I know. I think I know exactly what you are thinking right now, and it’s about the fact that I cease to shut up about music. To that I say, without outlets to help you find new music like me, how would you be able to expand your listening habits? However, I don’t want to give all the credit to myself, as that would be selfish. Therefore, I am here to provide you with even more outlets to discover new music while trapped inside for quarantine. Here are 5 ways that I believe you could use to expand your music listening while stuck inside to avoid the pandemic.
5. Spotify’s Discover Weekly Playlists
I consider Spotify Premium to be one of the most essential tools for music nerds such as myself. With a nearly unlimited catalog of music to dig through for a reasonable cost of $9.99 a month, it is truly a sight to behold. With a Spotify Premium account comes a really cool feature, which is known as the “Discover Weekly” playlist. In short, this is a playlist of music you haven’t already listened to that Spotify recommends based on your previous listening habits. This gives the listener a great opportunity to scratch that new music itch, while basically letting a computer do all the work for you week by week. A couple downsides to this however is that each playlist is randomized, so you might run into a lot of music that you won’t enjoy, and you also have to wait entire weeks for a new playlist, meaning it can take a while to get some new music. Still, this is a very useful tool that Spotify Premium users shouldn’t ignore.
4. Last.fm
Another great source of finding some new music based on your listening habits is a free account on the website Last.fm. Unlike the previous entry, you don’t have to wait week by week to get new music. In short, Last.fm tracks everything you listen to on the streaming platform of your choice, makes listening reports that show your music habits, and also recommend songs and even whole albums based on those habits. Although you do have to pay for a pro membership to get more substance from the website, the free version allows you unlimited recommendations and all of them based on the kinds of music you love. However, the more you listen to, the more accurate the recommendations, so put those headphones on and get going!
3. Discogs
This is an entry for all you vinyl and CD fans out there! As one myself, I find this to be a great way to search for used, rare, and deluxe physical packages for all of my favorite albums. I could honestly spend hours on here searching through catalogs of what’s for sale, just because I never know if what I am looking for is just a couple clicks away. Want to go through catalogs of an artist that catches your interest, but doesn’t have any of their music on streaming services, discogs will more than likely come through with some good deals on physical copies of their music. Although not everyone likes their music in a physical form, whether it be due to inconvenience or cost, this entry is specifically for that group of people who find the most enjoyment out of a more personal and up-close listening experience.
2. Rate Your Music
I have had an account on this website for about a year now, and I cannot stress enough how much new music I have found. If you like using IMDB to rate movies and television, Rate Your Music is essentially the same thing but for rating albums. This site has a plethora of ways to discover new music such as lists of the best albums per year, user made lists of a variety of musical topics or themes, message boards where users can share albums or artists, and even user uploaded biographies of record labels and genres for users to dive into. If you end up loving the site, you could even pay for a premium subscription with extra features such as color changes and track ratings for a very reasonable cost of $15 per year.
1. Deep Cuts Youtube Channel
Ever since quarantine started, YouTube feels like a second home for me. I probably have spent days of collective time over the past few weeks on this site, and one of the channels I keep coming back to is Deep Cuts, a music show hosted by journalist Oliver Kemp. He has a wide variety of music videos to keep fanatics pleased such as end of the year album lists, chronological reviews of artists’ discographies such as David Bowie and Aphex Twin, and my personal favorite, his series of 5 albums to get you into certain genres such as plunderphonics or even doom metal. All in all, if you want a great way to find new music with someone else to do all the work for you, Oliver Kemp has your back!
There you have it! Hopefully this list will help you out on your musical journey all cooped up in your homes. If you want some more music to discover, feel free to check out my Classic Album Corner series on 42Fifty where I revisit older albums and evaluate their worth today. Expanding the power of music during this trying time is the least I can do!
