this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025
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Hey folks!

One of my life goals for 2025 was going back to single purpose devices and avoiding algorithm-based media consumption. No smartphones, no AIs, no Spotify.

I'm quite happy with my offline music library, even if it took a while to organize. I use MusicBee (it FINALLY runs perfectly via Wine, if you install some dependencies in your prefix) to listen, find artwork, find lyrics, create playlists and so on and I sync them to my Innioasis, a little iPod Classic clone that supports modern features like USB-C charging.

But here's the thing... how are people finding new music nowadays? I'd assume TikTok and automatic suggestions from your music streaming services, but are there alternatives?

TikTok would probably work for me if I didn't stop using social media, but I did. Apple Music's algorithm sucked tremendously when I used it in the past - it always recommended me Ed Sheeran, an artist I strongly dislike and not anywhere near adjacent to my taste in music (and tapping 'Not Interested' a million times never worked) and Spotify's worked well for a while, but then it started getting extremely repetitive and pushy, "Shuffle" became essentially "Your 10 most recently listened to songs, repeated often, and sometimes we sprinkle two suggestions you already didn't like but we think you should like actually"

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[–] smolbrain7@lemmy.world 3 points 10 hours ago

Go to raves in virtual reality, follow music curators on youtube, follow artists on Soundcloud who repost new music

[–] SolarPunker@slrpnk.net 3 points 13 hours ago

Noobs, no one mentioned the most important website for audiophiles: albumoftheyear.org

[–] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago

Go to a record store. Talk to someone who loves to talk about music. Buy something. Listen to it. Go back next week.

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 1 points 11 hours ago

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.

[–] cows_are_underrated@feddit.org 1 points 12 hours ago

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.

www.metal-archives.com, search by genre, list by release date. Disclaimer; must love metal.

[–] tasankovasara@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 day ago

I've subbed Pitchfork's album reviews RSS. They tend to namedrop influences and contemporaries and that's what's keeping this 46 year old picking up 2025 albums (bit proud of the fact) :D

[–] Nikls94@lemmy.world -2 points 14 hours ago

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

[–] Hikermick@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

College radio. It can be a little more "work" because the format changes with the deejay. Their shows usually last a couple hours and come on once a week. You can't just tune in and expect to hear a certain genre. It's worth it though. If you have a station near you, they sometimes let anyone deejay even if they're not a student. I live in NE Ohio, the stations I've grown up with are WCSB 89.3, WRUW 91.1, WOBC 91.5, WJCU 88.7, WBWC 88.3. Also they are noncommercial so that's a bonus. You can listen through their websites and they sometimes archive shows. I've found them on the TuneIn app but the app plays commercials.

[–] wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago

There's also a decent amount of college and independent stations (not IHeartRadio, etc owned) that broadcast online, so location isn't an issue.

I know OP is trying to go for single purpose devices, but RadioDroid on F-Droid is great for listening to internet radio and has a built in station list.

[–] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 0 points 17 hours ago

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

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago

Go back in time for new music. No matter what you've listened to so far it is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a shitload ton more out there for you to find. I know what you meant but the old stuff you haven't heard is still new to you.

[–] DistrictSIX@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago

Go through a list of the biggest festivals worldwide and check out all artists in their line up each year. The best festivals tend to have a solid and varied list of artists with current releases worth checking out. If you're into a particular genre, there are reputable festivals for specific genres to check out.

But don't forget that a lot of music is not new but new to you. I listen to a lot of stuff that's new to me, but very little of it has been released more recently than the early eighties :⁠-⁠)

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

[–] Kepion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 day ago

Surprised KEXP hasn't been mentioned here, always good to trawl through their live shows on youtube to find new bands

[–] bl4kers@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

Highly recommend SomaFM

[–] Arkouda@lemmy.ca 32 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I still find music the old school way, either through people I know recommending it or hearing it randomly in my travels.

[–] Poop@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I often do this too, sometimes I ask people for recommendations, hear a song on a show, or hear something in passing I like. Some of my coworkers have given me great recommendations especially.

[–] Superdooper@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I find more good quality music on community radio stations compared to the algorithmic recommendations from Apple Music. I wonder if this is because the community radio host is just playing music that they genuinely like as opposed to whoever pays the most to be on a discovery playlist.

[–] Superdooper@lemmy.world 1 points 20 hours ago

I listen to Triple R: https://www.rrr.org.au/ There might be some good community stations in your area though

[–] Hr24@aussie.zone 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Community/College Radio is such an under utilised source IMO. No pay to play artists. Often a focus on local artists. Gigs and events focussed on the community. It's the best. Do you have radio station recommendations?

[–] kerrigan778@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Go see bands live, look up who is opening for bands you like and check out their music, talk to people who go to those shows and see what they like.

[–] papalonian@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

look up who is opening for bands you like and check out their music

This one is HUGE. I've been to two shows now where I ended up liking the openers more than the main act.

[–] zerodawn@leaf.dance 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

https://www.music-map.com/

Never used the site myself as i'm still "plugged in" but i've kept this in my pocket for if i ever cut ties with music streaming. If you try it report back with your thoughts?

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm not OP, I've tried this in the past and at least for my genres it didn't provide anything new or that I would like. I saying that though, I'm not placing the site at fault.

[–] zerodawn@leaf.dance 1 points 1 day ago

That's a shame, i was holding high hopes for it. Good to know i should adjust my expectations when the time comes.

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I'm also out of mainstream media. So far I've got to music through YouTube, or should I say newpipe. I find channels that curate music I'm into, I see what they got, if something interests me then I'll make a dedicated search for the artist.

I also straightforwardly asked a couple times here on Lemmy too, I was introduced to some really cool stuff I wouldn't have found otherwise.

But I appreciate you posting this, some people are recommending new, non mainstream media ways of finding new music, that's good

[–] transscribe7891@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] Poop@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

Bandcamp is great for finding new stuff!

Sometimes I'll go to albums I like and check out other peoples collections to see what they've also bought. Some of my favorite tunes have been found this way.

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[–] ReCursing@feddit.uk 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

BBC Radio 6 Music has a very eclectic playlist, and DJs who only vaguely stick to it, playing whatever they feel like most of the time. And the DJs are obsessive music-fans as well, hunting out new music to play

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 2 points 11 hours ago

Another updoot for 6 Music, and for all the reasons you mentioned. It's on pretty much constantly at home.

[–] scytale@piefed.zip 9 points 1 day ago

I just go on youtube music (don’t need an account) and search “songs like x”. That will get you a bunch of algo and user created playlists. Then I listen to them and take note of the ones I like.

[–] miguel@fedia.io 12 points 1 day ago

Bandcamp, then I go to my favorite genres, and then look at the new stuff.

[–] hardcoreufo@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Bandcamp has given me some good recs if you go to the bottom of the page of an album you like it will have some suggestions.

I like qobuz as my streaming service. It has terrible algorithms but well written human articles about genres, bands, labels with links to important albums.

I also like browsing the record store and picking up an album based on cover. I think you can 100% judge an album by it's cover.

[–] Ludrol@szmer.info 11 points 1 day ago

RateYourMusic, Gnoosic, and the old school way: on the radio. I have one curated music program that I listen to and discover new stuff.

The YT algorithm also sometimes recommends good stuff that has few hundred views

[–] starman@programming.dev 4 points 1 day ago
[–] kbal@fedia.io 11 points 2 days ago

Well for example I saw this on mastodon recently: https://www.jwz.org/blog/2025/07/jwz-mixtape-253/

Record labels... there are many but keeping up with a few that your favorite artists are already signed to is a great way to find similar music.

[–] localbogwitch@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

I switched to Tidal because of the issues you had. I've been loads happier with the artist radios, and their "New Arrivals" playlist tailors to listening habits really well. The daily mixes can be hit or miss with serving new stuff, but overall I've been happy with the results. On top of that their audio streaming quality is excellent, especially if you have good audio equipment or care about that sort of thing.

[–] hanabatake@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/

The best album of all time of the rolling stone is a great way to discover new music for me

[–] chosensilence@pawb.social 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

i mostly visit the RateYourMusic and AlbumOfTheYear charts and occasionally i'll check out the last.fm profiles of users i find interesting. basically, i treat music like a hobby but i do so because i desire that kind of connection. i love music so i devote a lot of time to it. i have pro accounts on all three places. luckily they are relatively affordable. i think last.fm is $3 a month lol. but yeah, i'd say if you are unfamiliar with RYM or AOTY then maybe check one out.

edit: in case you're not familiar, all of those mentioned are music cataloging websites that you can create customized profiles on. last.fm will import your listening history and you can track your habits in real time. it's good for finding your stats.

[–] FritzApollo@lemmy.today 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Radio Garden has thousands of radio stations in one app, from around the world. I've found a lot of great music that way.

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Also handy if you find DJ banter distracting. Just point at at station in an unfamiliar language and it all gets reduced to background rhubarbs.

[–] FritzApollo@lemmy.today 1 points 10 hours ago

Most of the time you don't even have to do that. I choose stations with no banter at all. Just music and the occasional mention of the station's name. It's spoilt me - I can't tolerate my local FM radio any more.

[–] Bunbury 2 points 1 day ago

Last good new (to me) music I found was by going to music festivals and by YouTube randomly recommending something to me I had never heard of before.

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

When you say "new" music, do you mean actual new music, or just music that is new to you?

I have recently started listening to an artist that I missed when she was popular, Alice Deejay, it started with wanting to see the music video for the song "Castles in the sky" by Ian van Dahl, and going to Youtube, and the song "Better of alone" by Alice Deejay showed up.

So I tend to go to YT and look there.

In the past I have looked for top playlists in different categories and found music that way.

Then you have two very similar pages full of terabytes of legal free music that has some amazing stuff...

https://remix.kwed.org/ - Commodore 64 remixes

http://amigaremix.com/ - Amiga remixes

And don't forget the amazing SLAYradio, an internet radio station that plays C64 remixes and has download links to the current song playing (for the most part), I got soo much music through that place.

https://www.slayradio.org/home.php

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 day ago

I go through friends' playlists, and my daughters', too

I ask for people to make me mix CDs in lieu of gifts for the holidays

I listen to local independent radio — if you don't have your own, try ChIRP

I go to shows of bands I like and often find I like the other bands playing as well

https://crazypeople.online/c/eternalplaylist

Someone else mentioned it but this would be the route I would go as well. I've actually submitted a few things there.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

I listen to the music in the techno and EDM communities here on Lemmy. It seems like an ok approach.

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