Where do you FIND your new music?

Flink_Poyd

NME is a joke, they do comment baiting reviews mostly and cover mostly mainstream stuff while pretending to be cool. Theres a fair few sites around like this http://hypem.com/ which can be hit or miss but at least they stray from the usual path of stuff being released. I tried out Spotify today after remebering I had and account, i think I know why I didnt use it too much

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

Philly_Q said:

When I started getting into music in the late '70s, early '80s, I bought Sounds and Melody Maker.  In those days it seemed that NME were doing their best to pretend that rock and metal music didn't actually exist.  I've never bought it since.  

But to give it credit, it outlived those other papers.

I haven't read it for at least thirty years, but I seem to remember it wasn't a magazine for musicians or actually about music really, it was a lifestyle magazine written by and for people who like certain types of music in order to appear cool and who are far too much so to actually learn how to make any themselves. This is a much larger target market than actual musicians, hence why it survives.

Sounds (and I think Melody Maker) certainly covered musical instruments and equipment, they had pull-out gear sections with quite a lot of reviews.  I remember reading about the first Squier guitars which reportedly had "castor arabia" bodies (I think it was another name for some species of ash!)

The other thing about NME in those days was that it was very (left wing) political.  Individual writers for Melody Maker and Sounds weren't shy about expressing their political views, either (although reports vary on just how far-right Garry Bushell's Oi! movement may really have been).

I don't know if that political element would exist at all in the music press nowadays.

Phil_aka_Pip

ICBM said:

Philly_Q said:

When I started getting into music in the late '70s, early '80s, I bought Sounds and Melody Maker.  In those days it seemed that NME were doing their best to pretend that rock and metal music didn't actually exist.  I've never bought it since.  

But to give it credit, it outlived those other papers.

I haven't read it for at least thirty years, but I seem to remember it wasn't a magazine for musicians or actually about music really, it was a lifestyle magazine written by and for people who like certain types of music in order to appear cool and who are far too much so to actually learn how to make any themselves. This is a much larger target market than actual musicians, hence why it survives.

That's a very astute analysis.

Whereas the Maker was about music. It took it seriously, and analysed it. You felt informed when you'd read it. I discovered things through the Maker.

Deadman

I like Indie 103. Its LA based and has a great user interface (like what's playing now and recently played, along with record sleeves). You'll hear stuff on there that you'll struggle to hear other places.
http://www.indie1031.com

duotone

I like to check Anthony Fantanos youtube album reviews

TTony

Phil_aka_Pip said:

jpttaylor said:

less said about the current state of NME, the better.

NME was shite back in the 70s. You saying it's even worse now?

You say that but ....

As a spotty early teenager, living in rural Cheshire in the mid 70s, NME was my link to the musical world.  I'd buy NME each week, a mate would buy Sounds, we'd read cover to cover, then swap, and argue.

Then we'd listen to John Peel (on MW initially).

MM was for the hairies.

The problem (IMHO) today is that there are so many sources of new music that it's hard - impossible - to stay on top of them all, to listen to everything and uncover the bands that you're going to follow for the next 20, 30 or 40 years.

Too much data, not enough information.

Tom Robinson does a show on R6 music (uncovered or discovered or some such) which is OK, but it's no John Peel.

Flink_Poyd

TTony;660000" said:

The problem (IMHO) today is that there are so many sources of new music that it's hard - impossible - to stay on top of them all, to listen to everything and uncover the bands that you're going to follow for the next 20, 30 or 40 years

Its a bit of a double edge sword, if you're an artist it's easier than ever to have a platform to be heard on such as YouTube etc but for a listener it's harder and harder to find stuff you like. I end up getting a bit burnt out searching for stuff as you have endless hours of chaff to get close to any wheat.
The old days of the mix tape really did have their merits even though it was piracy

darcym

I struggle to find new music I like, I've found some great recommendations from this site, I see people / bands shown in some of the magazines I've read that I've liked, and actually some services like last.fm analyse your listening and make recommendations, if you go 2 - 3 pages in, rather than the big named ones, I've found some gems.

octatonic

Mostly from Drew.

d8m

David Cameron's IPod.

Finger on the pulse that lad!