Have you ever felt like you were no longer in the loop when it comes to new music? “Have you heard Beyonce’s new song?!” “Did you get tickets for that gig?” “It went to number 1!”. None of us like to feel left out when it comes to the hottest new songs, the latest summer smash, or that killer album everybody’s talking about.
Here are a number of methods to stay up to date with the best music and most anticipated releases.
1. Social media
Following your favourite artists and bands on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook will ensure that you are constantly in the know about what’s out and what’s coming next. Artists promote themselves and their music this way as it’s the easiest outlet to connect with their fans.
2. Radio
Every day, mainstream and unsigned artists by the thousands send radio stations their newest music. Getting your song played on a well-known station is a guarantee of building a following. Radio stations stay up to date with the newest tunes to keep their listeners interested, and they usually have a show dedicated to the bestselling and newest tracks.
3. Music blogs
Another way of artists promoting their music is by sending the files to music bloggers, who hopefully in return will post the song with a quick review. Finding a blog that mirrors your interests should be easy enough, as there are thousands of music blogs out there today, click the link to see a list of 20 top music blogs today.
4. YouTube
Subscribing to YouTube channels allows an artist to notify you when they upload a new video or song. The best part about YouTube is that it will also recommend similar videos and songs to you, so you can discover more music along the way.
5. Spotify
As a premium member of Spotify you have access millions of songs on demand, and it will constantly suggest new music for you based on your listening activity. Ready made playlists, radio, and social interactivity allows further music discovery.
6. Hype Machine
This website aggregates the most recently blogged mp3s and showcases them on their homepage. Users have the ability to “Love” songs, which adds them to their “Loved List”. Some artists have their own pages on The Hype Machine, and with a user count this high, this is a personal favourite.
7. Soundcloud
Thousands of artists upload their music directly to Soundcloud as it is another outlet to connect with their fans and share their music across the web. An average 12 hours of audio is uploaded every minute, so there is more than enough music to be discovered here!
8. NoiseTrade
Thousands of albums, completely free and legal. This site allows users to discover new artists and songs and grab a song, album or live session by supplying their contact info. A great way for artists to build a following and for fans to be up to date with new releases.
There are numerous sites and networks that will offer more ways of discovering new music and the latest releases, but these are my first go-to’s.