September 14, 2002
8:31 PM   Subscribe

Where do you find new music? I have so much music that I need to proactively look for new stuff to add to my mixes. Sometimes I see something in a weblog or article that sparks my interest, but generally I look through favorite artists on Amazon and look for what others have bought. Epinions has some good lists as well, but a lot of it is crap like this. Sometimes magazines will have lists, and sometimes AMG's list of "related artists" is helpful if you know what you're looking for. It's always nice to find something you haven't heard before.

Where do you find new music?
posted by kevin123 (63 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
eMusic.com. $15/month lets you download as much as you want. They send out regular emails with download links for their latest additions. I was interested in exploring trance and electronica, but didn't want to spend hundreds of bucks to find out wich artists I would like and which I would not like.

Hooked up to emusic, and now I've got GIGS of trance and electronica. All legal. I can burn 'em to CD, load 'em on my Rio Riot, so on and so forth.

eMusic.com rocks.
posted by DWRoelands at 8:47 PM on September 14, 2002


My hometown has a pretty amazing local music scene, and that's where I get most of my stuff, kids selling their CD's in local watering holes, etc. While some of them have websites, some, like a kick ass Phish/Dead-like band called Spiral, really need to get their stoner butts in gear and drag themselves into the 21st century.

Viral marketing alert, one member of one of the bands mentioned or linked is one of my roommates. STILL GOOD MUSIC DAMMIT!
posted by WolfDaddy at 9:10 PM on September 14, 2002


I listen to Radio Paradise for new music.
posted by dawiz at 9:11 PM on September 14, 2002


Weekly email from skimo.
i love music
idm-m@yahoogroups (recently unsubscribed from idm@hyperreal - it felt like leaving the womb)
posted by lbergstr at 9:11 PM on September 14, 2002


  • iuma: unsigned artists, you may have to wade thru a lot of crap to find the diamonds.
  • epitonic: the one, the only source you'll ever need for indie toons and much much more--I love this place and if you do anything to hurt it I will come after you with an endless series of dull and rusty butter knives and slowly hack you to death.
  • exclaim, the reviews page, but the whole thing is great too. I prefer the print version, but that's just me. The same warning as above. I mean it.
posted by ashbury at 9:14 PM on September 14, 2002


Kaaza

www.mp3.com

www.reasonstation.net (for those that use Propellerheads' Reason software to write music - some fantastic music there but you need the software to play it!).
posted by SpaceCadet at 9:15 PM on September 14, 2002


The highly intelligent and entertaining Bob Hillman has plenty of samples and whole songs at his site. The very good but completely different Randall Bramblett does too.

I found Bob Hillman because he opened for Suzanne Vega. I found Bramblett because he shared a stage at the Kennedy Center with Hillman (and you can see the whole performance (in RealAudio) from this page).
posted by s.e.b. at 9:17 PM on September 14, 2002


music from the indian sub continent can be found on
smashits

They have a lot of pop ups, but hell they have ALL the songs
posted by nish01 at 9:27 PM on September 14, 2002


i listen to killradio.org
posted by mishaco at 9:28 PM on September 14, 2002


WinMX

Insound's mp3 pile.

Old rock reference books and magazines. the stuff may not be "new" chronologically, but everythings new if you haven't heard it. I've found shitloads of good stuff that way.
posted by jonmc at 9:30 PM on September 14, 2002


I have to admit the kids at pitchfork have made me aware of a lot of new music -- even if I do often want to punch the reviewer by the time I'm done reading.
posted by malphigian at 9:30 PM on September 14, 2002


I've been listening to some great "new" music all evening that I found through Mefi. If you haven't discovered y2karl's weekly blues & roots radio show I strongly recommend it. While the music isn't new in terms of time, unless you're an astute blues buff already, you're guaranteed to find some musical discoveries. Check out the More Country Blues section of the site for an extensive list of pointers to more in the way of blues and roots music.
posted by madamjujujive at 9:30 PM on September 14, 2002


I listen to kcrw's net radio feed, especially Morning Becomes Eclectic. Great stuff. Just played a short demo for my wife of a band I would've never heard of if not for this station, metric. Combat Baby is a cool tune.

Ironically enough, metric hasn't found a label yet, though they sell out their venues.
posted by Tacodog at 9:31 PM on September 14, 2002


The point of the article was not a comparison of the Taliban vs current state of affairs. The point of the article is that people are suffering and very few people are helping them.

I know thats not news to anyone, but I don't think it makes it any less important.
posted by madmanz123 at 9:34 PM on September 14, 2002


oops!
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 9:38 PM on September 14, 2002


Slatch
Jim Walsh (on sabbatical, though)
posted by hootch at 9:40 PM on September 14, 2002


There was a great thread last year in which people linked their favorite streams, most of which are probably out-of-commission now thanks to CARP.
posted by jjg at 10:38 PM on September 14, 2002


Not a website, but Alternative Press is great for finding independent music.
posted by addyct at 10:41 PM on September 14, 2002


My last two albums were from movie soundtracks: Waking Life ( Tosca Tango Orchestra ) and Amelie ( Yann Tiersen). What can I say I'm a pervert. I like accordion music. Usually when I buy music it is because I hear something sticks in my ear. Actually the album before that was the Oh Brother soundtrack.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 10:45 PM on September 14, 2002


I'll third Epitonic, and throw a vote in for Tiny Telephone. It also helps to befriend people who have eclectic musical tastes, and get them to send you stuff they think you'd like via AIM or FTP. I found a few of my favorite artists that way.
posted by toddshot at 10:50 PM on September 14, 2002


WFUV in da Bronx.
posted by flatlander at 10:57 PM on September 14, 2002


I was just complaining today that I had no new music to listen to, seeing as I can't find any decent radio stations in Austin and I'm not really into the live music scene around here. Epitonic.com keeps telling me I don't have permission to acess their index page on the server though, but maybe later I'll be able to find some good stuff. Thanks all.
posted by lychee at 11:21 PM on September 14, 2002


I also have become very fond of Pitchfork. I found them a couple days ago, and have been routinely sucked into their vortex ever since. I literally reveled in their White Stripes review. They say everything I want to say about the band, but funny. All those little bands that I like to pretend nobody else has heard of? They know those, and more. Amazing (Still no Carbon Leaf, though, so I still retain shreds of my musical dignity.). Since I have taken to hoarding mp3s in the realization that I will lose my beloved broadband, Kazaa Lite has become my close friend and confidante(The link resides in Pop-upatonia, but the program itself supposedly has none of the spyware of the original Kazaa.).

In summary, Pitchfork+ Kazaa Lite = Joy.
posted by redsparkler at 12:10 AM on September 15, 2002


First of all, for some context: I listen to indie and just-plain-good music, from Sigur Ros to Coldplay to the Lucksmiths.

I keep up to date by reading reviews. Besides the print (Magnet, Exclaim), there are some great online sources:

  • The aforementioned Pitchfork posts 4 reviews each weekday, along with indie music news. Although renowned for their pretension (and the reviews are frequently self-indulgent), they have an enormous archive and write literate, lengthy analyses. My first stop.

  • Splendid, like Pitchfork, posts reviews - but they post every day of the week, and usually post more than four. The downside is that they review everything they receive, and consequently there's a lot of wading to do. They have samples of all the albums they review, however, which makes things easier. I just wish they had short descriptions beside the bands, so it'd be easier to pick which reviews to read...

  • Swizzle-Stick is a newcomer to the scene, and although they've got daily reviews, they're not quite so well-written as Splendid or Pitchfork's. Enthusiastic, though.

  • Neumu and nude as the news [seems to be down] are great, and John Darnielle (of the Mountain Goats) writes Last Plane to Jakarta... Darnielle's one of the best reviewers out there, IMO, and despite his great love of metal, his analysis of Amnesiac shows how wonderful he is.

    Also, as has been previously cited, I Love Music is a treasure-trove, and blogs such as Sax and Sunshine and Badger Minor are superb.

    Finally, for those of you who want the opinion of a MeFite besides y2karl, I write thrice-weekly music reviews for tangmonkey.com [yes, self-link], and I try to profile great-and-lesser-known bands.
    posted by Marquis at 12:11 AM on September 15, 2002


    The Library.
    posted by mblandi at 12:23 AM on September 15, 2002


    I just listen to what ClearChannel tells me to. It's nice and easy, and nobody has to get hurt, capiche?
    posted by Guy Smiley at 12:50 AM on September 15, 2002


    Allmusic for information, Undernet IRC channels (#mp3jazzcentral, #mp3passion, ... there are channels for most musical genres) for (massive and automated) downloads.
    posted by otravers at 2:44 AM on September 15, 2002


    Got to the BBC homepage and near the top right of the page click on radio launcher, then just surf around. I would highly recommend Late Junction . There is loads more though. Gilles Peterson, is brilliant.
    posted by Fat Buddha at 4:53 AM on September 15, 2002


    I go to the excellent Aquarius Records site for the reviews and the samples, and then I, er, download off Winmx.
    posted by dydecker at 5:08 AM on September 15, 2002


    I tend not to look for new bands, but music that's already out there that I haven't discovered yet. I want to know what other people who like ____ are listening to, in the hopes that it'll lead me down a new path. For example... I recently saw Five Easy Pieces, with Tammy Wynette in the soundtrack... now I'm hooked on her former partner George Jones. From TMBG comparisons I discovered XTC. It's a lot of work to find this stuff but it's worth it.
    posted by kevin123 at 5:15 AM on September 15, 2002


    Other Music has a fine email list with nice long song samples and short reviews. Aquarius Records has a mailing list, too.
    posted by dmo at 5:31 AM on September 15, 2002


    hey i saw carbon leaf one time! the drummer gives my boss' son lessons. they were okay :)

    www.anewnoise.co.uk! oh and the onion av club, and culturedose :)

    metafilter: renowned for their pretension! keke :)

    (btw, the lusenet music board is pretentious as well, but relatively unknown and inactive.)
    posted by kliuless at 5:54 AM on September 15, 2002


    i'm currently listening to some cds i received from renkucorp - after listening to their downloads i contacted them by email and, in exchange for my buying them a cd through amazon, they sent me some cds of their stuff in return. an excellent deal! (i got some stickers and a pile of cds!)

    there's also peoplesound which acts as intermediary for similar deals with small bands - you listen to stuff on their site and then order from them; they burn the cd for you and pass on some of the money (presumably!) to the band (they also sometimes have free demo cds that can be pretty good).
    posted by andrew cooke at 6:26 AM on September 15, 2002


    I trade mix CD's, roughly every month, with a makeshift bunch of music lovers, some found through , Burn, Baby, Burn, some friends, and some online acquaintances. I am exposed to many musical genres and styles this way, and I get to promote the indie music I love.

    I also listen to several music streams, especially No Love For Ned, Left Of The Dial, and Power Pop Radio.

    Lately my best source of new music has been the Postal Blowfish mailing list (for Guided By Voices fans). Of course, with Bob Pollard releasing a new record seemingly every week, who needs anything else?
    posted by kickerofelves at 6:45 AM on September 15, 2002


    I've gotten a lot of stuff from CD Baby, all-indie releases, in all sorts of genres, most $10 or less, with at least $4 going to the artist. They also allow you to search by known bands (show me stuff that sounds like, XTC or whatever) and keywords (jangly, slow, upbeat, etc.). They offer free shipping if you order 6 or more discs at a pop, and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I've never paid shipping....

    I've also gotten personal email from the bands thanking me for getting their CD, and in some cases struck up some pleasant e-conversation... Oh alright, I have a crush on the singer/bassist from La Pieta. Just don't anyone tell my wife, OK?
    posted by jalexei at 7:11 AM on September 15, 2002


    One of my favorite places to preview/shop for new music is THROB Records in NYC (not to be confused with Throb, the S&M club).

    Online, however, I'll visit the sites of various record labels which I may have heard/bought material from over the years.

    Apart from that, USENET newsgroups, tape trading with friends, and of course, eyeing concert flyers on phone poles have helped a great deal. College radio mailing lists are also useful, but one may consider using a PO Box/email alias for an address, so as to shake off the CMJ marketroids.
    posted by Smart Dalek at 7:16 AM on September 15, 2002


    I've used Gods Of Music to help wade through mp3.com's constituent of unknown bands.
    posted by substrate at 7:31 AM on September 15, 2002


    check out your local music scene...you never know what kinda good stuff you can find there. also awarestore.com has tons of great cds.
    posted by hazelmeg at 7:49 AM on September 15, 2002


    It sounds obvious, but Google can be quite good to search for this sort of thing. Try doing a search for "Winamp Generated PlayList" musician1 musician3. This way you can get a list of people who (a) have the musicians you specified in there playlists, but who (b) also have musicians you may like in there playlists. Heres an example of playlists by people who like Oasis and the White Stripes.
    posted by seanyboy at 7:51 AM on September 15, 2002


    I like Reanimator Records
    posted by titboy at 8:00 AM on September 15, 2002


    music reviews on village voice are really articulate
    posted by nish01 at 8:01 AM on September 15, 2002


    As of 11:08 EST, epitonic.com is forbidding me access...

    I WARNED YOU!!!! WHO BROKE MY EPITONIC.COM!!! PREPARE TO DIE IN A MOST HORRIBLE WAY!!!

    *heads off to find more rusty butter knives*
    posted by ashbury at 8:12 AM on September 15, 2002


    KEXP Seattle!

    The best radio station on the planet with the best morning show bar none and if you go to KEXP.org you can find live updated play lists and sign up for specific show emails with lots of good clues as to what's worth a spin.

    KEXP's live streams keep me sane now that I live back in the radio vacuum that is the state of Florida.
    posted by photoslob at 8:26 AM on September 15, 2002


    Check out Emergent Music where you can post music recommendations to the front page a la MetaFilter which then get rated to form a list of the best undiscovered music.
    posted by mgoyer at 8:45 AM on September 15, 2002


    I like to listen to CKUA, which is kind of like the PBS of radio stations. At various times of the day they play world music, blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass, country, and they also run a series of listening seminars on the development of pop music (there are three subsets, the whole program is called Ragtime to Rolling Stones)
    posted by kate_fairfax at 8:47 AM on September 15, 2002


    I'm surprised that no one has pointed out Windows Media Player 9 yet. As of posting, it's still in beta, but man it kicks ass.

    Yes, yes, I know who makes it, but really, give it a try. It has a somewhat tucked away feature called InfoCenter View in the now playing view options (on the main panel) that has a wealth of information. The related artists pane alone in the info center view is worth the price. :)

    For example, while playing weezer I get a list of about 30-40 related bands, only about half of which i know. clicking on the others often brings up clips that i can sample, which at least lets me know if i should pursue them further.

    And very, very cool is the "roots & influences" list that shows bands that influenced weezer (or whatever else is currently playing).

    There are negatives to WMP, like some security options on music, but all of these can be turned off as far as I know. And WMP 9 does a better job asking about these settnigs before automatically activating them like 8 did.
    posted by i blame your mother at 9:32 AM on September 15, 2002


    epitonic.com, pitchforkmedia.com's reviews (don't hate, they get it spot-on a lot of the time), friends' suggestions, uploads to my private FTP (having broadband and musically inclined friends helps a lot... heh), any other random venues i can find... just keep an open mind and your ear to the ground and check a lot of music sites.
    posted by nickd at 11:00 AM on September 15, 2002


    Amazing that nobody is mentioning Soulseek - the Best way to get music, especially if you taste is a little bit more refined than "i listen to whatever they tell me to listen to on the radio"

    You can find this really wonderful, FREE software at slsk.org. After using it, you'll never want to use anything else again.
    posted by re_verse at 11:32 AM on September 15, 2002


    I agree with Marquis. If none of you have checked out Last Plane to Jakarta , John Darnielle is my favorite album reviewer alive. Even if you're not too keen on Norwegian death metal, he makes the reviews worth the read.
    posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 12:37 PM on September 15, 2002


    I put up a big ass rotating FM antenna, so I can get signals from the cities. There are three listenable non-ClearChannel stations, one commercial, one community sponsored, one college.
    I listen, then Google lyrics to find artists, then try to get cd's from the library and burn them (well, copies actually).
    Napster never worked well on my rural phone line (skinny pipe).
    posted by pekar wood at 12:52 PM on September 15, 2002


    i guess this thread is too old to derail, so i'll ask this - pekar wood, if you're listening to those kinds of stations, i guess you're not that interested in the big commercial bands. you like finding alternative groups, people struggling to make it, people pushing new boundaries?

    if that's right, why don't you think they're worth paying for what they do? why copy their work rather than buy it?

    these days, it seems like nearly everyone is on the 'net. even if bands aren't, you can probably contact the dj you're listening to. so it's not that hard (i've done it) to track down people and buy cds from them. you even get to exchange e/mail with the people making those noises, the chance to say "hey, this is really good", and the honour of paying for their next meal (or beer, or whatever), dammit.
    posted by andrew cooke at 3:01 PM on September 15, 2002


    I hold much respect, admiration, and, ok, downright love for Jack Rabid, editor of The Big Takeover, a quarterly music 'zine of Biblical proportions. Jack's passion for, and knowledge of, music, old and new is unparalleled.

    /viral marketing
    posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:14 PM on September 15, 2002


    photoslob nailed it - KEXP is fantastic.
    posted by poodlemouthe at 7:27 PM on September 15, 2002


    A place whose name I'm not supposed to mention but rhymes with PileFile.

    For me "new"="music I've never heard before" not just recent or a particular style. My fellow Pilers have exposed me to a lot of good stuff in the past year or so.
    posted by briank at 7:42 PM on September 15, 2002


    I will also cast my vote for emusic. In addition to complete albums by newer indie, electronic, pop and rock artists, they also have extensive archives of classical, folk, blues, jazz and so on. Their related / recommendation system isn't that intelligent, but it can be useful. Also, I check out what people post to the binary newsgroups, and preview stuff on epitonic. Cheers,
    posted by nofi at 8:29 AM on September 16, 2002


    In the recent MeFi Swap, I got introduced to about 100 new artists/songs. Keep watching for the next MeFi Swap.
    posted by tdismukes at 8:55 AM on September 16, 2002


    For all of yous guys who prefer the musical roads less travelled, do check out Brave New Waves. This late-night CBC show (along with the defunct Nightlines) was the musical teat I suckled on from high school up. It opened my ears to a hell of a lot of new, exciting and weird music. I particularly recommend it to non-Canadians, who will hear some great music they probably wouldn't otherwise encounter.
    posted by picea at 9:05 AM on September 16, 2002


    AudioObsessive is a cool new indie music mailorder that i like. Lost At Sea is a good alternative to b pitchfork too...
    posted by bluno at 10:03 AM on September 16, 2002


    WFMU (91.1 FM and internet stream) is a brillant freeform radio station out of Jersey City that let's their DJ's play anything they want from the sublime to the surreal, the way nature intended.

    My favorite new bands are Interpol and The Shipwreckers from NYC. I stumbled upon the Shipwreckers in a club on Saturday night. Beautiful stuff.
    posted by Skygazer at 11:38 AM on September 16, 2002


    as mainstream as the tv channels may be, MTV radio (which acquired sonicnet a while back) offers a lot of streaming music that is both new and relatively unheard of (i personally use the MTV2 stations to find many new bands)
    posted by adamms222 at 7:23 AM on September 17, 2002


    I second the Other Music mailing list which has deprived me of much hard earned cash.

    Also, WFMU is so good i used to sit on the roof of my building in Brooklyn and listen to a Sunday morning broadcast in the snow. Now that it streams on the web, i sit on the roof for other reasons.
    posted by mr.abominable at 8:31 AM on September 17, 2002


    Yet another vote for the wonderful epitonic, and for slightly more left-field music try sonomu.net ("SOund NOise MUsic"). No MP3 downloads unfortunately, but complete .m3u streams of songs. Also well cross-linked. Requires (effortless, free) registration. I wrote about them here (self-link). For information, allmusic is the IMDB of music. For live music, MusicToday seems good for the US, but I'm looking for a good equivalent for London, UK. Blogged here (self-link).
    posted by snarfois at 1:57 PM on September 17, 2002


    I like Radio Paradise (even though they have their own somewhat stagnated playlist and frequently violate my strict no reggae policy) and radioio. The All Music Guide is an amazing and comprehensive resouces (although I wish they would have the same person review all of the artists' albums so the tone would be similar). Glenn McDonald's War Against Silence is a great weekly music review, including his all time best-of. And if you want to buy something, I recommend mymusic (no relation, just a happy customer). Their prices are consistently low (their top sellers are US$9.90), they're Canadian, and they send you Bazooa Joe with your CDs.
    posted by kirkaracha at 8:42 PM on September 19, 2002


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