How Do You Discover New Music?

[Hysteria]

Originally Posted by Melaszka

Well, not necessarily - some people who are really passionate about music still seem to find time for it, whatever their age and responsibilities, which is fantastic.

I guess it varies. I'm on my Summer holidays at the moment so have msot of the day to listen to music but then people like my parents are working 9-5 5 days a week so they have less opportunities (having said that my mum is going to see the B52s tomorrow ). I think it's great that people stay in touch with music as they get older, I know I'll certainly try to.

Yes - and I think changes in power balance in sidebands can often make a big difference e.g. if the band member who has had most of the creative control over the main band takes more of a back seat and lets one of the others take more of the decisions/do more of the writing, it can make for a whole different sound.

Oh absolutely. My favourite musician, Jeordie White, started out as the bassist for Marilyn Manson and since then has played with Nine Inch Nails (whre nobody has creative control except Trent Reznor ), A Perfect Circle and formed his own sideband (and then rejoined MM). While he was always the main musical force behind MM, in his sideband (Goon Moon) he writes all the music and lyrics and it couldn't be any more different from MM. It's really given him a chance to show what he can do, especially on guitar and singing (as he's known as a bassist) in a completely new genre, surrounded by different people.
My other favourite musician is also ex-Marilyn Manson, John 5 who played guitar. He's played with other bands since including Meat Loaf and Rob Zombie but in his sideband (strangely enough it's called John 5), he really shows what he's capable of- something that isn't/wasn't possible in the bands he's played in/is in.
These are just two examples I'm more than familiar with, I'm sure there are dozens across all genres.

Thanks - you're making me feel much less like a creepy stalker!

By turning the focus on me! Uh oh.

True. And if they do actually sound a lot like their inspiration, it's usually a bad thing (e.g. I used to like Simply Red until I heard some of the soul and funk bands that inspired them and realised SR were just a watered down, pale imitation of their idols).

I've been turned off bands for the same reason. Back when MySpace was big I'd instantly delete bands who messaged me saying "add us. We sound like x, y, z". If I wanted to listen to music sounding like x, y, z, I'd listen to THEM not an imitation.

Thinking about it, I think the Scott Walker influence is probably there more in vocal style than songwriting or musical content. It's only very recently that it struck me that many of my favourite male vocalists sing in a very natural-sounding, deep, chocolatey baritone, like Walker, and that it is much more common in rock and pop for male singers to force themselves into the tenor or falsetto range, regardless of their natural pitch. I had honestly never noticed that before.

Hmm I'll have to think about this. It's interesting you never noticed until now becaue I'm thinking about it now and don';t see any connection between the vocals I like (not to say there aren't any or ther have to be some) however, all the bands I like have very charasmatic frontmen which is what drew me to them in the first place.

[HarryXGinny4evr]

I discover music by hearing it in movies or on the radio, and then I go to look it up on YouTube to find out who sings it.

[captain Sparrow]

I discover new music on Youtube or on the radio, but mostley its my sister who discovers new music and I just happen to like it...

[gelowo93]

me & my brother have quite similar tastes in music (although I'd never admit that to him ) and he buys the albums of bands that he likes so i end up "stealing" them, listening to them and if i like it, i put it on my iTunes. Only this week I've taken his 2 The Killers albums and his OneRepublic one

I tend to watch the music channels if i've got nothing else to do so i can find some new artists on them and I keep up-to date with the Charts, but they're usually full of RnB and i don't particularly like that genre.

I think TV and Movie soundtracks are good for finding some relatively unknown (to me at least) bands. Supporting acts at concerts are good as well because they tend to have similar music to who you're paying to see, although i haven't been to a concert in years, some of my friends have found good bands that way

[Grymmditch]

Very rarely.. I hate the radio, it's such a wasteland of recycled garbage.
Some bands I've discovered through soundtracks, such as Evanescence or Killswitch Engage. Other bands I've discovered by way of comparison to those bands, like Lacuna Coil. Or just randomly, like Type O Negative; I sampled some songs via Usenet, loved them, so I bought the CDs.

[HeadLikeAHole]

Youtube, and the guy who works at the CD store in my favourite mall is a pretty good source as well.

[Hysteria]

Originally Posted by gelowo93

Supporting acts at concerts are good as well because they tend to have similar music to who you're paying to see, although i haven't been to a concert in years, some of my friends have found good bands that way

I hope this is true elsewhere because it's not where I live. Whenever international acts tour here they'll pick an Australian support band to play for 20 minutes before the real bands and 99% of the time they're the wrong genre and completely awful (and get booed off stage).

For the kinds of music I like I've found radio is more or less useless (except one programme a week very late at night on one radio station). Radio really only seems to be relevant (for music) if you like very mainstream music, thesedays.

[Melaszka]

Originally Posted by Hysteria

I hope this is true elsewhere because it's not where I live. Whenever international acts tour here they'll pick an Australian support band to play for 20 minutes before the real bands and 99% of the time they're the wrong genre and completely awful (and get booed off stage).

It's been a very long time since I saw a live show with a support act - probably because I don't like many popular artists, so they tend to do small venue, unsupported gigs.

I'm not particularly committed to any given genres, so it wouldn't bother me if the support act were a different genre to the act I'd come to see. I think it's interesting (and very brave!) when artists pick a band they are passionate about to support them, even if it is a wildly different genre, because it gives you a real insight into the main artist's taste (although I concede it's often not very nice for the support act, who tend to get bottled a lot). But I do think it's cheap and unfair on everyone concerned if the support act is just picked randomly or because the promoter is trying to skimp on the budget and can't be bothered to find a quality act.

For the kinds of music I like I've found radio is more or less useless (except one programme a week very late at night on one radio station). Radio really only seems to be relevant (for music) if you like very mainstream music, these days.

I totally agree with you re mainstream network radio.

However, as in so many other respects, the internet has been a great development - as you can listen to stations from anywhere in the world, not just the ones which are within a certain radius of where you live, and can often listen to them at a time that suits you, not when the show is actually broadcast, it's easy to find minority niche radio stations and programmes for just about any genre under the sun online. I've found that incredibly helpful.

[Hysteria]

Originally Posted by Melaszka

I'm not particularly committed to any given genres, so it wouldn't bother me if the support act were a different genre to the act I'd come to see. I think it's interesting (and very brave!) when artists pick a band they are passionate about to support them, even if it is a wildly different genre, because it gives you a real insight into the main artist's taste (although I concede it's often not very nice for the support act, who tend to get bottled a lot).

I would agree for most genres, but generally not the kind of music I go and see. A few examples:
Marilyn Manson '07- the support band were an Aussie pop rock girl group called The Spazzys. They are widely considered to be one of the biggest jokes (not in a good way) in Australian music. In every state they got booed off stage, in one state the audience turned their backs on them. You don't give a girl pop group to a bunch of hardcore Manson fans. It has zero chance of ending well (we later found out it was a joke). Yes the audiences were rude the but band were ruder back. They insulted us and said some really horrible things thinking it'd be recieved with respect. Ugh they were horrible.

Deathstars '09- Familia are an Australian kinda... rockabilly act. Deathstars are Swedish goth rock. It was so wrong. They didn't get booed off stage, but nobody cared at all and basically ignored them.

Those are just two I remember off the top of my head. I think sometimes for the sake of it (here) promoters or touring acts try and find an Australian band just because a) they think they have to and it's cheap, b) the venue makes them. 9/10 nobody cares. It's sad but true and in the examples I gave above, someone stuffed up BIG time. Those are two occasions where the audience and the headliners deserved artists who fit their genre IMO.

Having said that, I went to see Slipknot in '08 and their Australian support act were outstanding and now I go to all their shows in my state I really think that you can't stray too much out of the genre most of the time. You have to know what's appropriate.

[Melaszka]

^In both those examples, it does sound like very lazy promoters doing a bad job and the band not just being out-of-genre but also pants.

Yes, I accept that with very defined subcultures, it probably is wisest to play safe and pick an in-genre support act, or just not have a support band at all (I may be wrong, but my impression is that having a support act is getting less and less common these days. And sometimes bands only have support acts to try to disguise the fact that their own set is embarrassingly short.)

I do think, though, that sometimes the bands themselves aren't as confined by their genre as their fans are (I won't bore you with the details, but the example I'm thinking of was Transglobal Underground supporting Page and Plant on tour, at the invitation of Robert Plant, who's apparently about as big a TGU fan as I am. Predictably it did NOT go down at all well with the fans. And I promise I will talk about some other bands one day!).

Having said that, I can appreciate that part of the function of the support act is setting the right mood. I suppose if I went to a folk concert or a classical piano recital, I'm not sure I'd want to sit through a thrash metal act first Not necessarily because I don't like thrash metal, but because it wouldn't get you in the right frame of mind. So I very much see your point.

Anyway, I've wondered meanderingly off the topic....

[DarkMark771]

My dad was a huge fan of the Beatles and introduced me to them. The other artists I like are ones I discovered in a variety of ways -- some I first heard on the radio or on TV and fell in love with, some I discovered when I heard them at fairs, stores, or other places, a couple were recommended to me by friends or teachers, and there are a few times when friends post music videos for artists they like on Facebook and get me hooked that way.

[Beatifically]

I dunno, I hear songs in a variety of ways. Sometimes through what people say online on forums, blogs, etc. A lot of the times, I hear new songs through television shows because, more often than not, the shows I watch play the kind of songs I like.

As of late, I've been listening to Pandora, a free app for the iPhone. I really like it because it's introduced me to loads of songs I like based on my music taste. True, a lot of the songs played I already know and like, but me liking them shows just how accurate the results are most of the time. This is something that, unfortunately, last.fm hasn't really succeeded with.

[Hysteria]

A few bands I've gotten into recently I've discovered as they've been support acts for bands I went to see. Also (can't remember if I've already suggested this in this thread) checking out the past bands of members of current bands you like, or their sideprojects. Lots of bands/artists work together to so chances are they'll be working with another band/artist who are similar to them. Works for me

[FastDebrid]

I learn new music either from the radio or music channels. MOstly from the radio.

[Dobson]

Radio!! It's the best way. I love radio. And I'm not a pop fan--radio has introduced me to Alternative rock and Metallica and classic rock...tons of things. I'd say about 60% of music I know is because of radio. The other 40% is from youtube and random exposures and growing up listening to certain things.

[RikuStark]

Youtube. I can confidently say, that all of my favorite bands/singers through the past and now I have discovered through Youtube. Besides Youtube, I use to watch a countdown program. Each week they would come out with a new one and I always listened to the rock countdown. There's also the radio.

[yorkiedoodle]

Well I have 3 kids aged 18-21 so they are the main way that I discover new (well new to me) music.

The other main ways also apply - radio ( though I am a committed Radio5Live girl so not much chance when I control the dial), music channels and youtube. I've found some lovely music accompanying Harry Potter vids on youtube..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_u44...8fw&lf=mh_lolz

This is a good example of the above point!

[fConstance]

I am browsing YouTube in search of new music clips and this way discover many amazing bands that are not that popular or known, including underground music, as I am not a big fan of mainstream.

[HersheyLipGloss]

I absolutely hate mainstream music- it makes me feel like Harry did when he thought Voldikins was possessing him. I discover new music by listening to Pandora-I listen to Owl City radio constantly, and now I listen to Panic! At The Disco, NeverShoutNever, All Time Lows, and Fall Out Boy.

[KeepItDark]

lets see....i just go b y what is on the radio. if i like it, i like it, if i don't...well, i dont. my friend listens to country metal (Hank 3) and i got into that. sometimes i go on message boards and see what people listen to, and try them out.