Bored with your music and want to discover some new bands or singers? There are two main ways you can do that online. You can use services which create music maps, allowing you to explore artists similar in genre to the artists you already listen to. Or you can use music blogs and websites that showcase independent or up-and-coming artists, whether the music is being reviewed, or posted by the musicians themselves.
Some of these websites have a community built around them, which gives fans the opportunity to interact directly with these new talents.
Here is a list of 10 free sites to discover new music.
TuneGlue
TuneGlue is straightforward and easy to use. Put in the name of a musical artist you like in the search bar and before you know it, you’ll have a whole web of musical artists that are in one way or another, similar to the band you started with.
Using TuneGlue, you start out with 6 similar artists, and can continue to explore and expand on them. In the case of some artists, you can also find added information such as a small bio and a link to their website.
Music-Map
A less flashy alternative to TuneGlue is Music-Map. While TuneGlue only initially suggests 6 similar artists, Music-Map instantly reveals all the similar artists in their database, with the most similar musicians closest to the original search term.
Music Roamer
Music Roamer adds another dimension to music map sites, by not only providing suggestions of similar artists, but also allowing you to listen to music directly on their site. The songs are powered by YouTube videos, but it should be said, in our experience, all of the tracks were live versions, and not always of very good quality. They also provide links to purchase the mp3s from Amazon.
While listening to a song on Music Roamer, you can also explore similar songs, not just similar musicians, which definitely puts it a step ahead of Music-Map and TuneGlue.
Music Roamer gives you more freedom in manipulating the appearance of your results ““ including resizing images and controlling how many similar artists are included in the results.
Bloson
The simplest alternative to these first three websites is Bloson. Searching for any given artist will provide you with a list of similar artists, whose music you can listen to directly on their website, again powered by YouTube videos. The videos, however, are not live and are usually of much better quality than Music Roamer’s videos.
Zune
An alternative to Bloson is the Zune website, which you can benefit from whether or not you own a Zune.
This website is worth a mention because not only can you look up similar musicians, you have the added bonus of finding out which bands they were influenced by, as well as those they have influenced.
Other websites that you can use to discover similar music include Musicovery, TasteKid, Last.fm, Pandora and FineTune. A tip to getting a better user experience with FineTune is to use their Wii-player.
One Track Mind
Discovering new artists isn’t just about finding bands that are similar to musicians you already listen to. Blogs like One Track Mind have made it easy for musicians to share their music through a single platform, by submitting them to the site for review.
Music on One Track Mind is divided into four main genres: Indie, Electronic, Soul and Hip-Hop. Not only can you listen to posted songs, the song comes with a blog post about the artist, and you can also download the mp3 for free, and rate the song. The ratings are reflected in three criteria: originality, repeat listen potential and overall verdict.
The Hype Machine
Another music blog to keep bookmarked, which also includes mainstream music, is The Hype Machine.
The Hype Machine scours music blogs for the best in music reviews and blog posts that contain mp3 files to stream or download.
Music can be browsed by popularity, both based on interaction on their website or on Twitter, by listening to a constant stream of eclectic music, or by listening to a customizable station based on your taste, amongst other ways.
TheSixtyOne
Social music sites are another way to discover new music. TheSixtyOne is a great place to start if you’re looking for new talent. The site has under gone a recent and major revamp, which for previous users, could take some getting used to.
Luckily if you don’t want to do that ““ you can always access the old site design by going here.
Besides a total redesign with no remnants from the old site’s design, the categories have changed as well. Rather than dividing their music into genres, popular songs, and moods, it’s now categorized only by mood with mellow, party, trippy and funny on the list.
TheSixtyOne differs from One Track Mind in that artists and labels can post their own music to the site, albeit with limited uploads dependent on achieving certain “˜milestones.’
Listeners can add songs to their favourites, and the more popular a song is, the more likely it is to end up on the front page, or in the case of the new site, in the queue. The site is entirely community driven, with the users deciding what is popular and what isn’t, and in the process, earning “˜reputation points.’
While listening to songs, you can “˜heart’ them, share them and in some cases download them. TheSixtyOne also suggests similar songs to listen to.
Once you have been active enough on the site, you can listen to a station, based on your taste in music.
OurStage
If you’re more interested in the music and less interested in the community experience, a good alternative to TheSixtyOne is OurStage.
Simply choose one of their 42 stations, and listen to uninterrupted music from brand new singers and songwriters. You can also have a say in which songs end up on the OurStage charts, by taking part in the “˜judging’ process. After listening to two songs from the same genre, you can choose the song you liked more, and as they put it, save the world from mediocre music.
PureVolume
PureVolume is yet another interesting alternative to OurStage and TheSixtyOne. It features both signed and unsigned bands, in over 50 genres. You can browse music by popularity or by featured artists. All songs are available to stream, while some are available for download as well. Each band has an individual page where they can post band information, their songs, and users can comment or add songs and singers to their favourites. Bands can sign up for free and start promoting their music, but there is also a pro account for musicians with additional features, including the opportunity to be included in the featured artists.
PureVolume also has social media integration, where you can share the music you find on Twitter and Facebook.
How do you discover new music online? Let us know in the comments.
Image credit: Sofamonkez
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I’m shocked to see that Last.Fm is not getting a mention :O
Actually I did mention Last.fm in passing as it’s already so well known.
Cool cool, but everyone seemed to completely leave out Pandora. It’s somewhat well known but I’ve been using it for a long time to discover and listen to tons of new artists. The only down side is that you already have to have a basic idea of what you want before you start discovering new musicians; however, Pandora is also a great alternative method for just listening to music in general.
No mention of stereomood? Although not great for looking up different genres, its great for discovering unknown bands, or songs by artists that you would never have thought of. It is based off of mood instead of station.
first two sites using last.fm api.
thanks for he input
Aibek
and 8tracks.com !
Suprisingly, wikipedia is a pretty good way for me, just type in someone you like and go from there. Users usually descibe their influences, or for a particular album you find out the producer and see what else he has done.
That’s one I wouldn’t have thought of! Thanks for the tip David.
Aime Street – http://amiestreet.com/
Stereogum – http://stereogum.com/
@MeLikeGoodMusic on twitter – http://twitter.com/MeLikeGoodMusic
YES! I love Stereomood, I’m on it right now
Pandora?
I agree. Pandora is excellent.
if you’re in the US.
I loved pandora, and I used it religiously when it first came out. And then they blocked access to Canadians… Music should be shared with the world. and that move is bullshit
Yeah, where the heck is Pandora?? It’s amazing!
I use soundcloud to find music, it’s brilliant.
I use awsm.fm to discover new music + images
I like to use http://www.dldisco.com to find all discography of any artist, because sometimes the old records of artists that are unknown are the real gems…
How cool is that? Thanks for the tip, great website
I have been enjoying the Emerging Artist view at http://wearehunted.com to find new stuff. Limited to top 99 songs but still lots of fresh songs.
HA! I haven’t used Purevolume since 2004!
Yeah, what about Pandora? That’s what I use. Or maybe it’s already well-known.
what about http://www.pandora.com ???? Everyone here loves that!
Except, now Pandora is making you pay once you’ve heard a certain amount of songs a month or something like that. It’s stupid now.
Amanda, you’re not quite right. Pandora now plays short, low-key (as in NOT YELLING at you) commercials at fairly long intervals if you don’t opt for the “premium” service.
As Heinlein said, T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.”
(Yeah, I read a book once. It was printed on paper and everything.)
actually amanda is right, if you listen to more than 30 hours of songs per month then you have to pay to continue listening.
that or wait till the month ends.
Oh noes! Not 30 HOURS!! that is way too little!
Also, Pandora won’t work outside the US now. On the site they say they’re trying to get all the rights etc. but nothing so far for us Europeans…
Nice article Nancy!
I’ve discover some new great sites.
My prefer goes to AllMusic.com.
I’ve had no need for anything other than pandora since it was made available. I tried some of the others… but pandora searches FOR YOU. Also, becuase of pandora, I’ve bought more music in the last 2 years or so than I had in at least 5 years prior.
PEACE
ISAAC
musicovery.com
Probably where tuneglue and musicmap got there idea from
Ummm pandora.com anyone??? hellerrrr
8tracks is a great site. Ive found awesome mixes on there.
My favorite from the list is One-Track-Mind. ( http://one-track-mind.com/ )
Always a good selection as well as a good read.
Isn’t Pandora still US only?
Yep – you can’t use Pandora outside of the US, and Last.fm is only free in the US and a couple of European countries
Last.fm > Pandora
http://www.grooveshark.com > last.fm > Pandora
Completely agree. I was surprised not to see anyone else mention this.
I think spotify is actually quite good. You need to apply but it is a totally free music player and all artists have many related artists that can also be listened to for free.
Yeah I like Spotify, when I want to look for something entirely new I type in a random word like ´Black`or ´Lake´or ´Rain´and see what it gives me. This technique gives me a good cross range of a lot of styles of music and I have discovered stuff I really like in places I would not have thought to look.
The above is on top of the ´normal´way to use the site too
I use a forumn type site called Blip.fm. You are able to listen to anything create a library and listen to other people’s libraries and comment on them.
gnoosic.com is a good one too
So glad to see One Track Mind on your list! It’s a really underrated site and a great way to support artists AND get free music.
They provide a nice editorial angle that the others don’t really.
IMHO, the algorithm on Pandora seems pretty weak – especially if you have eclectic tastes like I do. And you might notice that two of the sites recommended above are based on the Last.fm API.
Tony, I share your frustration with Pandora on that count. I have seven different “stations” for different types of music. It’s sometimes annoying to have to remember to move a song to another station instead of just clicking “like it.” They were very nice about helping me get it straightened out though, and they say they are working on refining their code to offer an “advanced” option so users can specify WHAT you like about a song.
Eclectic tastes are hard to program for, and it’s always tempting to just ignore statistical outliers in favor of pleasing the majority.
no doubt !!!
When thesixtyone killed the community in their revamp, many users moved to http://uvumi.com, which has a similar focus on new artists. It’s still very much in development, but is growing fast.
In their defense, you can still access the old site at http://old.thesixtyone.com/
http://www.allmusic.com is great for learning more by band, genre, or song…if I hear of a band that’s new to me, learning about them here will help me decide if i care to know more (and why).
Take Thesixtyone off of that list, and add http://www.uvumi.com
T61 went to hell.
The site still has its merits because of the quality of music on it and at the end of the day that’s what this about – finding good music. And you can still access their old design here http://old.thesixtyone.com/
What, no Grooveshark? They’re like Pandora, only better: No commercial interruptions, you can pick what music you want to start with, and there’s a radio function where it can suggest music to you for listening.
i used to like http://musicovery.com but now they want your money
i’m glad to see purevolume on here. i used to use it all the time as a kid
i used to like http://musicovery.com but now they want your money
In their defense, you can still access the old site at http://old.thesixtyone.com/
The site still has its merits because of the quality of music on it and at the end of the day that’s what this about – finding good music. And you can still access their old design here http://old.thesixtyone.com/
This may sound weird, but I have actually discovered a lot of music through listening to stations on Live365.com. If you can find a station whose owner has basically similar tastes to you, it can be a cool way to broaden your horizons by hearing stuff you normally wouldn’t associate with the bands you like.
This may sound weird, but I have actually discovered a lot of music through listening to stations on Live365.com. If you can find a station whose owner has basically similar tastes to you, it can be a cool way to broaden your horizons by hearing stuff you normally wouldn’t associate with the bands you like.
Last.fm is what I use. Their suggestions really match what type of music you listen to.
Last.fm is what I use. Their suggestions really match what type of music you listen to.
Lala.com lets you listen to related artists, just choose an artist and click ‘Mix it up’.
Yep – you can’t use Pandora outside of the US, and Last.fm is only free in the US and a couple of European countries
If it hasn’t been mentioned yet, I’ve found some interesting artists at http://www.reverbnation.com
If it hasn’t been mentioned yet, I’ve found some interesting artists at http://www.reverbnation.com
What about pandora?
It would be Kings of Leon selected as the artist after they released those two ‘amazing’ singles.
FFS the first two albums were the best by Kol.
Last.fm isn’t free for many of us, so it i have stopped using it though I really did enjoy it before
Last.fm isn’t free for many of us, so it i have stopped using it though I really did enjoy it before
Just go to http://www.quoteunquoterecords.com
Slacker Radio is just like Pandora but with a seemingly larger library. It also allows you to sync the stations to your blackberry/Iphone. Best part is you can cache the stations on your blackberry so you can listen to them when you have no service (great for subway rides).
blip.fm rocks totally addictive
Just go to http://www.quoteunquoterecords.com
blip.fm rocks totally addictive
If you left off the top ways to discover new music, i.e. Pandora and LastFM, then you need to change the name of your post, because this is *not* the top ten ways.
They are mentioned in passing because they are not entirely free or accessible. Last.fm only works in 3 countries for free – all other countries have to pay a subscription fee, and Pandora only works in the US and has a limit on how much you can listen to per month for free.
Coda.fm is really good too
Coda.fm is really good too
They are mentioned in passing because they are not entirely free or accessible. Last.fm only works in 3 countries for free – all other countries have to pay a subscription fee, and Pandora only works in the US and has a limit on how much you can listen to per month for free.
A new site for free music ….
Maybe MySpace is also too well known to mention, but I have discovered a lot of wonderful artists I would never have heard of elsewhere because they are unsigned. The music pages are a showcase for artists of all genres and levels of experience and “success.” Look up an artist you like. You can listen to the music they have posted. Go to their “friends” list and find other artists who like them enough to want to be associated with them. Follow those links, etc.
OK, I’m impressed. TuneGlue has an impressive databse, including artists Pandora does not have, and genres as diverse as Scandinavian ProgMetal and Native-American flute based ensembles.
Spotify!
gnod.net is pretty cool
gnod.net is pretty cool
We used to use grooveshark but some people that I work with got viruses from using it (at least that’s what they said anyways). Do we have to worry about getting any malware with these sites?
musicovery.com
musicovery.com
Ooh, ooh! Also, try http://www.gnoosic.com
I don’t know if it’s popular enough to be already known though. /:
But you can also find books and movies ^-^
You guys should really check out http://listen.grooveshark.com/ too. Has tons of music on there, can create play lists and add favorites as well.
Ooh, ooh! Also, try http://www.gnoosic.com
I don’t know if it’s popular enough to be already known though. /:
But you can also find books and movies ^-^
You guys should really check out http://listen.grooveshark.com/ too. Has tons of music on there, can create play lists and add favorites as well.
Hey, great list and very useful, but one small nitpick – you completely misrepresented how “music map” works. It doesn’t present artists similar to the one you type in, it suggests artists which are commmonly liked by the people who liked what you typed in. So if you type in Band A and Band B is close to it, it means that lots of people who like Band A also like Band B – not that Bands A and B are necessarily similar musically. Likewise, all the other bands it throws up are arranged based on whether people liked them both in relation to each other as well as in relation to the band you typed in, which makes it a pretty cool little gadget IMO!
MusicRoamer has been updated since this post! Please check it out http://www.musicroamer.com
MusicRoamer has been updated since this post! Please check it out http://www.musicroamer.com
I agree with last.fm and pandora, and used them in the past….but you have to check out Slacker.com. They even have apps for the iphone, blackberry, and windows mobile. I use it exclusively in my car. Has better sound quality than all the others, plus has a lot better setup. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a whirl.
Why no Pandora? I figured Pandora would be the first one mentioned.
I use last.fm so much that I do the paid subscription thing.
The basic features are free, streaming radio you pay a small subscription fee for.
I use last.fm so much that I do the paid subscription thing.
The basic features are free, streaming radio you pay a small subscription fee for.
http://www.grooveshark.com > last.fm > Pandora
Well i guess
http://www.grooveshark.com
and
http://www.tastekid.com should also get a mention brilliant sites in their own right…
Well i guess
http://www.grooveshark.com
and
http://www.tastekid.com should also get a mention brilliant sites in their own right…
Jango, the online radio thingy. Pretty good.
http://www.jango.com/
thank you so much for putting one track mind on here! what a great site. thanks!
Jango, the online radio thingy. Pretty good.
http://www.jango.com/
8TRACKS.COM WOOT WOOT
Extraordinary work, loved the info given here. Thanks!
I’ll second MySpace – for early previews of new releases by major Artists, and also for hosting a large universe of Independent Artists’ music.
I’m surprised that no one mentioned Lala…especially since their sharing option allows the embedding of quite a few songs into Facebook (a la YouTube) and Twitter (for Power Twitter users).
Also, I just discovered Soundzit today…it advertises itself as “an audio version of YouTube” – NO registration, embeddable players, and purchase links to iTunes and Amazon. Very promising…I already embedded 7 tracks into my Facebook “MyStuff” tab via Gigya.
stumbled across a nice electro/house blog called ilictronix.com savage rare remixes and a nice blend of new talent and dance hierarchy. really has got me into people i had never heard of before. completely free and you can download most of the sample tracks from the artist in question and they often discuss influences and people they’ve influenced!
http://www.ilictronix.com
stumbled across a nice electro/house blog called ilictronix.com savage rare remixes and a nice blend of new talent and dance hierarchy. really has got me into people i had never heard of before. completely free and you can download most of the sample tracks from the artist in question and they often discuss influences and people they’ve influenced!
http://www.ilictronix.com
http://www.noisetrade.com is the greatest website of all time.
http://www.noisetrade.com is the greatest website of all time.
You should add in http://aurgasm.us/ and http://www.daytrotter.com/ =)
You should add in http://aurgasm.us/ and http://www.daytrotter.com/ =)
I use http://www.sharethemusic.com. You can check there related artists, inspirations and followers – http://www.sharethemusic.com/Black_Eyed_Peas/related.
To listen to music you have to register and download software, but I think it’s worth it.
go to Sputnik music reviews.
Find a album that you LOVE–
Find OTHER USERS that love the same album
and explore their other top picks!
//(I have found so many amazing bands since im into
alot of screamo/experimental/indie/progressive that are virtually impossible to find elsewhere!)
wow its like you just opened up a labyrinth of possibilities, thanks you T_T
I thought I was up to date by being part of Pandora. Things change so fast. I love all these ideas for finding new artists.
In my limited experience with modeled music suggestions, the models are missing a great deal. I love Sting, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Josh Ritter, and the Dresden Dolls. But when I hear suggestions from any of these channels, I like about 30-40% of the suggested tunes and artists. We have a long way to go.
i agree …we need deeper filters
Grooveshark.
Thanks. I was looking for some cool ways to find new music.
bbb
Hey nice blog and nice post, I like it. Keep it up! :)
I use a newer site — http://www.fivetracks.com/ Same basic concept of music discovery, but with categories instead
I use a newer site — http://www.fivetracks.com/ Same basic concept of music discovery, but with categories instead
last.fm pandora.com
last.fm pandora.com
I’ve been using a site called Rank ‘em for music discovery. It uses fan input to rank the “best” songs of different artists (so I can put in my own two cents as well as learn something new).
http://www.gorankem.com
I’ve been using a site called Rank ‘em for music discovery. It uses fan input to rank the “best” songs of different artists (so I can put in my own two cents as well as learn something new).
http://www.gorankem.com
What about Pandora? That one is Great! except you kinda know what you want and its just generally good for listening to music.
PANDORA SUCKS THAT’S WHY. It stores more cookies than anything else on your computer and it only takes a few days to go through the 30 free hours each month.
playlist.com make your own lists and listen to them as much as you want. all free
PANDORA SUCKS THAT’S WHY. It stores more cookies than anything else on your computer and it only takes a few days to go through the 30 free hours each month.
playlist.com make your own lists and listen to them as much as you want. all free
what about Musicovery?? Great way to sample artist from any genre or time period,…plus you get to pick your mood. http://musicovery.com/index.ph…
what about Musicovery?? Great way to sample artist from any genre or time period,…plus you get to pick your mood. http://musicovery.com/index.php?ct=us
There is something to be said about http://aurgasm.us/ as a music blog. I like that it has video and audio links on site, but also that it covers writers as well as performers
There is something to be said about http://aurgasm.us/ as a music blog. I like that it has video and audio links on site, but also that it covers writers as well as performers
if you’re in the US.
I loved pandora, and I used it religiously when it first came out. And then they blocked access to Canadians… Music should be shared with the world. and that move is bullshit
http://www.musicovery.com i enjoy this one and it looks cool
http://www.musicovery.com i enjoy this one and it looks cool
Best Ever thing… that’s NOT on here Pandora!!!!!!
last.fm has a great setup and its automatically logs the songs you listen to (via itunes or ipod) and will give you recommendations based on your recent plays. It also hosts web radio stations
last.fm has a great setup and its automatically logs the songs you listen to (via itunes or ipod) and will give you recommendations based on your recent plays. It also hosts web radio stations
I like using Genius on iTunes, but I’m excited to try some of these other sites!
Very nice! I use HypeMachine all the time, but a few of the others look pretty cool and I’ll have to check them out.
I highly recommend stumbleaudio.com
yep, it’s pretty cool.
Aibek
Aibek
how about grooveshark. It is by far the best one i have ever found.
first two sites using last.fm api.
yep, it’s pretty cool.
Aibek
Aibek
thanks for he input
Aibek
http://wearehunted.com/
Pandora is mind blowing! Cant believe I havent seen it before
Anthony Pittarelli
Pandora is mind blowing! Cant believe I havent seen it before
Anthony Pittarelli
What about Grooveshark??? it’s pretty damn awesome too!
I love Grooveshark. Granted, I mostly use it to listen to music I already know, but it also has an internet radio feature to help discover new artists.
Stereogum is also a great site. Lots of free mp3s.