Online Sources For Great New Songs
Let’s cut to the chase: this list will show you where great new songs live. Start with any of these services. Most are free and a few have “free trials.” Everyone pretty much wants the same benefits – ease of use and a wide variety of available songs – so for newbies there’s really not a lot of difference. Just dive in to the one that’s most comfortable and be patient. Your chosen platform will “find you.” Weird though it may feel, the world of AI will work for you. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Originally posted August 24, 2022; updated July 12, 2024)
Remember: Close your eyes. Open your mind. Trust your ears. This will be fun!
YouTube
It’s free, simple and contains a huge library of popular music. Start by watching a few favorite song videos to give their AI some guidance. Then follow the suggestions to see new music you might like. With patience, YouTube can dial in your preferences quite well. This method is recommended by radio and music professionals. Begin listening here (shameless plug!) and have fun exploring.
Bandcamp.com
Bandcamp has become my favorite go-to website for all things new and weird. Small local band without a record deal? Probably there. Established band making a comeback? Probably there. Singer/songwriter you just saw at the coffeehouse? Yep. Bandcamp is a site for emerging musicians who are working the DIY angle without the help of a music label. Listens are free (within reason), and proceeds go directly to the performer with only a minimal cut taken by the website (and on special days, the site takes no cut at all!). I love Bandcamp. It’s busking for the new millennium. Go, listen, and please… be generous when you throw something in the hat.
Apple Music
The “800 pound gorilla” of music services, Apple is the biggest online streaming service at 50+ million songs. Throw in artist-release exclusives, live performances and member-specific radio stations, and it’s got an edge over Amazon, its nearest competitor. Those artist exclusives work both ways, though, as some artists may not be available on Apple, only Amazon. Users also report that Apple is stronger than Amazon with genres such as country and new age. Overall, a fast and simple place to begin your quest, especially if you’re already in the Apple universe.
Amazon Music
Have an Amazon account? You already have access to this streaming service. Handy, huh? Just another way for them to sell stuff but that’s a whole ‘nother blog post. Most questions are answered here. Tiered membership levels mean sometimes musical search results are out of your tier. There are reports of gaps in the availability for hard rock/metal music. Uploading your own CD library is not an option. “Play Similar Music” option on artist pages is surprisingly effective. But, you know… Jeff Bezos. Just sayin’.
Pandora
One of the earliest personalized streaming services and still strong. Plug in some favorite artists and create a custom stream of similar music. The vetting process to objectively identify musical traits for their song database is staggering. Genre, tempo, instrumentation, and more than a dozen other data points are logged for making suggestions. Other services have similar AI but Pandora got it “rightest” first. Create genre-based streams — punk, classical, jazz, etc. — and shuffle those diverse streams into a separate, totally crazy stream, should you wish.
Radioooo.com
World and international music lovers rejoice! This is a world-wide musical time machine. Start with a country or region, pick a preferred decade, and hear a location and date-specific music stream. Brazil, 1950? Done. Israel, 1970? Done. Italy, 1930? Yes. This is a great site to crack open your head and expose yourself to wonderful – and often forgotten – world culture. Highly recommended, if only for a brief visit. The demo on the homepage alone is worth a visit. Blessedly mellow.
Live 365
Ground zero for budding internet broadcasters to create and curate their own online “station” with music rotations, voice tracks and even the option to air paid ads. Create your own or to listen to any of the thousands of others that have been lovingly home-crafted. Find genre-specific weirdness curated by truly passionate freaks who want to blow your mind. Sure, there’s lots of cheese and chaos, but so what? That’s the fun! Pan through the gravel. You WILL find true and glorious musical nuggets.
— Special shout-out to Live 365’s The Barrel Of Rock, created by radio veteran Matthew Arnett (“Matthew In The Morning”). He’s created a station that sounds like the old album-oriented rock we all grew up with but he’s including vital new music as well — just like REAL AOR used to do! Full disclosure: this was the once and perhaps future home of the the Hip Therapy Radio Hour. The Barrel of Rock has my full endorsement.
Even More
Let’s not forget over-the-air radio. “What?” you say, “You blast that kind of crap radio all the time as useless!” I do, indeed. At least commercial radio. Public broadcasting is another story. Most public stations have a vigorous online presence, playing interesting and new music. Not surprisingly, most of are affiliated with colleges. KCRW, KEXP, KXLU, KUTX and KCR (my first station) are just some. Give college broadcasters a listen. If you like what you hear, make a donation.
Secondary shout-out to KCSN/”88.5 The SoCal Sound.” This awesome local (for me) college station out of California State University, Northridge, sounds as professional and polished as any of the big commercial broadcasters but they play the best genuinely alternative music I’ve heard since “rock of the 80s” KROQ. Staffed with well-known LA DJs/music-heads and supported almost exclusively by listener donations, the station fights the traditional college radio battle: how to deliver the most terrific music possible despite a tiny signal. Added plus in that battle: their app rocks. Listen for an hour. You’ll be hooked.
And a tertiary shout-out (I’ll stop soon) to Daryl “Dirty D” James’ DirtyRadio.FM. Daryl is the king of hard rock for the Inland Empire region of Southern California – San Bernardino/Riverside/Redlands. He’s also the first person in my circle of friends to actually create an indie online radio station (read the Hip Therapy interview of how he did it here). Innovative, hard, crunchy, punky, current as hell and with great picks from the past, if you like an edgier sound to your music, try this out. And there’s an app! The songs are fab, the imaging is funny and it will hold you for hours of listening.
Do you know a source I haven’t listed? Please let me know in the comments section below – and thanks!
# # #
Close your eyes. Open your mind. Trust your ears.
Make a purchase today from HipTherapyMusic.Com’s poster gallery!
