Are you tired of your music library and in dire need of finding new tunes? You can search billions if not millions of songs with just click-through streaming services like Spotify and Pandora but it will take too much time to go over each list. So where do you start? You could ask a friend or depend on social media and the various charts out there, but there are also tons of gizmos to help you find great music based on what you already like.
Here are 10 lesser-known tools and platforms you can use to discover new music:
One of the geekiest ways to discover new music but totally worth the try. Cmd.to fm uses a command line interface as a music player which is a one-of-a-kind concept compared to other web music players. This could be both fun and fascinating for those who aren’t familiar to such a design due to its originality and ease of use.
One of the lesser known tools and platforms to discover new music, cmd.to fm makes it easier for listeners to search fresh tracks. All you have to do is type in a particular genre to play in the command line and it will automatically play random songs that falls on that genre. This is one of the coolest and effortless ways to look for music you are not familiar with.
To quote CNET:
Listening to MagicPlaylist feels like listening to a version of Pandora where you can see which songs are coming up.
With MagicPlaylist, you can create Spotify playlists in a snap, while potentially discovering new music along the way. MagicPlaylist is a Web app that uses an algorithm and the Spotify API to create playlists based on songs you give it.
It’s also easy to use. You just have to type in a song title and it will instantly produce a playlist for you. You can save that list to Spotify afterwards and delete songs/tracks that you do not like through their edit and save feature.
Music discovery powered by friends.
Is a music social network that mixes technology and the good old fashion method of music discovery — friends! The platform allows users to share any track they are listening to at the moment. The shared track is then coined as cymbal. Other users can also comment and like on your cymbals and start a music discussion with you. These whole easy interaction adds up to Cymbal’s social vibe which gives it an edge over competing services.
One of the lesser-known tools and platforms to discover new music, Trbble allows users to hear the song’s best part first. It offers 30-second previews or what we call trbble of various songs so that active users can quickly give the song an impressions. The more impressions you make, the more incentives you get as an active user. Your playback and upvote scores are then showcased on your Trbble profile.
Trbble exclusively utilizes songs and tracks from SoundCloud.
Music from humans, not robots, delivered to your inbox every day. Because people are cool.
No fancy algorithms, very little automation. Tell us your favorite genres, choose a curator whose tastes you dig, and we’ll email you a song they hand-picked just for you every day, Monday-Friday.
Some of us are experts, some are musicians. Others are just music nerds. More than anything, we’re a rag-tag team of volunteer curators who live and breathe music and keep up with lesser-known artists.
Aside from its cool colors and interface, A Song A Day is uncomplicated to use. You just have to give out your e-mail address, choose any particular genres that you like and, depending on your preference, you can also select a curator. Then you’ll receive new and fresh daily music recommendations in your inbox. Easy peasy, don’t you think?
A music chart powered by SoundCloud, Rising.fm gets its data from social media sites and has a basic ranking algorithm to produce music in top charts. In simpler terms, it’s just an effortless way to discover famous and trending tracks on SoundCloud.
SoundCloud addicts and music junkies will truly appreciate this lesser-known tool/platform to discover new music.
A music discovery platform that presents cleverly curated playlists designed and put together by 120 experts and leading DJs from Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Paris. The track selection you’ll mostly find on 22 Tracks falls under electronic, techno, house, and electronic dance music genres but there are also distinct choices of hip-hop, folk, jazz, rock, and a liberal combination of other styles and sounds.
22 Tracks mainly focuses on personalized suggestions rather than algorithms and as the name itself suggests, all playlists contain only 22 tracks together with short information about the DJ or person that created the list.
A more interactive music discovery tool that promotes open communication with DJs and listeners through the chat function. Moreover, Chew.tv lets DJs create a live stream of their sets and allows users to replay it on a later time.
So basically it’s a live streaming portal that enables you to watch your favourite DJs perform anywhere at your own time. With regards to music discovery, most tracks or sets found in this platform are under techno, dance, house, and EDM genres.
Wonder is a platform for indie music discovery. It’s a place to find and follow the best new music as soon as it’s released.
Any music lover who digs minimalistic interfaces will love Wonder. You can easily go through the artists and select whoever you like, click the more like this button and and be provided with a list of similar artists. Even if you are not that tech-savvy, or are new to applications and platforms like these, it won’t take long until you get used to Wonder. The number format they use to showcase artists is actually helpful. All controls on their page are also easily understandable.
Furthermore, Wonder uses trending tracks from SoundCloud and shows 99% of them to their users. Most music from this app falls under techno and house categories as well with a fair share of hip-hop music.
We don’t care about being cool, we care about being functional.
Muru is the easiest music app for all ages, designed for those with no technical or musical knowledge. With every play, Muru will help you discover all the music you love.
Muru is similar to Spotify’s Discover Weekly. The platform creates personalized playlists that introduces new and upcoming artists. However, unlike Spotify, Muru allows you to pick two genres that you like and tailor fit the playlist selection according to your preference.
You will also love its sleek design and easy-to-use controls. The application will leave you in awe on how it compiles the kind of songs that you like. Additionally, it lets you control how long your playlist should be and you can tweak each track’s tempo and energy.
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