Where to find new music in the age of algorithms
This summer, digital music culture was dominated by club classics and sapphic bops. But what if you’re looking for something a little off the beaten path?
Finding songs and musicians you love requires a new set of skills in the age of streaming. While algorithmic feeds opened some new avenues for music discovery, traditional destinations for music sharing sputtered. The music magazine Pitchfork, which long served as a hub for discerning listeners, was absorbed into another Conde Nast publication, GQ, in January, with its staff slashed. Review site Metacritic passed from owner to owner, losing devoted users along the way.
Meanwhile Spotify’s discovery algorithm, which millions of listeners rely on for new music, has been accused of pushing songs with mass appeal and burying more niche artists. It’s easy to sit back and let your Spotify algorithm take the wheel, but you might end up hearing Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” 30 times a week, Rebecca Jennings wrote for Vox.
Spotify said in an emailed statement that it doesn’t just use algorithms and recommendations to help users discover new music - its editorial team uses “data and cultural insights” to build custom playlists, including ones that feature up-and-coming artists.
Some tastemakers say today’s music scene is a soulless algorithmic wasteland - others say it’s more vibrant than ever. However you find it, don’t just rely on your Spotify or Apple Music algorithm to introduce you to new artists. Here are five ways to find songs without waiting on Spotify to show them to you.
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A window into someone else’s music library
Learning which songs your friends are playing on repeat feels like a peek into their brains. Rather than sending songs back and forth in a messenger, try the Airbuds app, a widget that gives glimpses into other people’s listening habits.
To start, download the app from the Apple or Google app stores, set up an account and link your Spotify or Apple Music subscription. Then add the widget to your phone’s home screen - on an iPhone, long press on the home screen, select the plus sign and search the widget library for “Airbuds.” You can drag the widget wherever you’d like.
Last, invite a friend or two to use the app with you. When they listen to a song, it will show up in your widget along with their profile photo. Open the app itself to check which songs your friends are re-playing. (Warning: This app can be buggy, so extra points if you can get it working without hiccups. Don’t give it access to your phone contacts when it asks, and only link your music streaming account if you’re okay with the app’s permissive privacy policy.)
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A group game
If your playlists feel uninspired, try adding some friendly competition. Music League is a mobile game that lets you build themed playlists with your friends and then vote on the best contributions.
The game works like this: Each round has a theme, like “songs that mention animals” or “songs to avoid at a wedding.” Players each submit a song (you’ll need to copy and paste a link from Spotify) to create a shared playlist. Everyone listens and then ranked-choice votes on the top songs.
Create your own “league” and invite friends, or search the app for a public league to join. You can play as many rounds as you like – the app offers 100 different prompts for playlist themes – but cap your league at around 20 players to avoid painfully long playlists.
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An amateur critic’s dream
Ever find yourself listening to a song and thinking, “I wish I could publicly rank this on a five-star scale?” The website Rate Your Music (RYM) might be a good spot for you.
RYM is a music library with four ways to discover new artists and tunes. You can browse by new releases, top charts going back to the 1960s, or a list of genres from “pop” to “bugle call.” The best feature, though, is the custom playlists from other users. The lists are more detailed than what you’ll find on Spotify, with creators leaving notes and background on particular bands or tracks. Some lists, like “The Definitive Scene-Era Music Compilation,” aren’t connected to a music player, so you’d have to manually search for the tracks you want to hear in a music app. Others, like “Gentle Dads,” link out to a corresponding YouTube playlist.
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On-demand radio
Missing the radio jockeys who introduced you to cool stuff? They might have moved to streaming - which means you can play their shows on demand.
Among the many music podcasts on platforms like Apple and Spotify are radio-style shows dedicated to surfacing new-to-you music. Check out “In Our Headphones” from Seattle indie music station KEXP-FM to hear what the station’s DJs are listening to (it has an accompanying Spotify playlist). For a steady stream of new releases, throw on “The Needle Drop with Anthony Fantano.” And for deep dives into musical gems, try “No Skips with Jinx and Shea” for vintage hip hop, “1001 Album Club” for genre-spanning classics, “Song Exploder” for contemporary hits and “Black Girl Songbook” for snapshots of influential Black musicians.
For a click-and-go playlist, check out the international online radio station NTS, which lists a bunch of on-demand radio streams on its home page.
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A trustworthy algorithm
For better or worse, artists today feel the pressure to share their music in short-form videos on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The apps’ recommendation algorithms note what you seem to like and try to show you more of it, so they can be powerful tools for music discovery. Billie Eilish and Doja Cat had early success on YouTube, for instance, while artists like PinkPantheress and Benson Boone drew attention on TikTok.
Watch a few videos from your favorite artists and see what your algorithm surfaces after that. As you scroll or autoplay, you’ll likely hear some trending songs as well. (Remember when “Old Town Road” hijacked your “For You” page?)
Keep in mind: Letting an algorithm, be it Spotify or TikTok, choose your next listen comes at a cost. Artists can pay for promotion on TikTok, so you might end up hearing the same stuff repeatedly. Critics of algorithmic feeds have argued they flatten mainstream culture and choke out smaller artists and publishers - do you really want to constantly be funneled toward the same content as millions of other people?
If you normally let the algorithm take the wheel, try taking the occasional detour and turning on something outside your musical comfort zone.