Groucho

That's a bingo. I "browse the rack" at Spotify and it's never been easier to find new stuff.

Canis Firebrand

If you do use spotify, make use of the "Related Artists" link when you are browsing an artists page of their work. I discovered a number of new things to listen to that way.

B5Erik

Three years later??? I have no idea where I read that story, but I did read it at the time.

B5Erik

There are no radio stations here that play new Rock bands that are any good. It's either Classic Rock stations playing the same old same old same old, or stations playing music geared towards kids.

There are no decent record stores here anymore, they all closed. There are a handful of used record/CD stores, but that's pretty much it. No stores exist here that carry much in the way of new music.

I don't do Spotify, and I have been burned many times by samples on Amazon that sounded great in 29 second bursts, but listening to the full album comes up as a huge disappointment. Yeah, the Amazon thing works to a degree, but it is time consuming and as I work 12 hour days (when factoring in the commute) I rarely have the time to spend looking for new bands.

Rock magazines still exist, but the bands I'd like aren't in them.

The entire scene that I like has gone underground. Way underground, and I'm too old and have too much on my plate to spend the kind of time required to find the bands that I'd like.

There is less of it, and it is harder to find. When you have a full time job, a long commute, and a family, the time to look for that stuff just isn't there.

Like I said, I was fortunate to have some people forward me some CD's of bands that are really good so I could add some new, lesser known stuff to my station. I didn't want to have it be the same as broadcast radio.

Supermallet

Spotify is absurdly easy to use, and free.

If that still doesn't work for you, just go to allmusic.com, look up bands you like, and look at the similar/related artists lists. I've found a ton of great bands that way. It doesn't take much time at all.

I think the real issue might be that the kind of music you like is no longer being made by many bands. I'm not claiming to know all of your tastes, but I've seen the threads you've started here, the threads you reply to here, etc. I will agree that there aren't many bands making music that sounds like 70's rock anymore, but there is no less good music now than there was then, it's just that the good music doesn't sound the same anymore.

orangecrush

You have an internet radio station and you are complaining that no radio stations play rock music around you. You have access to literally hundreds of different radio stations from across the planet via the internet. By far the easiest way to discover new bands that you will like is through a service that has been around for years on many different platforms and is free. It is called Pandora. You enter the name of a song or band you like and Pandora will program a radio station that only plays similar bands or songs. That is far easier than relying on Clear Chanel or a DJ to play a song you haven’t already heard hundreds of times that you might like.

There is so much good, new (at least unheard by you), music available today that you couldn't spend 5 lifetimes listening to it all.

covenant

That's the first thing that came to my mind.

and Spotify and Slacker. All are free and really helped me listen to what I want to listen to.

B5Erik

Is it free? Honestly, I thought there was a monthly fee as they do pay the artists and record companies some royalties.

Ahh, looking at the website I see how it works. It is similar to the Live365 system. There are ads unless you pay for the service. Honestly, Live365 is better as you can get the mobile apps for free (apparently you have to go, "Premium," for $9.99 per month on Spotify to use the mobile apps). Not that I can use the mobile apps, but a lot of people can and do.

Well, if you've got free time that's fine, but I've got about an hour at night and about 20 minutes in the morning to be on the internet, and it takes me most of that hour at night to update my playlists for Vista Records Radio (I also remaster the songs that I add to make sure that the songs sound good one after the other).

"Good," music is subjective. For most people, "Good," music is music that they like.

For me, I can totally respect a lot of bands/artists and recognize that they are good at what they do - I just don't like what they do. If I don't like it, it doesn't matter how good it is, you see what I'm saying?

And there are bands out there playing classic/traditional Rock, Hard Rock, and tasteful Heavy Metal (The Answer, Big Jim Slade, Blindstone, etc). I just wouldn't have found Big Jim Slade or Blindstone, for example, if not for the guy who forwarded those CD's to me. I have so little free time that I rarely have time to go music hunting like I used to.

And it was even easier to find new bands back when I'd pick up the new Kerrang or Metal Edge. I could definitely still read those magazines on my lunch break at work - only Kerrang caters to the younger crowd and the bands they cover are not my cup of tea, and Metal Edge no longer exists. C'est la vie.

I was spoiled in the 80's when there was total oversaturation of new artists. I had Kerrang, Metal Edge, Metal Hammer, Circus, etc, to read about the new bands, I could see the new bands on MTV, I could hear them on the radio - all of which required minimal effort. Plus I was the buyer/manager at an independent record store from '87 to '94, so I got promo CD's all the time, too.

Rocketdog2000

Metal Hammer magazine is still around, and if you've never heard of it Classic Rock magazine (they have a website, too) is right up your alley. The latter is one of the sources I've been using for years to find info on exactly the kind if music you're looking for.

B5Erik

Classic Rock Magazine is actually run and written by former Kerrang writers. They are good writers, but the two issues of the magazine that I've picked up were underwhelming. As it's title implies it basically covers classic bands and artists, with very little coverage of newer bands. And a lot of the coverage goes to bands that aren't my favorites (Pink Floyd, the Doors, etc).

But it is well written. Metal Hammer I lost touch with a long time ago. I'm not so big on the current state of Metal with the newer bands whose vocalists just scream more than they sing. I don't know if I'm just a cranky old man or if the newer bands just don't get the concept of melody. I always liked the juxtaposition of really heavy music with solid, melodic riffs and melodic vocals where the singer actually sings (loudly, with a lot of power, but sings).

BearFan

Beyond the obvious that stealing is wrong posts, which I am not sure anyone argues with, the music industry really killed itself be reacting too slowly to the internet. If a service like Spotify were available in 1999 (even only the paid version), people would be thrilled to pay $10/month to listen as much music as they wanted and probably bought more CDs based on what they listened to (if anything for their cars in the pre-smart phone era). By reacting so slowly, there is pretty much an entire generation that thinks music is and should be free.

The pisser of it for me is the insane prices being charged for concerts anymore, there are a ton of acts I would like to see, but very few that I am willing to pony up $75-$100 a ticket for.

Rocketdog2000

Now there I agree with you 100%. On both counts.

beavis69

I still cant believe albums are 10 bucks on Itunes. I just bought an EP on there for 4.99. The album was actually about as long as a full length album. To me that should be the standard price on itunes.

Also if anyone is interested in kinda of a long read, Robb Flynn (lead singer of Machine Head) wrote a lengthy blog about his thoughts on the industry. He brought up some points that i have been thinking for awhile, specifically album lengths and singles. I have no clue why Pop artist release albums anymore. There is honestly no point. Does any fan really give a crap about the non singles on the latest Katy Perry or Nicki Minaj album? To me it would be smarter to make singles, and then once you have released enough of them tour behind those instead of an album. That would have to save on overblown studio cost and promotion.

I'm a metal guy, and i got to say that the length on some of these albums are ridiculous. Once again, a lot of this crap can be left on the floor. You look at the average album and there are maybe 7-8 good songs. Why do bands feel like they have to put 15 tracks on an album. I think back on alot of my favorite albums and they were all tight albums with around 8 or 9 songs. Why pad the album with fluff, increasing your studio time and production cost. Bands and labels have to start thinking smarter about not only how they are promoting and selling an album, but also how they are making it. Theres just too much competing with music these days to keep chugging along with the same tactics as the past.

Heres the article
http://www.theprp.com/2013/01/16/new...ical-cd-again/

nothingfails

Spare me. Top 40 music is no worse now than it was in the late 90s when sales were at their highest and crap like Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys ruled the charts and were selling tens of millions. I'm not saying its any BETTER now, but it definitely is no worse either. I'd argue it was the labels pushing that crap on the audiences that lead to downloading because Britney albums were in no way worth $20.

Hell, the rise in indie music lately has proven you don't need big label support to make decent music. If you have great songs, you don't need Michael Jackson-style budgets to make a good album.

nothingfails

You're stuck in this mentality where you yearn for turning MTV on to find a decent band. Take MTV out and add the internet and its actually easier. I can name dozens of bands I read a good review on or something, then went to Spotify and ended up buying the album on. Its hardy hard to find when its readily available on the web. I'd say its easier to customize ones taste when YouTube/Spotify is just a click away whereas you'd have to sift through hours of videos to find one or two bands you'd like in the day.

But then it depends on what kind of music you enjoy. I seem to recall you bashing the idea of anyone enjoying Paul Simon's music because he :::gasp::: doesn't rock, whereas I think he and Dylan are two of the greatest songwriters of the last century. I'm not looking for metal, I'm looking for anything that appeal to my two ears.

nothingfails

+1. I am 33 and I am into more current music now than I was at 23. It is ridiculously easy to find new music out there today. I finally made peace that the old days of watching MTV to find a cool new band is over.... and to be honest if MTV did play music today they'd be playing One Direction and Justin Bieber, not any of theartists that we here clamor to. MTV had already morphed into a tween network by the end of the 90s... remember when they had a viewer countdown of the top 5 albums of the 20th century in 1999? No Beatles, no Dylan, no Zeppelin, no Bowie, no Stones, not even someone like Michael Jackson or Madonna who were still on the pop radar of the kids... but Backstreet Boys, Britney and Limp Bizkit were all there as the best of the entire 20th century? Trust me, if MTV played videos it'd be no better today.

nothingfails

Same here. The 2000's were a terrible decade to try and find new alternative music if you didn't illegally download... as the mainstream shoved bands like Maroon 5 and Nickelback down your throat as "alternative". Now you can go to NPR and Spotify and find some *actual* alternative instead of Maroon 5 and Train POP crap. One of the main reasons Nickelback and Creed were so easily bands people loved to hate was because they were shoved down alternative fans' throats when there was nothing remotely alt-y about their music. It would've been like college radio playing Bon Jovi and Journey in the 80s instead of The Smiths and The Cure.

B5Erik

Actually, I found most of the bands I liked through Kerrang. MTV wasn't that big of a deal for me with the exception of Headbanger's Ball. The local Metal show on 101.5 KGB (Metal Shop - the local version, which predated the syndicated show) exposed me to more new bands than MTV ever did as well.

I never bashed the idea of anyone enjoying Paul Simon's music. I may have said that I don't enjoy his music because I just don't feel it (and I can't relate to enjoying that kind of stuff), but I absolutely recognize his greatness as a songwriter. He is an incredibly talented man. Bob Dylan was as well (I don't know if he still is as I haven't heard any of his recent music, but he is an obvious giant when it comes to songwriting).

Like I said earlier, there is good new music out there, but it's harder for me to find the kind of music that I like these days unless I spend what little free time I have tracking it down on the internet. I've got an hour or maybe an hour and a half each night on the internet and about 20 minutes in the morning and that's it (I had to take today off work, so this is an anomaly). I've got a radio station to update each day, and that takes at least an hour of that free time each day.

I'm not 25 anymore (I haven't been for almost 20 years now). Life has a way of getting IN the way. Where I could get away with taking the family shopping and dropping them off at Store X while I went to the record/CD store that option is unavailable since there are no legit record stores near any other major shopping centers around here anymore. The industry is dead, and that has removed a few of the options that I used to have that would still work for me today.

Now if I can build the radio station up in listenership to the point where I get promo CD's then it will be a piece of cake again. It's building every day, and people love the station, but I need to at least quadruple my listenership to get into a position where I can get on mailing lists like I used to be when I ran the record store 20 years ago.

Why So Blu?

Yeah, well. That's actually why bumped this thread. I couldn't find anything, so that's why I asked.

BearFan

I'm in my early 40s and used to get music info from the mags and friends, I really do find it easier now with related/new artists features on Spotify. The most popular 5 songs for each band is fantastic, it give you the ability to get a sampling of what people like most about a particular band. Obviously most popular and best are not the same thing, but it gives you a good idea what the band is about.

There are still plenty of older school ways to find music, my daughter listens to modern rock/punk/nu metal .. I have come across some bands from her that I like ... friends at work are helpful, look at bands that are coming to your area for concerts and check their music out on Spotify/youtube/whatever.

It is a much better way than reading a magazine that was to a large degree dependent on good relations with the music labels to material and access to the artists.

Also, there are internet, XM, and some over the air stations that air new music from new artists.

mndtrp

It was easier when I was younger to find new music, simply because it was ALL new to me. Once I moved beyond the mainstream stuff, I started to flounder a bit, until the internet exploded with music discovery options. Spotify and Pandora alone are sufficient for finding something new, throw in allmusic and wikipedia's genre pages, and I am never at a loss for new tunes.

nothingfails

Very true. I still like to look at blogs and magazines, but the difference between 15 years ago and now is that if you read an article about a band that sounds up your alley, go search them on Spotify, go to YouTube to watch a video of theirs, etc. A far cry from the days where the best chance at trying to discover a new artist you only "heard about" was taking the plunge and blind buying a cd or using it to fill in a slot at BMG for a free cd. Totally different now when I can click and hear the new Ra Ra Riot cd a critic is raving over compared to the days where I read article and article over how amazing Blur were, but what would I know when "Song 2" was the only song I heard on the radio of theirs.

I live in Louisville KY, which has started becoming a bit of a "hipster haven" thanks to our brilliant NPR station and bands like My Morning Jacket finally putting our name on the scene as somethin beyond a red state country and classic rock market., but this is 2013, go back 20 years and MTV and mainstream radio (the NPR station that now plays alternative and the sort was a classical station in the 90s) were my only outlets. After we lost LRS in 1990, we didn't even have a local mainstream "current" rock station in the area until The Fox came in summer 1993... so during Metallica's Black Album period, GNR's Use Your Illusion, the rise of Nirvana/Pearl Jam and all the other grunge bands, RHCP's Blood Sugar Sex Magic, etc..., there were no outlets in Lou playing them except the occasional top 40 crossover hit those artists had. Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to live in the hippest towns and run around with the coolest friends to be "in the know", and to be honest I am glad.

BearFan

Exactly, there is much more information out there now than before, though I admit it is harder to find, but finding a few forums/blogs could probably cover the majority of what anyone you need. Some guys on another forum turned me onto Porcupine Tree (as an example) they are easily one of my favorite bands now



It also avoids buying a record or CD based on a single/video/hot chick on the cover and finding out the rest of the album is mostly crap. It also gives an opportunity for bands that do not have the "look" to get out there. Look at the Hair Metal times, I am sure there were plenty of good bands that did not get promoted (or even signed) because they did not look good in spandex and makeup.

There is certainly crap out there within every genre, but there has always been crap music, the difference being over time you forget about the bad music and remember the good stuff.

nothingfails

Yep. There are so many blogs and sites out there that if your favorite music was Scandanavian Polka Disco, you'll probably find 100 recommendations and blogs on that alone. You can find practically everything now. Music is for all nowadays, different than in the past that if you weren't part of specific scenes, lived in specific regions and happened to know "cool people" who liked groups you never heard of, that you weren't going to be able to check something out of your comfort zone.

Of course a lot of hipsters HATE that this is the way it goes now... because the "I listen to more obscure music than you" doesn't quite cut it when you can also check out the group they love thanks to YouTube and streaming.

Barth

I'm 40, almost 41. Remember the days when I'd go to the grocery store with my mom and she'd do groceries and I'd read Hit Parader and Circus. That's how I found out about the hopping Sunset Strip with current bands and up and comers. Good times.