Juke Box Hero

There is a lot of music in the world.  Almost too much.  A lot of that music is good music.  Music worth listening to.  What is a lonely fan of music to do?  Collect it, of course!
Collecting music can be a stressful, time-consuming experience, but if it’s done right, it’s well worth the effort.  Music collecting isn’t just something I do; it’s a full-fledged hobby.  I get as much as I put in, and it’s a very rewarding experience.

Know your Preferences

Let’s get this out of the way right now: you do not like all music.  Each of us has a unique set of preferences that should guide us to the kind of music we most connect with.  I’m not saying that you have to choose one genre; I recommend exploring all genres of music.  Just make note of the qualities you don’t like: that list will be much shorter and will help you make important decisions about musical tastes later on down the road.  It’s important to keep and open mind, but it’s more important to know yourself and your preferences.

The Hunting Grounds

To find good music, you have to look for it.  I mean more than turning on the radio, although with HD Radio that is now changing.  If you don’t want to shell out the cash for an HD Radio just yet, there are other options.  Create a Myspace profile dedicated to keeping tabs on artists you like.  Social network sites are a great place to check out smaller bands.  I know from personal experience that said small-time bands are grateful for the attention.  Many offer free downloads.  Once, I found a pretty rockin’ folk-rock group based in Seattle.  They had tracks up from their first LP on their Myspace, but I couldn’t find where they were selling the full album.  I messaged them about it, and they mailed me a copy for free!  Sites like Myspace are a great way to keep in touch with bands.
An indispensable resource I’ve found in my search for good music has been internet radio.  Sites like Pandora, in which you enter an artist or a song you like, and the site creates a custom radio station built around musical influences found in that reference.
Independent CD distributors, such as CD Baby of Portland, Oregon, are built around the concept of finding good music.  In-depth editor reviews, a sale bin, and the chance to sample each track of any given CD, sites like these are an invaluable resource.
Even Wikipedia has lead me to some great finds.  Often band members of bands you know you like will have side projects, or previous projects.  A lot of good music in this world is connected.  It’s your job to follow those connections.

Keep an Open Ear

You never know when or where you’ll find good music.  I always keep a pen and paper around me so I can write down names of artists when I hear them, whether it is on the radio, late night television, or through a conversation with friends.
You can’t be afraid to try something new.  Make sure you’ve explored an artist fully before casting them off, or that genre.  Part of finding good music is listening to some bad music, but you’ve got to be sure.  You aren’t going to do that by seeing a “country” label on some artist and automatically skipping over them, are you?

Explore your City

Don’t be afraid to walk into a club downtown to check out some band you’ve never heard of.  Become familiar with local venues; pay attention to what kind of bands play at each venue and find your favorites.  There is a lot of good music that never leaves the city it’s born in.  Chat up the band members after a show you really enjoyed.  Local musicians often know and have worked with each other, a sort of community of musicians.  Get to know them, praise them, buy their record.  Ask them about upcoming shows they’re going to.  Chat about common music interests.  A great jumping-off point is a local record store.  The employees should be knowledgeable about local artists.  Not all good music comes out of L.A. and New York.  You may be surprised at the depth of the music community right in your backyard.

Where to Buy?

iTunes, thankfully, is not the only resource for purchasing music.  There are many online retailers that have a very wide selection.  I’ll start with the obvious: Amazon.com is a great site to buy music from.  They have a mp3 download option, which is convenient if you don’t want to wait for CD’s to ship.
The aforementioned CD Baby has an excellent selection of independent artists.  Their editors review every album that comes through, and lets you in what they think.
The best resource, however, for building your music library is local record shops.  Often times they will carry big name artists, along with local independents.

Know of any other great resources?  Feel free to comment.  Be sure to give links!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS