Image via Complex Original
The Internet has amazing potential to expose us to new things. I’ve seen a six-way alley-oop impeccably coordinated like a Rube Goldberg machine built out of bored teenagers. I’ve seen too many cat videos and GIFs to count, which may or may not have resulted in me making the monumental leap to liking cats. But as a music nerd lifer, one of the most exciting aspects of the Internet is its ability to expose us to new music. My lamentation over the fall of the local record store has been mildly (if not temporarily) assuaged by the boundless access to music I have over my WiFi connection. This is one positive tradeoff of the music world morphing into a digital approximation of its former self: music is everywhere, and it’s mostly free.
Services like Spotify, Soundcloud, Pandora, Grooveshark, and Rdio have made big bucks exploring and exploiting this very idea. It’s a goldmine, and it’s a perfect target for the startup world. So it’s no surprise that innovative music discovery platforms seem to pop up constantly, each using their own creative approach to helping music fans discover hidden gems that were only accessible by slim chance even 15 years ago. I’ve come across obscure Ghanaian High Life music and field recordings of Blues greats using these services. I’ve also been able to share a playlist with friends for a Friday night party, and follow musical trends as they grow and fade. Without a doubt, these music discovery platforms give users access to an insane amount of music. Out of the countless music startups around the world, the following 10 sites and apps, all of which are free or very close to free, are the best music discovery platforms available right now. Take a look and happy hunting.
Mixcloud is relatively unknown in comparison to big dogs like Soundcloud, but what it lacks in name recognition it more than makes up for in its usefulness. Back in the early Soundcloud days, DJs would use the site to share their mixes—yes, actual mixes of original and remixed tracks—with the world. Once Soundcloud became a major music hosting platform, copyright issues with labels and publishing rights holders got in the way, barring DJs from sharing music without explicit permission. Mixcloud became the answer, hosting radio stations, record labels, and DJs both professional and amateur as they made mixes sharing their favorite tunes and showing off their style. Mixcloud users can search by genre (deep house, reggae, comedy, etc.), new and trending mixes, and by following their favorite users. All in all, Mixcloud is the perfect balance between music discovery and music community. Highly recommended.
AllMusic is the online Encyclopedia Britannica of music. Not only does their staggering catalog cover just about every popular musician ever (seriously), but they do a great job at tracking and reviewing recent releases. AllMusic is an incredible resource if you want to learn about an artist’s bio, other artists they’ve worked with, artists they sound like or have influenced, or want to explore their discography a little deeper. Plus, there are links to various music streaming sites where you can listen to the tunes you read about. Their new discover section allows you to search by genre or theme—a welcome addition to an already killer site, and a major music nerd goldmine.
Last.fm is like one of those artists that were a little ahead of their time, and did what today’s music sites do, before they did them. Unfortunately, like those artists, Last.fm never got quite the same global traction that other sites like Spotify and Rdio did. Fortunately, it’s still around, and has steadily improved since it launched in 2002. Last.fm works partially in the background, tracking (or “scrobbling”) what you listen to in iTunes, Spotify, or any of the music listening apps you might use. It then puts together recommendations for music you will probably like, so the more you listen, the more accurate the recommendations are.
Hype Machine aggregates a curated list of songs posted on the world’s best blogs to create a real-time look at what songs are most popular. You can subscribe to friend’s feeds for suggestions, or you can “heart” songs you like to receive additional recommendations in your feed. The range of music suggestions might not be as expansive as those from a platform like Last.fm, but Hype Machine is unrivaled in the genres in which it specializes—dance remixes, electronic pop, folk, and indie rock—and its “heart-ing” system make it an addictively useable website.
8 Tracks sits nicely in-between Mixcloud and Pandora in terms of functionality. It’s part radio station, part self-curated mix finder. The idea is simple enough—select a theme or genre, or a combination of two, and then take your pick from a selection of user-curated mixes. 8 Tracks’s user interface isn’t as inviting as Mixcloud, but it makes up for it with an extensive log of mixes accumulated over the several years it’s been online, all available at a moment’s notice. If you’re looking for a no-fuss soundtrack to throw on at work or at a dinner party, 8 Tracks is a great option.
Bandcamp is an artist-centric music hosting platform, a kind of DIY alternative to iTunes or Soundcloud. Artists post their music both for streaming and for sale, and fans have the option of publicly supporting an artist on the artists’ page when they purchase their tunes. Bandcamp recently capitalized on the strong sense of community among their users by developing a “Discover” section, which allows users to find new music by almost any factor—genre, popularity, staff picks, new arrivals, etc. The thing that puts Bandcamp’s discovery tool above others is the ability to purchase the music directly on the site, a win for fans and artists alike.
If you’re looking for music and don’t want to fuss over it, Songza is about as no frills as it gets. Pick the day of the week and time of day, a mood like “Boosting Your Energy” or “Working (no lyrics),” and from there you can select your choice of a few different sub-genre options. Each mix is curated by the Songza staff and provides a little bio about the music you’re listening to. You can also explore music trending and popular on Songza. Plus, their app is free and super user-friendly.
Discovr Music is basically AllMusic’s related artists category mapped out into a beautiful, interactive visual. Enter an artist you like on the home screen and watch the web expand out to similar artists. You can double-click each artist for more detailed info, where you can find a bio, stream their songs, or watch their videos. Or, you can surf some more and find the next related artist. You can add the artist to your favorites to track updates like new songs, and from there you can see more recommendations and trending artists, all contained in one super navigable, minimalist app.
Whyd is basically a music version of Pocket or Instapaper, except instead of bookmarking interesting articles to read for later, you bookmark interesting tracks to check out later or share with friends. It’s simple to setup, and once you’ve got the button installed in your browser you can save tracks directly from YouTube, Soundcloud, etc. You can also save tunes to different folders to keep your music organized. It’s so simple that, when we first heard of it, we couldn’t help but think, “Why didn’t we think of that?!”
Twitter Music is a recent addition to the music discovery platform pantheon (say that five times fast), and so far it’s been a totally welcome addition. What gives Twitter Music an advantage over its competitors is its ability to compile data from Twitter into a comprehensive listing of the most popular songs at any given moment. If you’re a social media fanatic, Twitter Music’s got you covered. Not only does it link to other social media platforms, it also links to Spotify, iTunes, and a bunch more, and automatically links you to your Twitter followers so you don’t have to build a profile from scratch. While Twitter did mention it was considering shutting the #music program down this past fall, it has yet to do so. It’s a great service, so here’s hoping they’ve reconsidered.
