If you are like me, then you are always on the lookout for new music to listen to in an effort to expand your taste. Recently, I noticed that most of my favorite songs are written and performed by bands rather than by solo artists. In my opinion, most of the time bands have a more fully-developed sound, unlike a solo artist who is aided by only an electronic beat. However, if you’re struggling in your search for new music, here are five ways to discover new and emerging bands.
Number One: Attend a music festival. Most music festivals nowadays have a wide variety of artists in their lineup, ranging from some of the biggest acts in music to relatively unknown bands with only a few fans. While the more famous artists tend to hit the stage at night, the smaller acts are given time slots earlier on in the day. Knowing this information, it is extremely easy to discover new bands. All you have to do is arrive at the festival’s venue around noon and travel from tent to tent until you find a band that you truly enjoy.
Number Two: YouTube. Recently, YouTube has played a huge part in the development of the music industry. Ever since Justin Bieber was discovered on the video website and has become a global superstar, many people have been posting videos in the same fashion to try and achieve the same success. If you simply search for a cover of your favorite song on YouTube, you are bound to find a video of a great, undiscovered band (or solo artist) performing it. The best part about this method is that it takes only a short amount of time and costs nothing at all.
Number Three: Ask your friends. Another extremely easy way to discover new music is to ask your friends what they are currently listening to. Chances are that they will say some bands that you already know and love, but then they might suggest a smaller artist/band that they have recently discovered. Then, you can easily search this band and fall in love with their music as well. Friends are always a great resource when it comes to discovering new music because they all have different tastes in music which you might enjoy as well.
Number Four: Attend local concerts. Just because Taylor Swift isn’t performing in your city one night doesn’t mean that there aren’t dozens of other great bands playing a gig. If you visit small clubs (for example, the Whisky A Go Go and the Viper Room in Los Angeles), you can see local bands perform for a very low price. These clubs only have a capacity of around 250 people though, so be sure to arrive a few minutes before live performances are scheduled to begin to ensure that you will get into the venue.
Number Five: Use a music streaming service. The final, excellent way to discover new bands is through a music streaming service such as Spotify, Pandora, or 8tracks. On all of these websites, you can input your interests and the websites will reveal playlists made by other users that match your desired criteria. Many times these playlists will include undiscovered bands that characterize themselves as having a sound similar to that of one of your favorite groups. From experience, I know that this method undoubtedly works, and I still use streaming services for this purpose today.