How to find new music in the age of algorithms

Summary

Highlights

• Pitchfork remains a solid resource for discovering varied new music. 🎶
• Influencers like Anthony Fantano provide gateways to deeper music exploration. 🕵️‍♂️
• Online radio stations, such as NTS, showcase diverse global music styles. 🌍
• Smaller labels like International Anthem highlight niche music scenes. 🎺
• Beware of algorithm-driven playlists prioritizing mood over music innovation. 🚫
• Engage with human-curated content for authentic music discovery. 🌿

Key Takeaways

• Discovering new music goes beyond algorithms; human curators still play a crucial role. 🎧
• Independent publications and blogs offer diverse music recommendations. 📚
• Music influencers, despite differing motivations, can guide listeners to new sounds. 🎤
• Online radio stations like NTS provide eclectic mixes and showcase niche genres. 📻
• Smaller independent labels often reflect unique music scenes and sounds. 🎶
• Streaming playlists prioritize retention over art; be wary of bland, AI-generated content. 🤖
• Never fully rely on algorithms for music discovery; explore and trust human curators. 🤝

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The chapter 'Introduction' discusses the challenges and opportunities in discovering new music in the digital age. The speaker acknowledges that finding new music might not be everyone's favorite activity, especially for those from a certain age group. However, despite the challenges, it remains one of the better ways with some caveats. The speaker highlights the role of social media platforms in concentrating information and reminds readers of the importance of individual publications, each with specific goals and scenes they cover, in discovering emerging bands moving from underground to mainstream.
• 00:30 - 02:30: Traditional Music Publications The chapter discusses the various traditional music publications that catered to different music genre enthusiasts. Titles like XXL, Kerrang, Mixmag, Resident Advisor, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and The Wire are mentioned as popular choices for fans of hip-hop, heavy metal, punk, electronic, mainstream, and underground music, respectively. Despite changes in how people discover music today, these publications continue to exist and serve niche audiences.
• 02:30 - 06:00: Online Music Influencers The chapter discusses the current landscape of online music journalism, focusing particularly on Pitchfork's influence and changes over time. Despite critiques and changes in ownership and staffing, Pitchfork remains a significant player in the field, notably for its 'best new music' section, which continues to be a valuable resource for discovering new music.
• 06:00 - 08:30: Forums and Social Media This chapter discusses the variety of music recommendations found on various forums and social media platforms. It highlights genres such as Jazz, Rock, Electronic, Folk, and Hip-Hop as being regularly featured. It emphasizes the willingness of these platforms to recommend unconventional and experimental albums, using 2024 releases like Nicholas Jars 'Pedas Mati,' 'C Nobis,' and 'Steelhouse Planetes' as examples. These albums, while not mainstream, are recognized and supported within these online communities. The section seems to also suggest that for those supporting emerging artists and trends, these forums can be similar to more established review platforms like Pitchfork.
• 08:30 - 13:00: NTS Radio and Curated Mixes The chapter titled 'NTS Radio and Curated Mixes' discusses the influence of ex-Pitchfork members, particularly Andy Kush, in establishing a notable platform for music curation. It highlights the impact of Kush on the Indie music scene with his successful project, Diamond Jubilee N9 from 2024. The transcript reflects on the significance of music curators like The Wire and The Quietus, admired for their unique contributions to the industry. These platforms are depicted as go-to resources for discovering new and quality music, reinforcing their niche in music curation and industry influence.
• 13:00 - 19:30: Independent Record Labels The chapter "Independent Record Labels" explores the niche and experimental side of the music industry, with a particular focus on the impactful role of the magazine "The Wire." The text discusses how "The Wire" has been ahead of its time in recognizing and featuring artists who would later become mainstream successes. Examples include the magazine's features on MF Doom just before the release of his album Mmm...Food, an article on Lil B during the blog era when he was often mocked, and a compelling piece on the artist Moor Mother.
• 19:30 - 25:00: Algorithmic Playlists and AI This chapter delves into the realm of algorithmic playlists and artificial intelligence in music. The discussion highlights artists and platforms that push the boundaries of mainstream music, particularly focusing on how platforms like The Quietus, led by John Duran, excel at recommending avant-garde and experimental music. It also touches on an ongoing trend of artists releasing groundbreaking albums, underlining the importance of staying at the forefront of music innovation.
• 25:00 - 27:00: Conclusion The conclusion emphasizes the significance of exploring Bandcamp's 'album of the week' section, highlighting it as a valuable resource for discovering new music. Each featured album comes with an insightful write-up by a contributor, offering readers a deeper understanding of the music. Bandcamp Daily, identified as an essential resource, focuses on uncovering less mainstream music through various features and recommendations. The convenience of listening to and purchasing the music directly on Bandcamp further enhances its value as a musical treasure trove.

How to find new music in the age of algorithms Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hi let's just get straight into it this is how to find new music not exactly everyone's favorite Avenue especially if you're around my age however it still stands as one of the better ways to do so with caveats in our age of the internet with information amalgam into a select few social media platforms we forget that each publication has their own specific goals and scenes they cover if you were a fan of bands who were burgeoning from the underground into the main stream you
• 00:30 - 01:00 read nemy or the Vader if you were a hip-hop fan XXL was your go-to if you were a fan of heavy metal and punk crang was your pick electronic you have mix mag and resident advisor only into the more mainstream stuff Rolling Stone and billboard was there if you were a proper crate digging nerd and I'm talking today's equivalent of scrolling through band camp to find obscure releases you probably read the wire this isn't how most people find their music nowadays but it doesn't mean these Publications don't exist anymore in fact many of
• 01:00 - 01:30 these Publications are not only still around but they still cover their main area of expertise so here's a few highlights many give Pitchfork a lot of [ __ ] and I'm one of them especially since they're buyout by kast and their constant budget cuts and layoffs they aren't the same Pitchfork which paved the way of modern music journalism but they still have a solid team behind them I will always recommend looking at their best new music section generally this is a fantastic place to find new records and there's a surprising amount of
• 01:30 - 02:00 Variety in their recommendations as well Jazz Rock electronic folk and Hip-Hop pretty much gets their fair share of highlights really though the best part of the section is that they aren't afraid to recommend some pretty Oddball albums just from 2024 alone albums like Nicholas jars Pedas mati C Nobis and steelhouse plantes if I don't make it I love you were all featured all of them pretty experimental and not in most people's as wheelhouse however if you want to support a upstart that's simp ilar to Pitchfork hearing things may be
• 02:00 - 02:30 the choice hearing things was started by various ex Pitchfork members including one Andy Kush who scored 2024's beloved Diamond Jubilee N9 and sending it into Indie stardom and is essentially out to recreate the magic of pitchforks his early years two of my favorites are the wire and the quietus I mean just look at my favorite albums from 2024 of course I'd be reading them both both sites have always been the first place I visit to find good music since they've curated a very unique nich in the industry mainly
• 02:30 - 03:00 covering the underground and the more experimental side of Music in fact I want to focus on the wire a bit as while writing the script I've been looking through their front cover throughout the decades and it's quite amazing how far ahead they were in highlighting household names well before their blow up or basically at a time when the mainstream wasn't paying too much attention to them be it a feature on MF Doom right before the release of M food one of little be in the midst of a Blog era which mostly made fun of him and even a fantastic read on moreother in
• 03:00 - 03:30 2019 just before she went on her ongoing streak of incredible albums for the most part till today they've been on The Cutting Edge of music and if you're on the hunt for stuff that's well outside of the mainstream and is pushing boundaries they really are the best at it same can be said of the quietest however they definitely lean towards the experimental side of the music scene led by John Duran as their founder and editor and chief they are still the best place on internet to get recommendations of the bleeding edge I especially enjoy
• 03:30 - 04:00 perusing their album of the week section every single week the site Awards a new record album of the week and to accompany it a great write up by a contributor Band Camp Daily has been another favorite of mine for a very long time the editorial wing for well band camp they twoo specialize in highlighting the more obscure side of Music be it through features daily album recommendations and lists it's a treasure Trove of Music equally great is that if you want to get a sense of the music they're writing about you can just listen to it on B camp and even buy the
• 04:00 - 04:30 album at the same time if you really wanted to at the end of the day these are my rotation of Publications suited to my music taste yours will vary of course which is why it's important to curate it for yourself music influencers and I do have a feeling many individuals whom I will be talking about hates that description are undoubtedly the number one way many finds new music from let's face it most people who are watching this video is probably around my age and most aren't
• 04:30 - 05:00 looking to traditional media for their recommendations more likely going to their preferred YouTubers or Tik tokers however there's a massive caveat to this once again curation I've always enjoyed Anthony fantano he isn't perfect by any means but the New York Times was right on the money when they called him the only music critic that matters right now and frankly there's no better person who is more deserving of that position right now although not always on the money for me his recommendations has generally covered a broad range of genre from the
• 05:00 - 05:30 top of the zeit guys through alternative and Indie Darlings and spotlighting his fair share of Underground names as well in all honesty there's a good reason why many younger folks point to fantano as their Gateway into the deeper side of music and I'm in the same boat I think we as music lovers tend to take for granted just how influential he has been over the decades he has been around popularizing acts like Death Grips one of the early reviewers to give Charlie XX her flowers when she made her experimental shift in vom vom and even his hand and help young father land your
• 05:30 - 06:00 first record deal thanks to his positive reviews sure there's tons you could say about his recommendations and I certainly have voiced my fair share of criticisms over the years but honestly you can't deny he's a positive figure in the world of Music naturally since my music taste viewers experimental I've always enjoyed deep cuts and yes I know he barely uploads anymore but I think his influence has stuck on me through all these years for a good reason so much so that one of the main reasons this video exists is because of him regularly highlighting genres and albums
• 06:00 - 06:30 you've probably never heard of combined with his fantastic commentary he has always been a great watch although he came back for a 2024 best off list video it's quite clear he's quite busy with an actual job so Oliver please come home the kids misses you Derek G is another figure I've come to enjoy be his interviews with artists short form videos on new or music highlights on lesser known scenes or commentary on the state of Art and music it's always a joy whenever he comes on my feed I suppose
• 06:30 - 07:00 he considers himself a curator of Music rather than an influencer but my point still stands however not all music influencers and I really hate using that word is built equally for every fantano or Shan C we have at least 10 other DJ academics not necessarily in it for the love of the art but for the drama and Status it can bring which is why it's so important to curate outside of what the algorithm serves you
• 07:00 - 07:30 when the internet started crashing into homes in the 2000s it was forums and social media which helped the internet democratize our Collective music tastes no longer were you chained to hearing new music from a radio station or MTV you could simply check out what other music nerds like yourself were listening to perhaps was why Pitchfork was so influential in the early internet through blog era as the music they propped up reflected The Taste and moods of the citizens of the internet beat conversing with anons on for Chan music board trolling around mindspace and
• 07:30 - 08:00 soulseek for underground music it was a time where music listeners could truly be free from record label influence nowadays it can be a little harder to do so but not impossible if you've been cognizant of the way social media and forums have evolved over the past two decades it's essentially now advertising space for corporations but there are still some safe havens if you know where to look say what you will of rate your music but the site and its users are pretty good taste makers when it comes to new and old music I like browsing through the homepage just to see what
• 08:00 - 08:30 folks are rating highly but it's also worth just going through the new music section if you'd like to see whatever is coming out subreddits focusing on specific genres you're interested in as a start the ambient forum is a favorite of mine be it showcasing new or old records and even soundtracks it's a nice little place if you're remotely interested in this Niche genre for chanas music board is assessible that should never be touched however to folks who still lurks around it has some pretty good recommendations although it is forchan so use it at your own risk
• 08:30 - 09:00 and that's where the section ends if you can't help this Avenue of music finding isn't exactly my expertise I've certainly tried however with the reduction of dedicated forums and meeting places for niches over the past few years things have basically been colonized by a few social media sites however that's just a little bubble I'm looking from and even when I was young I was never one to use forums in the first place so if you have any forign recommendations please suggest it please please there's only so much talking to myself about music I can do and I need
• 09:00 - 09:30 someone else to talk to please help me ever since launching in 2011 this upstart online radio station has proved to be the greatest source of curated mixes one could ever troll through even better are of fact artists and musicians are frequently invited to create their very own mixes and even shows so let's list some of my favorites NTS guide 2os and INF Focus shows are a amazing place to start as you can tell both shows or should we call it sessions segments
• 09:30 - 10:00 let's stick with sessions showcases works from specific artist record labels and genres all across the world some are accessible like their guide to Jazz mention and Haruki murakami novels to cooler showcases like Indian classical generally you can separate both shows like this in Focus focusing on deep diving into a single artist or band's works and Guy two focuses on delving into a specific genre of record label Sarah a a collector and DJ regularly puts on set showcasing these incredible
• 10:00 - 10:30 underground Punk cuts from the 70s to ' 80s and it's awesome as a person who grew up listening to punk I'll admit that I have a tendency to only focus on the classics and forgetting just how wide the gamut spans when it comes to the history of this genre I love which is why I love and appreciate what Sarah a does not only for the great amount of Records I get to hear and discover but helping me gain this deeper understanding for the scene I love a strange trctor by Fortuna records is another favorite of mine showcasing the sound of psychedelic Rock Arabic folk
• 10:30 - 11:00 free jazz Indian classical and any other Oddball genre you can think of they have it all although they stopped their show back in 2023 they left a lot of mixes to listen to and their mixes have all been archived so I highly recommend giving it a listen it too has been a while since theop Parish came onto NTS with his hulking mixes however I still go back to them as they are incredible introductions into the world of Soul house disco and Funk and frankly his multi-hour mixes serves as great background playlist to put on while
• 11:00 - 11:30 cleaning up the house reimagining country by Jamal Kadar is one I wish more country fans would listen to what Kadar does with his monthly sessions is essentially looks into the roots of what we call country music and its influences from all across the world what's fantastic about his mixes is the way he questions the origins of country by mixing them with the sounds of folk across Africa Jamaica and Rural America alongside older Country Cuts frankly it's a awesome show he puts on and I cannot Rec recommended enough and lastly
• 11:30 - 12:00 literally any mix made by an artist you love what's great about mixes and many shows put on by musicians is you get a good idea of what has influenced them throughout their careers which makes it all the more fascinating when you listen to their records e Manuel minic of gods speech of black Emperor and silver man Zion Fame showcased love of bulk music from all across the world with juts of Old School Garage and noise Rock which makes so much sense the black midi variety hour showcased the plethora of
• 12:00 - 12:30 Music which has influenced them too from contemporary pop Jazz kuners and art rock I suppose these sessions essentially function similar to what amiba records say what's in my bag does giving you a good insight into what influences these musicians however instead of watching them talk about these records we get a personalized mix of them which will always be superior what we tend to forget is that large music labels are essentially a jack of all tray but always a master of
• 12:30 - 13:00 none which is why we turn to Independent labels or at least smaller imprints of Mega Music labels which are spearheaded by a curator rap fans would know this well if you're a fan of J col it's absolutely worth looking through dreamville roster fan of Kendrick Lamar Top Dog entertainment is a good place to start playb cardi fans also knows this well enough with opium I suppose it shouldn't be too obvious why smaller labels like signing artists of a particular sound great labels are at the end of the day curator of artists they Vision with Factory Records Was A
• 13:00 - 13:30 Manchester based label and was responsible for putting on Joy Division and eventually New Order amongst other Manchester based postp acts putting the city's music scene on a map because its Founders came from its scene of course these are just relatively famous examples so here's a few record labels which I love international Anthem has been a longtime favorite of mine ever since I first heard Jeff Parker suite for Max Brown mainly focusing on Jazz the Chicago based label has for the past decade been putting on some of the most
• 13:30 - 14:00 Forward Thinking acts Jeff Parker is probably its most notable regular however folks like Ben Lamar gay more mother's irreversible entanglements and the late Jamie Branch were all prominent artists in your wings yet another great jazz label is the Norwegian based hubro actually to all postpunk and post Rock Fans out there you really should be paying attention to this label the Scandinavian Jazz scene has been coming out with some of the most enthralling cuts from the past few decades regularly fusing the sounds post Rock Crut Rock
• 14:00 - 14:30 and free Jaz and through these insane chirle combinations would highly recommend checking out moner's dust breathing for all metal and hardcore fans out there the fener has always been solid initially starting up in the 2010s as a Avenue to release black metal from America it obviously became more than that be it chat pile have a nice life Street sex or white Suns their roster of musicians is solid sacred bones records of sound can be a little hard to pin down but I suppose you can broadly
• 14:30 - 15:00 categorize it as underground and experimental I only say this as it's quite clear the label isn't very worried about sticking to a particular genre or scene rather it's more of a Vibe thing which makes them all the more unique example their roster right now includes spelling blank mask the men and Boris different genres different sounds but similar Vibe honestly it's quite hard to explain but if you've listened to all their records you get what I mean although not everyone's cup of tea as a fan of ethn musical ology and field recordings Sublime frequencies hits the
• 15:00 - 15:30 spot for me focused on curating and collecting old International records and field recordings they regularly release albums which highlight specific regions's music scenes and time periods some favorites of mine are their collection of Fong th's songs Martine Tucker's field recordings and Bush taxi Mali and their compilations of balai Ham's compositions I most definitely just butchered that name okay I'm starting to realize just how many record labels there are out there so I'm going
• 15:30 - 16:00 to list a bunch more in Rapid succession ravaging International is a great label for lovers of experimental and avangard composers fans of classical and jazz will be very familiar with ECM if you'd like to get into the Contemporary scene of these genres they're a great label for the electronic lovers brain feeder is the incredible one and so is warp but I'm pretty sure everyone is familiar with the latter when it comes to The Cutting Edge of experimental music cranky has always been a great place Epitaph is yet another amazing label who always puts on incredible punk rock axe
• 16:00 - 16:30 Fool's Gold's record are a great label when it comes to the house and club scene and even putting on some great hip-hop like Danny Brown although I do feel like stone's throw is resting under Laurels a bit they still do prop up some pretty Cutting Edge hip-hop and that's all off the top of my head right now I'm sure I've missed at least a dozen other labels out there so if you have any other recommendations do leave it in the comments and I know editing me will also think of a dozen more so here's a dozen more labels you should check
• 16:30 - 17:00 [Music] out if there's one takeaway to all of this is that finding curators you trust is key be it writers DJs musicians commentators or independent record labels these taste makers are who we should be relying on to prop of great music and for us to pay attention to but the hus also falls on you the listener to discern and curate your taste makers you may ask why no mention of YouTube or spotify's curated playlist well there's some major red flags behind them although L pel's recent book mood
• 17:00 - 17:30 machine only focuses on spotify's strategy towards music curation and music business is not hard to look at it from a broader perspective of the streaming industry at large as she writes in her book the people behind Spotify were never for the artists and conversely its curated playlists have never been for the sake of spreading good art rather to keep retention time up as P explains these playlists are solely based off statistics and created with songs in it that they know will perform the best not only that the
• 17:30 - 18:00 promises of these playlists functioning as a sort of mood enhancer or mellower complicates things even more when artist makes albums they can see statistics of which of their tracks perform the best and are most frequently being put into playlists many of these tracks tend to be of a mellower mood catchy but not insanely memorable chill but not drowsy fitting a specific mood but not so much as to get a visceral reaction if it isn't obvious those tracks tend to make the most money and in an era where making a the living is getting harder and harder to do so in the music
• 18:00 - 18:30 industry this practically forces musicians to make albums filled with songs like these if you want to see some absolutely egregious examples look no further than Drake and the many other rappers whose sole purpose in making albums is to get on these Mega curated playlists by Spotify or apple music even worse is when you have music that's essentially made to be relatively musish and Bland all of belonging in chill playlists or study beats you open it up to AI generated music Spotify has been caught time and time again inserting AI
• 18:30 - 19:00 generated music into their cated playlist clearly limit testing just how far they can take this there's a reason why so many of these meate tech companies love AI so much as it essentially brings the promise of creating and selling art and an insanely cheap cost especially in comparison to paying artists for their tracks in the fact companies like Spotify and Apple and Google would rather use AI to make a quick Buck rather than paying artists the meager payouts they're already giving them is such a depressing reality the biggest indictment against the
• 19:00 - 19:30 algorithm is that if we were to give full control of curation to your spotifi and Googles we are losing the most important part of Music human touch if more and more artists are forced to make music of a certain ilk what happens to those who are pushing the boundaries what will be made of your swans ameds Gods speu Tim Hecker moreother still house plants and many many many more all of whose is music will never be able to conform to these mood-based playlists which the algorithm loves pushing we are in the musac ification of music right
• 19:30 - 20:00 now as fantano puts it so succinctly in his interview with Liz py so many in the mainstream are only making these pet records which essentially pacifies listeners rather than Electrify as one madman put it so I will end it with this never trust the algorithm yes out of all the methods of music finding succumbing to the algorithm is the easiest however they are not your friend nor do they love art the only thing they seek to do is commodify it your fellow humans may not always curate the perfect playlist for you nor would they recommend a song
• 20:00 - 20:30 or album you'd actually like but that's the fun of music to be able to push outside your boundaries and discover new stuff you have no idea how many times I've been to NTS searching for a bosanova mix only to end up falling in love with a obscure Deep dive into a record label or when I randomly stumble across a glowing review of an underground album on Pitchfork decide to give it a listen and fall in love with it Ai and the algorithms cannot replicate that and frankly it never will
• 20:30 - 21:00 and that's that if you made it all the way here thank you so much for watching this video I don't have much to plug here in the back end so if you want to keep up with whatever I'm doing do give me a follow on Twitter and Instagram so yeah I'll see you all around [Music]