You love music. You listen to it practically every single day. But do you suffer from the oh-so-common “I've been listening to the same five songs over and over again" disease? It's terrible when you have it because you feel like you're in an endless loop and say to yourself "I could be listening to new things or finding a new favorite artist." If you're bored with Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora for finding new music, I've rounded up a list of some of the best places to discover new tracks.
1. Facebook events
Whenever I click "Interested" for any Facebook events that pop up in my news feed, 9 times out of 10 I have no intention of going due to lack of money, friends, or not wanting to leave my house. But for concerts and gigs going on in the area, there's something to be said about marking your interest in these events and finding more suggested gigs going on. Even if you don't end up going, you may find a new favorite band or two along the way.
2. Snapchat ads
Here's a fun fact for you all: I discovered a band named Pony League this way! Browsing through someone's story, I finished and saw an ad asking viewers to vote for them to be the opening act for The Fray. I decided to find them on Spotify, played one song, and was in love from first listen.
**SPOILER ALERT: They won!
3. Last.fm
This 15-year-old site, known for cataloging your listening habits, is wonderful for discovering new music. Its "Scrobbling" feature is the star of the show; connect your account with any music program and play away! The website will track all the songs you listen to and give you similar artists and song recommendations based on this information!
4. In stores
Do you know what's great? Going to a store to buy something or just look around and hearing your favorite song come on. Do you know what's even better? Hearing a song come on and you love it right away. But what's the name of that song?! This is why you need to have Shazam on your phone, friends!
5. Twitter
No, I'm not referring to those Soundcloud rappers that bombard people's mentions or DMs with their music. Although it can get annoying, I'm not knocking the hustle (I mean, look at Lil Uzi Vert, for crying out loud). But looking through different parts of the website can be rewarding if you accidentally stumble upon a new artist you like. Once they get super famous, you can look back and be proud that you became a fan from the very start.
6. Instagram
You ever just look through someone's profile, then you end up on your cousin's grandma's brother's niece's page? That's beside the point. If you do some digging, you can find some cool local or national artists promoting their music or just hanging! Here's a tip: find some hot spots in your town and see who's playing where and when.
7. 8tracks
This site is the bee's knees! Well, was, before they started limiting the listening time and enforcing a $4.99/month fee. It's not too expensive, but it's inconvenient when you have other subscriptions. How it works is people create their own playlists based on moods and different sounds. You're bound to find at least one favorite song for every playlist you listen to.
