Ask Lemmy

Wikipedia has an unusually high hit rate for me. I start reading about a band, a genre, or something music-related, then before I know it, the wiki rabbit hole of blue links has introduced me to 50 other bands. Some of my favourite bands were found this way. If you're averse to using anything web-based at all, maybe you could get your hands on a music encyclopaedia from the library or something. If you're into a specific genre, you can probably narrow down the scope with a book just about that genre.

I have never, not once in my entire life, been recommended an artist by an algorithm that I ended up liking. Not on Spotify, not on Last.fm, not on Bandcamp, it just doesn't happen for me 🤷‍

I do use the algorithmic recommendations but yeah it can get a little recursive without new input.

Just yesterday I found Enter Scepter because NPR was playing their runners up for the Tiny Desk Contest. I look at Brooklyn Vegan for stuff I've never heard of and listen to the Dorm Room radio show on WMNF, new stuff comes up on that show a lot. WMNF radio in general, I've found plenty of artists listening to community radio. Pitchfork sometimes will post something I check out and like, and the Rolling Stone half year and best of year list also sometimes have artists I check out and like.

During long drives I often put on Discover Weekly from Spotify. Sometimes there's something interesting in there that I end up checking out more in depth.

That's how I came across Destiny Potato (now known as Sordid Pink), and by extension David Maxim Micic. Fucking amazing.

Spotify Discover Weekly

I search by genres or artists. This means, that I usually hop on YouTube, and start looking if any of the artists I like released new stuff and if I come across a new one I look what stuff they have that I like.

Radio is good, but don't listen to the crappy top 40 local station. Find a station that has actual shows - ones where the DJs themselves pick the music - and where the DJs actually have an interest in music rather than trying to be an acoustic TikToker. Campus radio is good (I listen to KZSU and FuseFM) and PSB alt radio (BBC Radio 6 and ABC Triple-J) since, again, they have genre-savvy DJs that actually pick the music.

I subscribe to radio stations through my podcast app, Podcast Addict, though I expect others have the functionality too. An Indy Alt station out of New York, an EDM station out of Sydney, etc. new music curated by real, human DJs.

I dont, there's no point. I make my own

I just annually pick a eurovision artist and listen their old stuff.

You don’t. You listen to what the algorithm says is best for you.