Find New Music

By: Jason Fladlien
Date: 2006-09-05

Most of the best music made this year will go unheard.

We have the Jane from Boston, who wants to find new music to make her feel good. She is not finding it on the radio. Myspace isnt cutting it for her, as its more of a hassle to deal with new friend requests from mediocre bands than it is to find good music.

She resorts to her collection of old classics, listening to Dave Matthews Bands "Under the Table and Dreaming" album and 3 Doors Down. Jane thinks, "Id love to hear a band that took the Dave Matthews Band style and gave it an edgier 3 Doors Down sound. Thatd be something Id want to check out."

Meanwhile, The Break Room from Nashville are struggling, playing in clubs for 15-20 people a night. Those people love the Break Room, and the heck of it is that the Break Room puts on an excellent show. Maybe Nashville isnt the best place for the Break Rooms music, which happens to be a marriage of two styles: that of the Dave Matthews Band and 3 Doors Down.

Heres the facts. Almost 300,000,000 people live in the United States. To go platinum in the music business it takes 1,000,000 records sold. So for the Break Room, 97 out of 100 people could hate them. But if the other three bought their album, thats platinum.

Yet Jane is doomed to miss her potential new favorite band, and the Break Room will probably die an artist death from a lackluster career, because they couldnt connect to those 3 people out of a 100 who wanted to hear them.

I have written this article to give you some tips on how you can find the band that is writing music specifically for you to hear.

It Just Takes Asking...

How many times have you bought a CD and was disappointed when you got home and listened to it? Ill show you a cool technique that will stop this from ever happening again.

This works especially good at Borders Book Store but Ive had success with it everywhere. If you ask nicely, theyll almost always let you listen to a CD before you buy it. Its not limited to the ones at the listening pod. Just simply ask an employee if there is any way you can listen to the CD you are tempted to buy. The only time they say no is when they only have one or two copies left.

This is a very convenient way to check out new music and its better than downloading sample mp3s for many reasons. First, the sound quality is better. Second, it is less time consuming and you dont have to worry about viruses. And lastly, you get the actual listening experience as its intended to be. This means a more pleasureable experience for you!

Experiment. When was the last time you bought an album just because it had interesting cover art? Probably rarely if ever. Simply check an album out because the man on the cover is handsomely mysterious, or because you wonder if that guy in the clown suit really can play a mean guitar.

Its simple. Just grab a CD that you are contemplating purchasing, ask a worker if you can hear the album first because you arent sure if you want to buy it, and 95 times out of a 100 your request will be fulfilled. They want you to make purchases at their store that you are happy with, so they are willing to help you out.

Familiarity Breeds Cool Music

Last time I was at my Dads house I looked through his CD collection and found the following:

• Metallica: Master of Puppets
• Cherry Poppin Daddys: Zoot Suit Riot
• George Strait: Strait out the Box, box set
• Ray Charles: Genuis Loves Company
• Straiht Wikid Crew: Kali Yuga Demolition Vol. 1

Wow. I never knew how diverse my Dads musical tastes were until I actually looked at his CDs. What a cool guy! Everything from metal (metallica) to rap (Straiht Wikid Crew).

The Cherry Popping Daddys were a band Id heard about for many years but I had never listened to. I was never into the swing/big band style too much. I put it in the CD player and liked it. It made me want to dance. So I went out, bought the album and Im happy with the choice I made.

Your friends and family have a whole collection of music that you may be unaware of. Browse their music and check out new stuff. See what you like. Find out what you dont like. Dont spend a penny. Be in control of what you decide you should hear as opposed to what is forced upon your ears.

And do the same in return. Let others preview your music collection. This can enrich your appreciation for you favorite musicians when you are able to discuss it with a new fan who happens to be a good friend.

The Library is Still Free

Its free and now its very convenient. It s the library.

Most towns have their catalog online. I log onto the librarys card catalog from home looking for a certain CD. If they have it, I reserve it, and then I go down and pick it up.

Most libraries have inter-loan programs now, which are also searchable online. Because of this I have access to over 40 libraries. I simply reserve the CD I want and select my local library for the pick up location and 2-4 days later they call me and let me know my CD is in. I cant believe how many people dont know about this wonderful service!

The library is your musical friend. If you know this, you have thousands of albums at your finger tips for free.

MySpace & Beyond

In space nobody can you hear you scream. In myspace, you can hear anybody scream who has a cheap computer microphone and knows how to upload an mp3.

Its a cesspool of music that isnt so pleasing.

Here is what I like to do to kill the clutter. I find a great band that I already like. I then locate their myspace page. Often times I try myspace.com/bandname first. If I cant find anything there I do a search for them on myspace and they either come up or a fan that is in love with them will come up. I then go to that persons myspace page and 4 times out of 5 that band is in her top 8 friends. Click away.

I like Neutral Milk Hotel. I tried myspace.com/neutralmilkhotel and their page came up. Now heres what I do. I look at Neutral Milks top 8. Often times these bands have bands they like in their top 8. So I check out THEIR favorite bands. I found a cool band called Donkey Boy on myspace by using this tactic. Who will you find?

Conclusion

I know you want to find music you love, and you want to find it quickly and conveniently, without spending a bunch of money. If you follow these tips in this article, I can assure that your life will be enriched with wonderful music with little effort on your part. All glories to you!

-- Jason Fladlien