I just saw this wonderful video that has made me think about how we expose ourselves to new music and the constant reshaping of our musical libraries into interesting directions.
I thought I would start off the New Year with something a little different: What channels do you look for new music? I find that I go through fits and spurts with seeking out new music. Suddenly I will get onto a trail that leads me to song after song, or I'm just loving a lot of the music that I'm hearing around me. I try to constantly expose myself to new music from the Zunior playlists and the wonderful Edmonton Public Library system, but it takes a few months to compile playlists and actually get them into regular rotation on my iPod unless I'm planning a long road trip.
One feature of iTunes that I really love is the Genius function. You pick a song that you like, and Genius formulates a playlist of songs that are similar to that song in the same style and genre. This is great to incorporate songs you love with new music that is already in your library, but not in common rotation. There is also the genius sidebar (a little play arrow on the bottom right corner next to the genius icon) that will show you bands that you may like that you don't yet have. When you are perusing the iTunes store, often there are playlists from other users that that song is on, which is useful to find other artists similar in style that you may enjoy.
Outside of the iTuniverse, I love listening to CBC Radio 2 to get new Canadian music into my library, and also watching the local venues to see who is coming to town in the next few months, as seeing live music performed is an awesome way to get to know a band. There are a also few Podcasts that are around as well that broaded the auditory horizons, like CBC Radio 3 R3-30, Zunior and Under the Radar. Another wonderful revolution in this digital age are the internet playlists that you can create like Grooveshark, which you can then pick other playlists much like in iTunes. I also love the Shazam app, picking songs off the TV and radio, which is useful for more well known songs.
Last but not least, my friends! Let me know what you are listening to, what you like, and where you find your new music. I'm loving all the end of the year lists favorite songs that show up in the dead of winter when we all need something to get excited about. I love talking about music with people; I find it's such a personal thing, and you really get to know what a person is like from what music makes them happy.
Here is a list of 15 my favorite songs from 2011
There are many other songs I could add... but I think this sums up 2011 for me. Please comment with your favorite songs at the moment, or locations that you use to find new music.
