If you love and listen to certain songs, artists, genres, albums, etc. then you can use those to discover new music that you can enjoy. You don’t have to browse through the entire list at random; you can discover other artists, listen to curated playlists, use music recommendations, listen to radio stations, and join fan communities. Check songwriters, producers, collaborations, record labels, and musical influences for a more in-depth look for those that aren’t immediately obvious. This way, you’ll find new music that’s in your style without sacrificing exposure to different music and styles.

It can be quite challenging to discover new music when you’ve got some good artists you love. Some people have been able to listen to the same albums for months because they know it will work for them. Meanwhile, there’s always more music out there than you can listen to.

The great thing is that you don’t have to begin your journey from scratch. Your current musical repertoire is one of the biggest assets you have to discover your next musical masterpiece. 

Start With The Music You Already Love

The simplest method to discover new music is to look at the tracks to the songs and artists you play frequently. Select 3-5 favorite choices and find the relationship between them.

Avoid looking solely at a genre. Two artists may be in the same big genre, but may sound entirely different. Rather, take a look at different sections of the music. 

Look at:

• The artist’s other albums and older releases.
• Artists they often work with
• Musicians who are songwriters and producers in relation to their music.
• Record Labels linked to their releases
• Artists whose work inspired them.Artists that inspired them.
• They have interviewed musicians such as:Here are some musicians that they have spoken about in interviews:
• Similar users or artists recommended by music platforms.
• Occasions on which they perform live or in a festival lineup 

For instance, if you like one indie rock band, then you should start with different indie rock bands. However, there’s the potential to go further and discover which artists were influenced by that band or which producer produced its best album. 

Use Music Recommendation Tools And Playlists

Music discovery is now much easier thanks to streaming platforms. Most major services keep track of your listening history, saved songs, skips, and playlists and use them to recommend music that might appeal to you.

Use features such as: 

• Personalized playlists
• Artist radio
• Song radio
• Album recommendations
• New-release recommendations
• Daily/Weekly discovery playlists
• Genre-based playlists
• The top matches from your listening history 

The recommendations are helpful as they will introduce you to artists you wouldn’t find yourself.

But do not listen to playlists that an algorithm creates, but only sectionwise. Think of them as a way to get ideas, rather than as a final solution. 

Explore Artists Through Collaborations And Influences

So, if you enjoy listening to music, one of the best places to discover new music is by following the artists who create the music you enjoy.

Artists don’t work in isolation. A favorite song can have multiple musicians, producers, songwriters, engineers or guest performers. People can take you in various directions in music.

If you find a song that you like the production of, for example. Check out the origin of it. Then have a look at the other works of that producer. It is possible to find multiple artists who have similar sounds but are not categorized in the same genre.

Another helpful route is collaborations.

If an artist that you like is in another artist’s song, watch the artist’s music. This can help to form a natural exploration sequence. 

Go Beyond Genre When Searching For Music

Genre is helpful but not a box.

Many listeners love a genre, but love a mix of elements. For instance, if someone claims to like electronic music, they may actually prefer heavy, low bass, slow beats, ambient sounds and less vocalization.

After you’re aware of those characteristics, you can locate similar music in totally different genres.

Consider your choices on the following aspects: 

• Tempo
• Mood
• Vocals
• Instrumentation
• Production style
• Song structure
• Lyrics
• Rhythm
• Energy level
• Language

This allows for greater opportunities for discovery.

For fans of emotional vocals, there are artists in every genre from pop to soul and R&B, rock to folk and alternative music. Those who like crazy rhythms could transition from jazz to progressive rock, electronic music, funk or experimental music.

Often the place to find your best finds is cross-genre. 

Use Music Communities And Human Recommendations

While algorithms can be helpful, people can provide a different sort of recommendation.

There are plenty of listeners out there in the music community who are willing to chime in on everything from albums to artists to genres to new releases. Internet forums, social media groups, music publications, fan communities and discussion boards are good places to look for suggestions based on taste.

If you’re seeking recommendations, please be specific.

Instead of simply recommending some good music, tell why you like it. Tell about several artists and why you like them.

For instance, you may like an artist for their laid-back music production, sentimentally written lyrics, and acoustic instruments. This allows others listeners to have enough information so they can make more relevant suggestions.

You can also look at all the discussions like: 

• “Artists similar to [artist name]”
• “Some albums like [album name]”.
• After [album] what should I listen to?
• This is a list of best albums for [artist] fans.
• Artists inspired by [artist].
• Artist is one of a number of underrated artists like this. 

They can be especially useful when you’re looking to venture beyond the mainstream artists and find a lesser-known alternative. 

Build A Simple Music Discovery Routine

It doesn’t need to be a big project to find new music. Consistency doesn’t have to be a daunting task when it’s a small routine!

Make some time to explore on a weekly basis.

For instance, select one of your favorite artists and take three routes: 

1. Explore sideways: Listen to artists with a similar sound.
2. Research backwards: Identify the influences of and older music by the artist.
3. Browse forward: See recent releases from similar artists. 

You can have a discovery-only playlist as well. Include songs that are of interest to you but don’t be concerned if all of them don’t get to be a favorite.

After a few weeks check the playlist again. Get rid of songs that no longer entertain and naturally keep the ones that you are still interested in.

A great practice is to occasionally listen to whole albums. While playlists are handy, albums can also expose other facets of an artist. A random song can make more sense as part of a collection of songs. 

Final Thoughts

Finding new music that’s similar to what you enjoy is primarily about connecting the dots. Your favourite songs can take you to similar artists, producers, songwriters, albums, genres and musical influences.

Begin with familiar music but don’t settle for the first choice. Follow collaborations. Explore influences. Don’t judge by genre. Streaming suggestions with suggestions from real listeners.

Most especially, don’t expect to find everything you discover to be a favorite.