 2020 |
n5MD Radio | Music from the n5MD Label | 2020 |
Synphaera | Modern Electronic Ambient and Space Music | 2021 |
The In-Sound | 1960s & 1970s Euro-Pop | 2023 |
Tiki Time | Exotica | 2023 |
Bossa Beyond | Bossa Nova & Samba | 2023 |
Chillits | Recordings from Chillits Performances | 2024 |
Community & College Radio
Often streamable online, stations like WFMU or KEXP (though KEXP is quite large now) are fiercely independent, championing local scenes and non-mainstream sounds. Explore stations local to you or known for specific genres. Online radio archives can also unearth historical shows and trends.
The Physical Realm: Real-World Discovery
Don't underestimate the power of offline discovery!
Record Stores
More than just shops, they are curated spaces:
- Browsing Serendipity: Flipping through bins can lead to unexpected finds.
- Staff Picks & Knowledge: Engage with staff! They are often passionate curators with deep knowledge.
- In-Store Events & Flyers: Discover local bands, labels, and shows.
- Used Sections: Unearth forgotten gems, explore related artists cheaply, trace influences.
Live Music
Experiencing music live is crucial:
- Opening Acts: One of the best ways to find new artists aligned with your tastes, often local or up-and-coming. Pay attention!
- Venue Curation: Certain venues consistently book specific genres or scenes. Follow their calendars.
- Niche Festivals: While large festivals can be generic, genre-specific (metal, folk, electronic), experimental, or local festivals are discovery goldmines.
- Community: Talk to other fans, merch sellers, even musicians at shows. Share recommendations.
Libraries
Often overlooked resources:
- CD/Vinyl Collections: Can hold surprising depth, including local music.
- Music Magazines (Archives): Read historical perspectives and discover past scenes.
- Local Music Archives: Some libraries document regional music history.
Following the Trail: Credits, Collaborators, Samples, and History
Artists rarely exist in isolation. Explore their networks:
- Guest Features & Collaborations: Check out the solo work of guest artists on tracks you enjoy. Common in hip-hop, R&B, electronic music.
- Sampling Culture: Use WhoSampled or Samplette to identify original source material in hip-hop, electronic, plunderphonics, etc. This leads back to classic soul, funk, jazz, rock, library music, and more.
- Producers & Engineers: Note who produced/engineered albums you love (Rick Rubin, Brian Eno, Sylvia Massy, Steve Albini, Madlib, Nigel Godrich). Explore their other work; their signature sound can guide you.
- Associated Acts & Side Projects: Musicians often have multiple bands or solo projects. Explore the full web of connections.
- Read the Liner Notes! Physical (or digital booklet) liner notes contain gold:
- Thank You Lists: Often mention influences, friends' bands, or supportive labels.
- Detailed Personnel: Discover influential session musicians (drummers, bassists, keyboardists) and check their other work.
- Recording Info: Studios known for specific scenes or sounds.
- Use Discogs: While RYM is great for ratings/lists, Discogs is the ultimate database. Explore:
- Complete Label Discographies: Visually browse a label's entire output.
- Artist Credits: See everything a specific musician, producer, or engineer has worked on.
- Versions/Pressings: Find different mixes or bonus tracks.
- Forums: Niche discussions on collecting and specific releases.
- Understand Music History: Briefly learning how genres evolve and influence each other (e.g., post-punk's debt to dub and krautrock) provides context and opens pathways to related sounds.
Why Record Labels Have Niches
While major labels (Sony, Universal, Warner) sign broadly, independent labels often reflect a specific curatorial vision. Exploring a label whose key artists you admire is highly effective. Check the label's own website or Bandcamp page for curated stores, news, and direct artist links. Specialized Distributors (like Forced Exposure, Boomkat) can also be discovery points via their curated selections.
Examples of Labels with Strong Identities:
- Hip Hop:
- Dreamville (J. Cole's imprint)
- TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) (Kendrick Lamar's former home)
- Opium (Playboi Carti's imprint)
- Stones Throw (Madlib, J Dilla, MF DOOM, Knxwledge)
- Post-Punk/New Wave/Indie:
- Factory Records (Historic: Joy Division, New Order)
- 4AD (Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Big Thief, The National)
- Sacred Bones (Zola Jesus, Molchat Doma, John Carpenter)
- Ambient/Experimental:
- Kranky (Titan: Stars of the Lid, Grouper, Tim Hecker, Labradford)
- Touch (Fennesz, Biosphere, Chris Watson)
- Electronic/Hip Hop/Jazz Fusion:
- Brainfeeder (Founder Flying Lotus: Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Hiatus Kaiyote)
- Electronic/IDM/Experimental:
- Warp Records (Iconic: Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Danny Brown, Oneohtrix Point Never, Squarepusher)
- Electronic/Downtempo/Jazz/World:
Beyond the Algorithm: The Importance of Curation
Finding trusted tastemakers – whether individuals (Fantano, Derrick Gee, NTS DJs), publications (The Wire, Bandcamp Daily), labels (Kranky, Warp), or even knowledgeable friends – is crucial. Relying solely on algorithms risks homogenizing your taste.
Understanding Algorithmic Limitations (e.g., Spotify, YouTube Music)
Platforms prioritize engagement and retention, often optimizing for passive background listening rather than active, deep discovery. While tools like Spotify's "Fans Also Like," "Related Artists," or Last.fm scrobbling can offer starting points if used actively and critically, they shouldn't be your primary engine. Treat algorithmic suggestions as potential leads to investigate further, not definitive recommendations.
Liz Pelly's book, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of a Perfect Playlist, highlights significant concerns:
Note: Anthony Fantano interviewed Liz Pelly about her book here.
- Profit Over Artistry: Spotify's model arguably devalues music, prioritizing passive listener acquisition over discovery or fair artist compensation.
- Unfair Royalty System: The pro-rata model benefits mega-stars disproportionately, hurting smaller artists.
- Homogenization: Algorithmic playlists often favor unobtrusive, "mood-based" music ("Spotifycore"), potentially discouraging diversity and risk-taking.
- Pressure on Musicians: Tools like Spotify for Artists can incentivize tailoring music to algorithms, potentially compromising artistic vision.
- "Fake Artists" / Stock Music: Playlists sometimes feature generic tracks ("Perfect Fit Content"), reducing transparency and displacing real artists.
- AI-Generated Music: Spotify's AI explorations point towards more automated, potentially artist-less, background music.
Context: While Pelly's book was released Jan 2025, concerns existed earlier. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek sold significant stock ($199.7 million) in late 2023/early 2024.
Every Noise vs. Spotify Playlists: Map vs. Filter
What is Every Noise at Once?
Every Noise at Once is (or was) a fascinating algorithmic map of musical genres by Glenn McDonald (ex-Spotify, but not involved in playlisting). It organizes genres by acoustic similarity and data analysis, not popularity or editorial curation.
It functions like a vast sound map where related genres cluster. Explore hyper-specific microgenres, regional scenes, and obscure pathways globally.
Note: Glenn McDonald lost access to Spotify's internal data in 2024. Every Noise no longer receives real-time updates. However, the existing map remains an incredible historical snapshot and structural exploration tool. You can explore the last snapshot of New Music by Genre here.
What Do Intro, Playlist, Pulse, and Edge Mean? (Based on pre-2024 data)
Clicking a genre typically offered these options:
- Intro ▶️
> “What does this genre basically sound like?”- Short, raw audio sample of the genre's core sound.
- Best for: Quick first impressions.
- Playlist 🎵
> “Give me a full playlist of this genre.”- Dynamically generated Spotify playlist based purely on the data cluster. Not hand-curated.
- Best for: Immersing yourself in a specific data-defined sound.
- Pulse ❤️ (Historical Data)
> “What was recently active/trending within this genre?”- Used to show songs recently listened to by fans of that genre.
- Best for: (Historically) Finding what was current in a micro-community.
- Edge ⚡
> “Show me the weirdest/most distinctive tracks at the fringes of this genre.”- Outlier tracks stretching the definition—often experimental or hybrid.
- Best for: Discovering unconventional variations, seeing genre boundaries.
Summary Table (Based on data up to 2024)
Feature | What It Does | Best For |
---|---|---|
Intro | Short audio sample of the genre's core sound | Quick first impressions |
Playlist | Full Spotify playlist from the data cluster | Deep diving into a sound |
Pulse | (Historically) Trending songs within the scene | Finding contemporary buzz |
Edge | Outlier, experimental songs near the genre edge | Discovering unique variations |
How Every Noise Differs From Standard Spotify Playlists
Every Noise (Historical) | Standard Spotify Playlists |
---|---|
Mapped by acoustic similarity | Curated by engagement & branding |
Reveals niche, obscure, regional genres | Focuses on broad, generic moods |
Ignores marketability | Optimized for low-skip, passive listening |
Built for exploration & understanding | Built for retention & background use |
Leads to subcultures & diversity | Can lead to homogeneity & sameness |
The Core Difference: Map vs. Filter
Spotify Playlists often act as Filters:
- Flatten genre distinctions into moods.
- Reduce friction for easy, passive listening.
- Maximize playtime for background consumption.
- Simplify the music landscape.
Every Noise acts as a Map:
- Expands and details genre relationships and nuances.
- Increases friction by presenting complexity and obscurity.
- Maximizes curiosity and active seeking.
- Reveals the complexity of the music landscape.
Why This Matters
Standard Spotify playlists frequently collapse distinct genres into vague categories: chill vibes
, focus flow
, feel good indie
, workout beats
. This strips away cultural context, regional specificity, and stylistic nuance for mass consumption.
Every Noise, conversely, explodes genre into thousands of specific categories, many rooted in culture or geography: Deep Discofox
, German Cloud Rap
, Brazilian Death Metal
, Vapor Twitch
, Scottish Jazz
, Italo Body Music
. These are sounds you'd likely never find in an official Spotify playlist because they aren't optimized for broad, passive appeal.
In essence: Every Noise revealed the messy, intricate, diverse reality of global music culture. Standard Spotify Playlists often present a smoothed-out, marketable, simplified version. Understanding this difference is key to breaking free from algorithmic bubbles.
Final Thought: True music discovery is an active, rewarding pursuit. Be patient, follow your curiosity down rabbit holes, and engage with human curators – journalists, DJs, record store clerks, fellow fans, librarians, and the artists themselves. As AI automates more, consciously choosing human-centered discovery and supporting artists directly (e.g., via Bandcamp, merch, shows) becomes even more vital for a rich and diverse musical life. Remember the human touch.
For insights into streaming royalties, see this companion guide: Music Streaming Royalties Comparison
If you feel that there are errors (or you just want to give general feedback), please feel free to reach out. 💬Discord: danxyz7