How we discover new music

Subject: How we discover new music
From: Will Fly
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 05:46 AM

All the fuss over here about the change of presenter on a folk radio programme got me musing on the actual value, these days, of such programmes - and whether they have as much real influence these days in bringing new music to people.

When I was in my teens and twenties the radio and then the TV were core sources for discovering music, and certain weekly programmes were a 'must' and couldn't be missed: "Pick Of The Pops", "Jazz Record Requests", "Country Meets Folk", etc. - pick your own - and certain presenters (who I've mentioned elsewhere) such as Mike Raven, Charlie Gillett and Alexis Korner were essential guides.

When I started to play music myself, the networking (we didn't call it that then) with other musicians became a vital part of discovering new music. "Hey, have you heard so-and-so?" But I think that much of this has changed - not just because of the vast resources available on the net - but also because networking with other musicians has, for me at any rate, also become more complex. We not only discuss music and musicians face to face, we send each other links to YouTube or SoundCloud; we email music files in abc or tab to each other; we put up files on our websites and raid others.

Radio and TV in its conventional forms as a source of discovery - for me - play much less of a part in all this and are far less influential than they used to be. Furthermore, the rise of internet radio, with programmes dedicated solidly to a musical genre, has made the process of discovery far more complex and interesting.

Always assuming, of course, that you still want to discover new music...

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 05:59 AM

For me, radio still plays a part. But only for music that I don't know much about.

Meaning that I listen to shows such as Tom Ravenscroft and Marc Riley on 6Music, and that's where I might discover some rock band or hip-hop that I hadn't heard before - because those are worlds that I'm out of touch with.

Whereas folk music I generally discover through online "word of mouth". Facebook friends of friends. Or live music promoters that I trust. Or record labels that tend to put out "the sort of stuff I like".

Sometimes I'll even deliberately search on bandcamp or soundcloud using keywords like "folk" "psych folk" or "traditional", or using names of performers I like as keywords. It sometimes introduces me to new stuff I'd never have otherwise heard of

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 01:21 PM

Word of mouth from friends is a wonderful thing, but from t'Internet one of my main sources is YouTube - I subscribe to various people who post videos of a wide range of artists both new and established, and that's lead me to some great new discoveries.

To name but two, Peter Simmonds is great for UK stuff, and accordionfleu has lead me to some wonderful French and Northern European bands.

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: gnu
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 01:39 PM

Yes, Steve. I often type in musicians/bands/genres I am interested in and view the vids YT "chooses" to display because they are similar or related. I have found many new "sources" of music that fit my taste and some that never have fit my taste as often as not. It can actually be kinda fun. Ya miss - ya hit. When ya hit, it's fun.

And, of course, such a "search" applies to anything... YT offers the world. Today, I typed in 'fried rice' and spent a while learning. Amazing resource this internut.

Subject: RE: How we discover new musicq
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 04:48 PM

Almost exactly the same as Matt for me. I also get a lot of stuff sent to the label, but 9 times out of 10 it's from people who haven't checked out what we're about...

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 05:10 PM

Mudcat and Spotify and YouTube have led me to a whole world of new music. If somebody posts an interesting song on Mudcat, I go looking for it on Spotify and YouTube. If I like the song, I listen to the entire album on Spotify or search YouTube for other recordings by the same artist, and that exposes me to lots of new music.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: GUEST,Mikedoe
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 05:47 PM

And check out Livetrad.com for traditional Irish music vids

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 06:24 PM

When you've sated yourselves on Spotify and YouTube finding new music, how many of you then go on to actually pay for the artists' recordings these days?

Radio used to cause that to happen, and generated royalties from plays as well, so it was a double advantage to the musicians, writers and payers of recording costs.

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 07:09 PM

Well, my records show I've spent about $50,000 on recordings in the last twenty years. Spotify and YouTube have introduced me to much of the stuff I've purchased recently, and they've helped me to avoid stuff I'd listen to once or never. My son the musician tells me that Spotify royalties are slim, but at least they pay something. I believe some musicians derive limited income from YouTube, also - but my son hasn't received a penny from the thousands of YouTube videos people have posted of his band.

There's no doubt that the business model for music recordings needs revision. It needs to be fair to the performer and fair to the consumer. As it is now, only the middleman makes money in the music market.


But YouTube and Spotify are great ways to introduce people to new music. How else are people going to know? Watch the videos. Buy my kid's recordings.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 07:00 AM

Catching stuff live, Facebook, You Tube, Word of mouth, Spotify ........ Radio (but not BBC very often).

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 07:31 AM

" When you've sated yourselves on Spotify and YouTube finding new music, how many of you then go on to actually pay for the artists' recordings these days? "

well, I do. But I suspect I'm fairly unusual. Doubly so in that I pay for downloads and don't even buy CDs anymore. I have an emusic subscription, which accounts for most of my listning, and I occasionally buy things off Bandcamp or iTunes.

Mind you, eMusic can't pay musicians much. I pay £10.99 a month, which usually gets me two albums. Sometimes even three.

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 08:45 AM

When you've sated yourselves on Spotify and YouTube finding new music, how many of you then go on to actually pay for the artists' recordings these days?

Well this year as a result of YouTube discoveries I've bought

the most recent Naragonia Quartet CD and also their excellent tunebook,

Gilles Le Bigot's excellent Empreintes #2,

and I also think I discovered the wonderful flute player Calum Stweart via t'Internet and have bought two of his CDs this years (the excellent duo with Heikki Bourgault and the just-arrived duo with Lauren MacColl).

So, Guest, don't assume we're all freetards ...

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: Will Fly
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 10:52 AM

There's no doubt that the business model for music recordings needs revision. It needs to be fair to the performer and fair to the consumer. As it is now, only the middleman makes money in the music market.

Well said, Joe. The rise in musicians doing their own thing - creating their own recordings and promotion and their own sales - and taking a better share of the money coming in - is a good thing. IMO.

As far as buying stuff I've heard on the net, I've bought two or three complete albums this year - the latest one being a download of of solo fiddling by MacDara Ó Raghallaigh ("Ego Trip"), which I heard through a link posted on a recent Mudcat thread, as it happens.

I use Spotify - but really as a comparison/research site when I want to check out various versions of a tune, or find out some music info. I also use Amazon and eBay for s/h or used CDs.

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: Mr Happy
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 11:21 AM

Will,

Concur with gist of your OP

Even when I'd infrequently listen to F on 2, or C meets F etc long ago, I always got the impression of a kind of clubby, cosy tweeness of the types of musics presented.

Being a player, I got new stuff from the various gatherings of other players both in my area & further afeild.

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Oct 12 - 11:00 AM

How I get new pieces today:

1. Somebody starts a thread here, and I look for the tune and decide I like it.

2. I go to a concert and decide I like it.

3. I do a google search such as "Minuet MIDI" or "Praetorius MIDI." (Michael Praetorius was a noted early composer and editor.)

4. I sing something interesting in church.

5. I delve into O'Neill's Music of Ireland and find a tune I hadn't noticed before.

I don't download any performances. I've already got enough music around the house for three people.

5. I really like something I hear on a CD I own, and I look for the music on the net. Trouble with this is, I rarely play any of my recordings. They just sit around, taking up space.

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 22 Oct 12 - 06:34 PM

I've been managing without radio for quite a while now, which seems weird when I think about it - even after Peel had been exiled to the graveyard shift I was a regular listener to Mixing It and discovered quite a few people that way, from Bill Frisell to the Magnetic Fields. But I seem to manage.

I've bought a few records on the strength of reviews alone; I got into three of my all-time favourite bands that way (the Beta Band, the Shins and the Earlies), so I wouldn't knock it. (You do end up kissing a fair few frogs.) Youtube can be handy; I discovered Beirut, another of my ATFBs, when a friend's blog linked to one of their videos.

Compilations are great for new names, as are guest slots - when I was into dance music I discovered a lot of people because they'd remixed, or been remixed by, somebody I already knew.

I'm not on Spotify. While I do use Bandcamp myself, I don't listen to much music on Bandcamp or Soundcloud or Myspace. What's worse, although I have been known to part people with their money on Bandcamp, I very rarely download anything myself that I have to pay for. (I'm pretty scrupulous about paying for anything that ought to be paid for; I just don't download that much.)

And when it comes to traditional music, I've got a little list. When I get to the end of that I'll let you know.

Subject: RE: How we discover new music
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 22 Oct 12 - 08:36 PM

While I listen to folk music on the radio and at local folk venues, I'm another person who often finds new music on YouTube, where one song leads to another. I'm reading Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge and early on came to the title Roast Beef of Old England and had to hear the song again, so I went to YouTube. Among the suggestions on the left was a version of Leave her, Johnny, which I also listened to. So far, traditional songs which are generally my favorites. Then on the right I saw Mordred's Lullaby by Heather Dale. Well, I didn't know the song or singer, but I couldn't pass up that title, so I played that one too and liked it, so I listened to several more by her. I asked a friend who hosts a radio.program if she'd heard of Heather, and she said yes, through Pandora, which I have rarely gone to on the Internet. In fact I probably couldn't even log on now, because I think I needed a password which I can't remember!