How I Explore Music

Feb. 25, 2024

Have you ever been in a musical rut? Suddenly every song sounds boring and you would rather bear the silence than figure out what you want to listen to. Your Spotify library seems disorganized, and all of your playlists seem to need redoing. Music has become a chore rather than enjoyable. I feel like this more than you'd think and more often than not, it is tied to a lack of new music in my library. 

So what do you do then? Maybe listen to that song your friend suggested or play suggested playlists to spice things up. Both are fine options, but there is more you can do. I'm going to break down how I find new songs, build my music taste, and learn to appreciate new artists. Hopefully, you can find a tip that helps you get out of your rut a little quicker.

 Step One (the only step): Find A Song

This can truly be any song. This should not be stressful, because it is really not important. This is the starting point. I like to pick my favorite song at that moment to try and find more songs like it (or I just use whatever song I'm currently listening to). This is the only step because the rest is up to your ear and what you are gravitating towards. I've separated what I normally do into levels of depth. The goal is to let the song you chose jumpstart you into a journey of musical discovery. For me, this normally occurs when I'm supposed to be asleep and have nothing better to do but spend an hour or longer on Spotify. For each level, I go through multiple albums, artists, and playlists and queue the first 5 songs along with any others that look cool. Yes looks cool, I'm judging album covers and artist names at this point. I listen to full albums when I have blocks of calm time (driving, cleaning, walking, etc.) and I rarely listen to full Spotify-made playlists in my leisure. 

Level 1

• Listen to songs in that album (if it is a single, choose the most recent album that came out relative to that song.)

I like to listen to the songs directly before and after the song I just listened to better understand the placement of the song within the album. 

• Listen to songs by that artist

If you don't know a lot of songs by this artist, this is a wonderful opportunity to decide if you enjoy them as an artist or the particular sound that was produced in this song. If you like the artist YAY, time to dig into their discography. If not... continue to level 2. 

Level 2

• Listen to artists featured on the album the song is on

If you like the artist but either know a lot of their songs or want to explore more, this is a great way to find new artists you may also enjoy. Typically musicians collaborate with artists who they gel with creatively, so even if they don't make music within the same genre, keep in mind there is something about them that this artist enjoyed. What is it?

• Scroll to the bottom of the album and listen to related playlists (Spotify-specific)

Did you like the soundscape of the album? What's a better way to discover new songs that sound similar than exploring a playlist that aligns with it?

 Level 3

• Look at the producer

The producer of a song can drastically change how the song comes across. There are some artists who I enjoy better as producers than as the primary artist on a track. Pharrell is an excellent example. There are other producers, however, that release full albums of instrumentals that may be just what you're looking for. For example, Kenny Beats released an album called LOUIE that is such an enjoyable listen, I highly recommend it. 

You can also explore other songs that the producer produced with other artists.

• Look at the song's writer

You'd be surprised how many songs are not written by the artist performing them. While I don't typically find new songs this way (I don't care for lyrics as much as I do musicality) it is interesting to see what other hit songs were written by this person. 

Level 4

• Find the Record labels Spotify Account

The record label signed them for a reason. If the artist is self-produced, look at similar artists or any artist playlists they may have listed. The record label is looking for something specific, and this artist fits.

• Do a Genre Deep Dive

What's a better way to find new artists than listening to a lot of an underexplored genre?  Is there a genre or subgenre you've been meaning to explore? Now is the time! Just search the genre and listen to Spotify-made or user-made playlists to get a feel for it and discover new songs and artists

At this point you are perfectly equipped to discover new music. All that is left is to start. I believe in you and if you find any song or artist particularly mind-blowing, feel free to share<3