• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

Does anyone else find it exhausting to look for new music?

Magic Poriferan

^He pronks, too!
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
14,081
MBTI Type
Yin
Enneagram
One
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
So, I'm one of those people who's musical tastes are sort of locked in a time before I was born. I find I can readily converse with guys in their 60s about music, and I have no clue what's really been going for the past 16 years, but I've hate almost everything I've managed to hear of it. The 90s was the most recent period with a bastion of music I liked, and I think the 80s were kind of worse than the 90s (though, still better than the last 16 years, apparently).

I don't have pretension about this. I'd much rather like new music than think I'm stuck with the same stuff for the rest of my life. But I find looking for music really unpleasant. The process of trying to listen to one unfamiliar artist after another, in the hopes that I might like them, only to pass on disappointment after disappointment, is somehow psychologically exhausting. I can hardly bring myself to do it.

Does anyone else have this problem? Any methods that get around it somehow?
 

Doctor Cringelord

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
20,567
MBTI Type
I
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I don't know much about what the kids are listening to these days. Bunch of devil music.
 

Kheledon

New member
Joined
Oct 5, 2015
Messages
572
MBTI Type
ENFJ
Enneagram
136
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I try to pay attention to what my children enjoy listening to. It's kind of a fun, family ritual. We gather around the computer and take turns. I play a song, and then each of them gets to play one. Ultimately, I agree to listen to their music if they will agree to listen to mine. Some of the stuff they like is great. I have learned a lot about them this way.
 

Doctor Cringelord

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
20,567
MBTI Type
I
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I'm 27. I have no kids to get insight from.

You could try one of those free internet radio things. Pandora kind of sucks but it will play music it thinks you'll like based on the artists you like. I found some music that way that I otherwise may not have learned about.
 

Smilephantomhive

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2015
Messages
3,352
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I hate actively searching for music, and prefer to look up stuff I've heard some my sisters or tv shows and movies. I eventually start exploring youtube, by clicking the suggestions.
 

SearchingforPeace

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
5,711
MBTI Type
ENFJ
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
About 8 years ago, I realized I was stuck listening to things from my youth and young adulthood. I gradually started looking for new music and found a lot I like.

It just takes effort to get started. ...
 

HongDou

navigating
Joined
Nov 23, 2012
Messages
5,191
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
I know this isn't a music suggestion thread, but narrowing down what genres you're into might help. With contemporary R&B you can get a real feel for a person's artistry through their mixtapes, and with pop I tend to enjoy an album's "filler tracks" because they typically have a more unique and less superficial sound (as opposed to tracks that were released as singles which obviously have more mainstream appeal to them). Carly Rae Jepsen's new album has been very critically successful and I think that's definitely the case for her, comparing "I Really Like You" to "Warm Blood".
 

Dyslexxie

Dope& diamonds.
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
1,250
Damn kids these days with their snapchat and Justin Bieber haircuts! Back in my day...

I'm just teasing. I like allllll kinds of music, it's almost chaotic. I definitely prefer more recent artists than anything though, and I think there's too much talent out there to just rule today's music out. With some effort anyone can find something they like. Let us know what you're into, maybe myself or other forum members can help!
 

EJCC

The Devil of TypoC
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
19,129
MBTI Type
ESTJ
Enneagram
1w9
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
You could try one of those free internet radio things. Pandora kind of sucks but it will play music it thinks you'll like based on the artists you like. I found some music that way that I otherwise may not have learned about.
^ Pretty much this. Find a way to get at least one good recommendation based on the music you already like. Maybe ask your friends! And then it's a lot easier to search for new music based on the curated results you get from that.

This is what I typically do, when I'm not energized enough to look myself. And I'm usually not.
 

Galena

Silver and Lead
Joined
Mar 12, 2013
Messages
3,786
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
It's why I don't really look per say. I don't care about being up to date on music; I just click on stuff that looks good, and if I hear something in passing that I like (on an internet radio station, for instance), look it up. Sometimes I find a rabbit hole. Sometimes, what I like happens to intersect with what is current. Often, it doesn't. Nothing is intentional.

The result is that my tastes are scattered and not well suited to conversation, but that's okay with me.
 

Chrysanthe

New member
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Messages
742
Enneagram
9w1
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Yeah, searching for new music to enjoy is overwhelming because there's so much out there I don't have the time to listen to, which makes it seem like a lost cause since there's always going to be something beautiful and perfect musically I'll never hear. And I'm quite reluctant to listen to new music because it might turn out bad and that time could have been spent listening to the music I already love. I'm not very patient towards new music. (though this might just be my general outlook on life :p)

But regardless, my musical expansion occurs at a very slow pace... I float around YouTube and all of its recommended songs, maybe searching into an artist if it comes off as a unique and enlightening experience and seeing what sub-genre that artist is known to have come from. Criticize me all you want, but at least with EDM, categorizing music is something I can't not do. I have to make assumptions off of how much enjoyment I could get from a given song, again, because time is a resource. (I do this with people sometimes too, for the same reasons.)
 

JocktheMotie

Habitual Fi LineStepper
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
8,491
It's tough. There's a few tools that will help you though:

last.fm-last fm can tally up the songs you've played on various programs to create a record. From there, you can search similar artists, based on song construction.

Pandora-free radio. Make an account, choose an artist station and it will play songs by that artist, similar artists, new artists with that similar song style, etc. Good for finding new things.

Spotify- my personal favorite. I pay 10 bucks a month for premium because it's worth it to me but it's free also. There's a weekly playlist every Monday that is generated for you based on your tastes. I've found it the best new suggestion generator for expanding my artist pool.

Friends- Friends are great too, when they have different interests. Just about a month back I pestered [MENTION=7254]Wind Up Rex[/MENTION] for some suggestions in a genre I'm not familiar with and it's been a great starting point.
 

sorenx7

New member
Joined
Nov 23, 2012
Messages
227
The new album by Muse "Drones" (2015) is pretty good. I realize Muse isn't a new band, but that album is. It's a lot better than their last album which, unfortunately, was their worst one, IMO. Of course I realize not everyone likes Muse. My friend that I'm most closely connected to when it comes to music doesn't like Muse, although she understands why I do.
 

Magic Poriferan

^He pronks, too!
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
14,081
MBTI Type
Yin
Enneagram
One
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
The only music suggesting thingy I ever tried was Last.fm, many years ago, and I wasn't terribly impressed.

I think I've identified a problem, though. Seems like people keep suggesting friends as a source. I hardly ever talk about music with anybody.
 

EJCC

The Devil of TypoC
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
19,129
MBTI Type
ESTJ
Enneagram
1w9
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
The only music suggesting thingy I ever tried was Last.fm, many years ago, and I wasn't terribly impressed.
That's because Last.fm isn't impressive. Pandora and Spotify are better.

I think I've identified a problem, though. Seems like people keep suggesting friends as a source. I hardly ever talk about music with anybody.
^ There you go! :)

My go-to is typically Facebook, now that I think about it. That's a great way to get suggestions you don't expect, from people you don't expect. But then again, that's the sort of thing I'm into -- and wouldn't work so well if you want curated results from one or two trustworthy people.
 

violet_crown

Active member
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
4,959
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
853
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Spotify's Discover Weekly feature is pretty incredible.

Every week on Monday, Spotify will give you a two hour playlist of new music generated on your listening habits. I get a TON of stuff through that.

I'm also a big fan of music blogs and a couple of youtube channels that focus on emerging artist. Soundcloud and hypem are also pretty great for that.
 

HongDou

navigating
Joined
Nov 23, 2012
Messages
5,191
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
The only music suggesting thingy I ever tried was Last.fm, many years ago, and I wasn't terribly impressed.

I wouldn't use LFM as a source to find new music - the interface is shit now after switching to a beta version for some reason (although in terms of functionality the higher ups are just now starting to work their way back up). The only reason I still use it is because my main mode of listening to music is my iTunes/iPod where I have control over how organized and categorized my library is - not sure whether I'm some information hoarder or I just like the aesthetic appeal of having all the information/album art properly added in but either way I need that organization in my music. Out of every music website LFM is the most structured when it comes to tagging music, even when it comes to songs that aren't popular in the western world. Because my taste in music often consists of soundtracks from games/movies/anime/etc, mixtapes not commercially released, and artists from East Asia web players like Spotify and Pandora are not my friends. Also I find the statistics it provides pretty expansive compared to any other music website.

If you don't download your own music though and prefer to just stream, I'd agree with [MENTION=4945]EJCC[/MENTION] and specifically say Spotify is the alpha music player at the moment. I tend to prefer how Spotify groups songs in its radio playlists because the sound is less eclectic while Pandora's stations can go all over the place so if you're into a specific sound it can be harder to make the most of it there.
 

Watchtower

New member
Joined
Nov 8, 2015
Messages
19
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I have no problems with looking for new music. I just don't. I like it when new music comes to me. Most of the previously unknown music comes from the movies and TV-shows I watch. I don't care if they're oldies or contemporary music, all that matters is that it catches my interest and I'd want to look it up.

Sometimes I do sift through the recommendations on last.fm or browse YouTube and Spotify.
 
Top