by Steven Metrejean
Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like the amount of music that’s being released, on an almost daily basis, is making it harder and harder to keep track of your favorite artists. On the opposite side of that coin, it makes discovering and falling in love with new music easier than ever before. Nothing can quite compare to the exhilaration of finding a new song or artist that just speaks to your soul in a new way or that gets you up and dancing or crying like you haven’t in a long time. Interning at an artist management company like Olivia Management, new music comes through our doors consistently—it’s incredible. I recognize that not everyone has this opportunity. This begs the question - what are the most effective and easiest ways to find new music today?
Social Media
Social media: the thing we love to hate and hate to love. But as far as using it as a platform for discovering new music, I find that it is often a great way to explore new music. Whether it’s through searching hashtags or even going through follow lists of artists that you already follow, it’s a good way to expose yourself to all different kinds of artists. Not only seeing what my friends post on their stories, I find that my social media advertisements are really good at targeting me with artists that I might like. We could talk about how the internet uses all of our data to tailor ads for each of us individually, but to be honest, I am not all that upset when I see an ad for a new album or music video from an artist that is spot on with my tastes. The most recent example of this was when I discovered a British artist named Mabel after seeing an Instagram ad for one of her music videos. That song was catchy, and I downloaded it immediately when I heard it for the first time!
Concerts
Some people like to gripe about opening acts at shows. They’ll complain about how they didn’t pay to see this brand-new artist with only one EP out, and that they’re just grinning and bearing it until the headliner hits the stage. But I like to see openers. Oftentimes their music is similar to the artist’s music that I paid to see. Having an opening spot on a big headlining tour is an amazing opportunity for exposure to a huge audience that a new artist would not normally have a chance to perform for. Who doesn’t want to give back to an opener who spends half their set talking about how grateful they are just to be there?
Friends & Family
Some of my favorite conversations with friends and family have turned into hours-long rants and arguments about who’s favorite artist is more under-appreciated and underrated than who’s. We talk about how one genre of music is deeper and more emotional than another, or we just have fun talking about the latest bops that we’ve been dancing in our cars at stoplights to. Never underestimate the power of a friend suggesting you listen to an artist or song they think that you’ll like. If they know you well enough, they only have the best experience for your ears at heart. And I find it’s one of the best ways to show someone that you truly care about them!