Top 5 Music Discovery Tools Recommended by Eric Dalius

With its vast array of genres, artists, and songs, the world of music offers an overwhelming amount of content to explore. However, how and where would you begin your search if you’re seeking something unique and unfamiliar? The answer to these questions sometimes evades the most avid of music listeners.

At the end of the day, discovering a new band or artist you will thoroughly enjoy listening to can be a great experience. However, it doesn’t frequently occur unless you purposely search for fresh tunes.

Finding fresh tracks can be quite challenging, even with the built-in suggestions features on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, or Spotify. These services often suggest songs you may have already heard before.

Fortunately, you can find new artists, songs, or bands with the right music discovery tools, ensuring a regular supply of new listening material with a few mouse clicks. On that note, here are a few music discovery tools or apps that we found quite interesting when it comes to discovering new tunes.

Tikify

In order to explore fresh music and playlists, Tikify, a Spotify platform, is one of the best music discovery tools around. After installing Tikify and creating an account, you’ll need to link it to your existing Spotify account before Tikify browses your favorite artists to identify new releases for you to listen to.

Although Spotify has a feature that lets you know when your favorite musicians or bands release new albums or songs, Tikify surpasses this by enabling you to select specific types of content you are interested in, like new tracks or collaborations they are featured on.

On the other hand, Spotify presents all content with no such filters, including several remixes of the same song. Currently, Tikify is only available on Android devices, but it’s possible that development efforts in the future may cater to iOS users as well.

ReverbNation Discover

Upon downloading the ReverbNation Discover app and creating an account, an option to choose preferred music genres will be presented on your screen. Although the selection can be altered later, the core categories remain fixed, including Rock, R&B, Pop, Metal, Hip Hop, Folk, Dance, and Alternative.

The app then delivers tracks corresponding to one or more of the selected genres. This method improves music discovery compared to Spotify by mixing genres. Most individuals enjoy multiple genres of music, and many artists fuse genres, thus making it possible to find new favorite songs through this approach.

Furthermore, while selecting your preferred genres, songs can also be added to a custom playlist or skipped if they don’t resonate with you.

SoundCloud

When discussing the best music discovery tools, including SoundCloud on the list is a no-brainer! SoundCloud is a well-known platform that can help you explore fresh and upcoming artists and listen to popular songs.

However, it’s worth noting that some people are unaware of its mobile app as they only use the desktop version. Using SoundCloud on your mobile device increases your chances of discovering new artists while commuting or listening to music at home.

That said, you should consider using SoundCloud for a few other reasons. For instance, the home screen displays the most frequently played tracks on SoundCloud’s charts, including emerging tracks. Moreover, you also have the option of browsing through handcrafted playlists or conducting a search for specific music.

Pandora

Although Pandora remains a popular app, it may not be the first choice for those looking to discover new music. Unlike other music streaming services such as Amazon Music, Deezer, or Spotify, Pandora focuses more on radio streaming.

While Spotify and similar apps have some radio features, Pandora’s design is specifically tailored to provide fresh and engaging radio streams. You can easily search for your favorite artist or music genre, save the radio station to your collection, and quickly browse through them on the “My Collection” tab.

Additionally, in the “For You” tab, you can find the top-rated stations and songs according to activities, mood, artists, rising stars, and genre.  

Indie Shuffle

Your love for music streaming apps can be understandable. After all, with today’s fast-paced life, you probably won’t have time to turn on your computer and look for new music. However, sometimes these apps seem to know your preferences too well, which may hinder your discovery of new music.

This occurrence is known as the “Spotify Feedback Loop,” which may prevent you from discovering fresh tunes. Additionally, mainstream artists are often given priority over indie artists on popular streaming apps. This makes you miss out on music that just might end up clicking with you.

Fortunately, the Indie Shuffle platform makes it easier to discover new indie music, as its name suggests. This app allows you to discover new songs through curated playlists appropriate for relaxation, exercise, work, school, or whatever mood you are in.

Moreover, the app also lets you listen to the latest tracks from unique artists, complete with tags to help gauge whether or not you might enjoy their music, as well as suggestions for similar bands and genres.

Other Ways to Discover New Music

While streaming services and music discovery tools are excellent for discovering new music, they are not the only ways. Here are a few other ways that will help you find music that you might fall in love with:

Read “Best of” Lists Online

Online publications frequently compile “best of” lists, offering readers new avenues to explore different genres and artists and highlighting mainstream works. These lists take different forms, ranging from the best artists of a particular genre to the best music across genres in a given era.

 For example, some publications like NME put out famous “best albums of all time” lists based on their opinions, while others, such as Billboard, focus more on sales figures. Consumers can also follow music publications on social media to stay updated on their recent “best of” recaps and lists.

Check Out Fringe Events

Fringe occasions are commonly untraditional, and even though they may pay tribute to the arts as a whole, they typically feature various musicians and bands.

An instance of this would be the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, renowned for its celebrations of arts and culture. Though comedy and theatre are generally associated with the festival, many music performances range from lesser-known acts to more familiar ones. A must-visit for people looking to discover new music!

Visit Local Events or Bands

It is common for us to overlook emerging artists in our local area. However, by attending music events and gigs such as local festivals, we can discover new music and show support for our local scene.

 Even if our main focus is to wait and listen to the headlining act, we may come across a supporting artist with impressive tracks that we have yet to hear.

Additionally, we might connect and share our music knowledge with like-minded music enthusiasts who could suggest new songs that align with our tastes.

Wrapping Up

If you are looking for music discovery tools that stray from the ordinary, mainstream options, these apps are worth experimenting with. This is especially true if you want to discover music you have never heard before. So, stop what you are doing and download these tools and apps today!