In Search of New Bands/Music

I’ve been thinking a lot about how hard it is to find new bands and music. It used to be I could go to my local record store and hang out. The employees would play music while browsing and if something interested me, I could ask them to play it before buying.

Now, I’m dependent on others telling me about a band I haven’t heard of or perusing amazon.com and clicking on its suggestions. The suggestions link to thirty second sound bites, not enough time for moi to get a real feel for it.

I miss the serendipity of the music store experience. I know I’m feeling this way because another local record store has bitten the dust. It’s really sad because there’s no place to congregate in person and talk about music.

Don't get me started on radio. Like many stations elsewhere, L.A. stations play the same Top 40 music over and over again, until I'm so sick of it, I won't buy it because I'm now fed up with it!

The closest thing to serendipity are blogs and memes. Music memes have been great and so much fun, reminding me of songs and artists from years past. There’s so much to be discovered, it’s sad to miss out!!

I also found a great web based radio station called Pandora. You start by selecting a favorite artist, Pandora will then play a song by the selected artist. Clicking the Guide Us button allows you to provide feedback about whether you like the song currently playing, don't like it or recommend they not play it again allowing Pandora to learn about your taste in music and provide music it thinks you will like.

The longer you use it and provide feedback, the more useful it becomes and better at turning you on to new music. Each song selected lists the song title, artist and thumbnail of the album. I've been listening for awhile and am really digging it. Almost forgot, you can also share your station with others and let them enjoy your selections!