Discovery of Songs ♫

I find it so amazing how people discovered music from so many different places. You can hear a song while in the car with a friend, by scrolling through social media, or even a radio show. Our world has become very interconnected and intertwined in a way that has allowed even smaller artists to make a name by reaching the platforms of thousands from their own homes.

Friends

I have found that in the last couple of years, I get most of my songs through a few distinct methods. The first being my friends. I have playlists that are thousands of hours long, which thankfully means I can vibe with pretty much anyone’s music, save for a very small grouping of genres. Whenever I’m hanging out with a friend or several, I often refuse to take the aux because I want to hear what they listen to. Many of my friends have the same taste in music, but even so, they always manage to play songs I’ve heard before, which make their way onto my playlists. I think it’s such a fun and easy way to discover new music without actively searching for it! Of course, not every song will be one I’m scrambling to add to my playlist, but I think that’s the fun in it.

Spotify Scroll Feature

Another method that’s only become available in the last couple of years is what I deemed the “TikTok feature” on Spotify. It's located in the Discover section of the Spotify app and allows you to select a genre of music. From there, Spotify plays 30-second clips of songs by artists relating to that category, which you can add directly to your playlist or scroll to the next song. I have caught myself spending hours on this feature simply scrolling away, especially right after I discovered it.

Spotify Radio Feature

Similarly, I use another feature on Spotify to the point that it should be taken away from me. If I find a specific song I really like and find I’m struggling to find similar songs, especially in cases where the artist doesn't have any other songs like it, I use the radio feature. To do so, you tap on the three dots of the song you’re interested in and scroll down until you see the option “Go to radio,” and from there, it should open up a collection of songs with similar vibes to the one you were listening to. While I’ve found this feature definitely has its limitations, it is still probably one of my favorite features of the app. I totally recommend exploring these features, even just for fun, as I have found so much great music through them!

TikTok/Instagram

One of the most obvious ways I discover songs is through the media. I keep up to date with only a small handful of the artists I actually listen to. Unlike many people I know, I am not an album listener, or at least not very often. If an artist I really enjoy comes out with a new album, I’ll probably listen to it, but most often, I only know a few songs, if even, by an artist unless they're very popular. Personally, I’m ok with this, mostly because I don't have the time or attention span to sit down and listen to a whole album. I discover so many new songs and artists in such a small period of time, I simply don't have the time to take in all their content. I find many new songs through TikTok and through friends’ Instagram posts/stories. While I obviously come across many mainstream artists and songs, I’ve also managed to discover many smaller artists, some with only a few hundred listeners. For all the platforms known for, I think it truly has done wonders for the music community.

These, of course, are only a few ways to discover new music, and I’d love to know how you guys find some of your favorite songs! These methods have proven the most successful over the last couple of years and are what I recommend to people when they ask, so if you haven’t tried some of them out, you should! And of course, tune in and listen to the DJs from UIC to catch some amazing tunes throughout the week!

-Keiti Krocza ☆

(From @LunaMoon on Pinterest)