How To Find Your New Favourite Band – Part I – Online

Music is constantly evolving, and so is the way it is shared.

Not too long ago the Internet didn’t exist in the form it is in today and was not a way to listen to and share music. In the past 4 or 5 years technology has evolved immensely and now it is the norm to stream music on your PC without a second though.

With so many choices and ways to listen to music online how do you know you’re not missing out on a great band or artist? How can you trudge through the endless averageness of tracks and find that one song which you will play on repeat for weeks on end?

This post give an extensive list of the best websites and programs to listen to and share music online.

MySpace – The ultimate way to find out about a band, from here you can usually find links to other sites and media.

Facebook – Up and coming way for bands and artists to interact with fans.

Twitter – 140 character nuggets of news from bands and artists, speak directly to them.

Last.FM – Offers band radio, free streams and an extensive catalogue.

Pandora/Rhapsody/BBC Radio and many more… – Online radio offers you the chance to listen to tracks for free. There are millions of radio stations who broadcast online out there, the hard part my be finding one which plays tracks you like.

We7 – Streaming is the new black. We7 offers you the chance to stream music directly from your browser without even signing up. The website also often streams albums before they have been released. Similar websites include Deezer, LaLa and many more.

Spotify – Currently one of the simplest and quickest ways to stream almost any music imaginable, Spotify is my weapon of choice. Once signed up all you need to do is download the software and listen to singles, albums, EP’s and compilation albums all for free.

Blogs like Indiescreet are a great way to hear independent opinions on new bands and tracks. There are millions of blogs out there, it’s just a case of finding ones you like and supporting them.

A good way to find great blogs is to check out blog aggregators such as Hype Machine, Elbows or MOG. Each use different ways to highlight bands, artists, news and tracks which are popular right now.

SoundCloud – Offers a great way to share and receive tracks from bands and artists. Click my DropBox on the top right of this page for more information.

YouTube – An obvious choice, a great way to watch videos, interviews and more which have been uploaded by record labels, bands and fans.

Amazon, iTunes, Napster and many more… – These online stores offer the chance to preview tracks before you buy, a great way to support new artists and bands.

As you can see there are loads of great ways to find new music, bands and artists online. Which websites are your weapons of choice? Are there any resources I’ve missed off the list that you use?

This is the first part in the series, hopefully the links will be of some help when you want to find out more about a band or artist.

In the next part of this series, which will be coming soon, I shall be looking at local music scenes and how to find your new favourite band locally.

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