How to Find New Indie Music
Listen to podcasts (which can be listened to on many supported digital music players)., Listen to online radio stations., Traditional radio can also prove useful: indie radio stations like XFM or K-ROCK2 usually have future-music shows on late...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Listen to podcasts (which can be listened to on many supported digital music players).
There are a lot of great Indie music podcasts like Songs for Jenna, TartanCast, the CBC Radio 3 Podcast, NPRs Tiny Desk Concerts, Morning Becomes Eclectic, Tanfastic Podcast or Fauvedoucet.com.
These podcasts can be found at any of the following sites and more:
Google Reader, iTunes, iPodder, podcastalley.com, and any podcast app for smartphones or added via RSS feed. -
Step 2: Listen to online radio stations.
You can use these sites to find new artists based on your own personal tastes.
College radio stations are also great. ,, Spin is a great one. , Elbo.ws, Contrastream.com, the Hype Machine (www.hypem.com), Choosik (www.choosik.com), and Pandora.com (The Genome Music Project) is also dedicated to helping indie fans find new music.
Myspace is also a great way to discover new bands and preview their music. ,, If you like what they are playing, ask them what it is and buy it.
Some online record stores also offer reviews of latest releases .
You can also just talk to the people who work there and ask what they listen to. , Check the paper and figure out what venues near you host live music on a regular basis.
At the concerts pay attention to the artists that open for the main act to find new artists who haven't reached wide-spread appeal. , Many bands tend to congregate on the same label.
Well known indie labels include Sub Pop (A great one.
Has Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, The Head And The Heart), Merge, Matador, Hardly Art, Jagjaguwar, Ace Fu, Fat Cat, Domino, Almost Gold, and many other smaller ones.
Even if the bands aren't necessarily related by genre or scene to any degree (other than the fact that they're on "indie" labels), listening to a random batch of music is a great way to expand your palette. , You may put in an artist you like and you can listen to streaming music similar to said artists style.
You might just find something you like in the mix! -
Step 3: Traditional radio can also prove useful: indie radio stations like XFM or K-ROCK2 usually have future-music shows on late nights.
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Step 4: Read indie magazines.
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Step 5: Visit sites online that make the process of finding music easier for example garageband.com which allows independent bands to compete for popularity.
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Step 6: Visit music blogs like Indie Music Finds
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Step 7: Albumcorner
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Step 8: Good Weather For Airstrikes
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Step 9: Pop Candy from USA Today
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Step 10: Stereogum
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Step 11: Pitchfork and IndieUpdate.
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Step 12: Go to independently-owned record stores.
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Step 13: Go to local concerts.
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Step 14: Try looking through the rosters of popular indie labels.
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Step 15: An excellent site is Last.fm.
Detailed Guide
There are a lot of great Indie music podcasts like Songs for Jenna, TartanCast, the CBC Radio 3 Podcast, NPRs Tiny Desk Concerts, Morning Becomes Eclectic, Tanfastic Podcast or Fauvedoucet.com.
These podcasts can be found at any of the following sites and more:
Google Reader, iTunes, iPodder, podcastalley.com, and any podcast app for smartphones or added via RSS feed.
You can use these sites to find new artists based on your own personal tastes.
College radio stations are also great. ,, Spin is a great one. , Elbo.ws, Contrastream.com, the Hype Machine (www.hypem.com), Choosik (www.choosik.com), and Pandora.com (The Genome Music Project) is also dedicated to helping indie fans find new music.
Myspace is also a great way to discover new bands and preview their music. ,, If you like what they are playing, ask them what it is and buy it.
Some online record stores also offer reviews of latest releases .
You can also just talk to the people who work there and ask what they listen to. , Check the paper and figure out what venues near you host live music on a regular basis.
At the concerts pay attention to the artists that open for the main act to find new artists who haven't reached wide-spread appeal. , Many bands tend to congregate on the same label.
Well known indie labels include Sub Pop (A great one.
Has Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, The Head And The Heart), Merge, Matador, Hardly Art, Jagjaguwar, Ace Fu, Fat Cat, Domino, Almost Gold, and many other smaller ones.
Even if the bands aren't necessarily related by genre or scene to any degree (other than the fact that they're on "indie" labels), listening to a random batch of music is a great way to expand your palette. , You may put in an artist you like and you can listen to streaming music similar to said artists style.
You might just find something you like in the mix!
About the Author
Amanda Scott
Committed to making DIY projects accessible and understandable for everyone.
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