How do you discover new music in 2025?
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Hey folks!
One of my life goals for 2025 was going back to single purpose devices and avoiding algorithm-based media consumption. No smartphones, no AIs, no Spotify.
I'm quite happy with my offline music library, even if it took a while to organize. I use MusicBee (it FINALLY runs perfectly via Wine, if you install some dependencies in your prefix) to listen, find artwork, find lyrics, create playlists and so on and I sync them to my Innioasis, a little iPod Classic clone that supports modern features like USB-C charging.
But here's the thing... how are people finding new music nowadays? I'd assume TikTok and automatic suggestions from your music streaming services, but are there alternatives?
TikTok would probably work for me if I didn't stop using social media, but I did. Apple Music's algorithm sucked tremendously when I used it in the past - it always recommended me Ed Sheeran, an artist I strongly dislike and not anywhere near adjacent to my taste in music (and tapping 'Not Interested' a million times never worked) and Spotify's worked well for a while, but then it started getting extremely repetitive and pushy, "Shuffle" became essentially "Your 10 most recently listened to songs, repeated often, and sometimes we sprinkle two suggestions you already didn't like but we think you should like actually"
www.metal-archives.com, search by genre, list by release date. Disclaimer; must love metal.
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Hey folks!
One of my life goals for 2025 was going back to single purpose devices and avoiding algorithm-based media consumption. No smartphones, no AIs, no Spotify.
I'm quite happy with my offline music library, even if it took a while to organize. I use MusicBee (it FINALLY runs perfectly via Wine, if you install some dependencies in your prefix) to listen, find artwork, find lyrics, create playlists and so on and I sync them to my Innioasis, a little iPod Classic clone that supports modern features like USB-C charging.
But here's the thing... how are people finding new music nowadays? I'd assume TikTok and automatic suggestions from your music streaming services, but are there alternatives?
TikTok would probably work for me if I didn't stop using social media, but I did. Apple Music's algorithm sucked tremendously when I used it in the past - it always recommended me Ed Sheeran, an artist I strongly dislike and not anywhere near adjacent to my taste in music (and tapping 'Not Interested' a million times never worked) and Spotify's worked well for a while, but then it started getting extremely repetitive and pushy, "Shuffle" became essentially "Your 10 most recently listened to songs, repeated often, and sometimes we sprinkle two suggestions you already didn't like but we think you should like actually"
You don’t. You listen to what the algorithm says is best for you.
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Hey folks!
One of my life goals for 2025 was going back to single purpose devices and avoiding algorithm-based media consumption. No smartphones, no AIs, no Spotify.
I'm quite happy with my offline music library, even if it took a while to organize. I use MusicBee (it FINALLY runs perfectly via Wine, if you install some dependencies in your prefix) to listen, find artwork, find lyrics, create playlists and so on and I sync them to my Innioasis, a little iPod Classic clone that supports modern features like USB-C charging.
But here's the thing... how are people finding new music nowadays? I'd assume TikTok and automatic suggestions from your music streaming services, but are there alternatives?
TikTok would probably work for me if I didn't stop using social media, but I did. Apple Music's algorithm sucked tremendously when I used it in the past - it always recommended me Ed Sheeran, an artist I strongly dislike and not anywhere near adjacent to my taste in music (and tapping 'Not Interested' a million times never worked) and Spotify's worked well for a while, but then it started getting extremely repetitive and pushy, "Shuffle" became essentially "Your 10 most recently listened to songs, repeated often, and sometimes we sprinkle two suggestions you already didn't like but we think you should like actually"
Go to a record store. Talk to someone who loves to talk about music. Buy something. Listen to it. Go back next week.
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Hey folks!
One of my life goals for 2025 was going back to single purpose devices and avoiding algorithm-based media consumption. No smartphones, no AIs, no Spotify.
I'm quite happy with my offline music library, even if it took a while to organize. I use MusicBee (it FINALLY runs perfectly via Wine, if you install some dependencies in your prefix) to listen, find artwork, find lyrics, create playlists and so on and I sync them to my Innioasis, a little iPod Classic clone that supports modern features like USB-C charging.
But here's the thing... how are people finding new music nowadays? I'd assume TikTok and automatic suggestions from your music streaming services, but are there alternatives?
TikTok would probably work for me if I didn't stop using social media, but I did. Apple Music's algorithm sucked tremendously when I used it in the past - it always recommended me Ed Sheeran, an artist I strongly dislike and not anywhere near adjacent to my taste in music (and tapping 'Not Interested' a million times never worked) and Spotify's worked well for a while, but then it started getting extremely repetitive and pushy, "Shuffle" became essentially "Your 10 most recently listened to songs, repeated often, and sometimes we sprinkle two suggestions you already didn't like but we think you should like actually"
Noobs, no one mentioned the most important website for audiophiles: albumoftheyear.org
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Hey folks!
One of my life goals for 2025 was going back to single purpose devices and avoiding algorithm-based media consumption. No smartphones, no AIs, no Spotify.
I'm quite happy with my offline music library, even if it took a while to organize. I use MusicBee (it FINALLY runs perfectly via Wine, if you install some dependencies in your prefix) to listen, find artwork, find lyrics, create playlists and so on and I sync them to my Innioasis, a little iPod Classic clone that supports modern features like USB-C charging.
But here's the thing... how are people finding new music nowadays? I'd assume TikTok and automatic suggestions from your music streaming services, but are there alternatives?
TikTok would probably work for me if I didn't stop using social media, but I did. Apple Music's algorithm sucked tremendously when I used it in the past - it always recommended me Ed Sheeran, an artist I strongly dislike and not anywhere near adjacent to my taste in music (and tapping 'Not Interested' a million times never worked) and Spotify's worked well for a while, but then it started getting extremely repetitive and pushy, "Shuffle" became essentially "Your 10 most recently listened to songs, repeated often, and sometimes we sprinkle two suggestions you already didn't like but we think you should like actually"
I search by genres or artists. This means, that I usually hop on YouTube, and start looking if any of the artists I like released new stuff and if I come across a new one I look what stuff they have that I like.
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Hey folks!
One of my life goals for 2025 was going back to single purpose devices and avoiding algorithm-based media consumption. No smartphones, no AIs, no Spotify.
I'm quite happy with my offline music library, even if it took a while to organize. I use MusicBee (it FINALLY runs perfectly via Wine, if you install some dependencies in your prefix) to listen, find artwork, find lyrics, create playlists and so on and I sync them to my Innioasis, a little iPod Classic clone that supports modern features like USB-C charging.
But here's the thing... how are people finding new music nowadays? I'd assume TikTok and automatic suggestions from your music streaming services, but are there alternatives?
TikTok would probably work for me if I didn't stop using social media, but I did. Apple Music's algorithm sucked tremendously when I used it in the past - it always recommended me Ed Sheeran, an artist I strongly dislike and not anywhere near adjacent to my taste in music (and tapping 'Not Interested' a million times never worked) and Spotify's worked well for a while, but then it started getting extremely repetitive and pushy, "Shuffle" became essentially "Your 10 most recently listened to songs, repeated often, and sometimes we sprinkle two suggestions you already didn't like but we think you should like actually"
Radio is good, but don't listen to the crappy top 40 local station. Find a station that has actual shows - ones where the DJs themselves pick the music - and where the DJs actually have an interest in music rather than trying to be an acoustic TikToker. Campus radio is good (I listen to KZSU and FuseFM) and PSB alt radio (BBC Radio 6 and ABC Triple-J) since, again, they have genre-savvy DJs that actually pick the music.
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Radio Garden has thousands of radio
stations in one app, from around the world. I've found a lot of great music that way.Also handy if you find DJ banter distracting. Just point at at station in an unfamiliar language and it all gets reduced to background rhubarbs.
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BBC Radio 6 Music has a very eclectic playlist, and DJs who only vaguely stick to it, playing whatever they feel like most of the time. And the DJs are obsessive music-fans as well, hunting out new music to play
Another updoot for 6 Music, and for all the reasons you mentioned. It's on pretty much constantly at home.
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Also handy if you find DJ banter distracting. Just point at at station in an unfamiliar language and it all gets reduced to background rhubarbs.
Most of the time you don't even have to do that. I choose stations with no banter at all. Just music and the occasional mention of the station's name. It's spoilt me - I can't tolerate my local FM radio any more.
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Hey folks!
One of my life goals for 2025 was going back to single purpose devices and avoiding algorithm-based media consumption. No smartphones, no AIs, no Spotify.
I'm quite happy with my offline music library, even if it took a while to organize. I use MusicBee (it FINALLY runs perfectly via Wine, if you install some dependencies in your prefix) to listen, find artwork, find lyrics, create playlists and so on and I sync them to my Innioasis, a little iPod Classic clone that supports modern features like USB-C charging.
But here's the thing... how are people finding new music nowadays? I'd assume TikTok and automatic suggestions from your music streaming services, but are there alternatives?
TikTok would probably work for me if I didn't stop using social media, but I did. Apple Music's algorithm sucked tremendously when I used it in the past - it always recommended me Ed Sheeran, an artist I strongly dislike and not anywhere near adjacent to my taste in music (and tapping 'Not Interested' a million times never worked) and Spotify's worked well for a while, but then it started getting extremely repetitive and pushy, "Shuffle" became essentially "Your 10 most recently listened to songs, repeated often, and sometimes we sprinkle two suggestions you already didn't like but we think you should like actually"
Go to raves in virtual reality, follow music curators on youtube, follow artists on Soundcloud who repost new music
