The internet age has made an immense amount of information readily available for our consumption, summarized by the often-parroted idea that we now have “the world at our fingertips.” Prior to recorded music, listeners would have to either watch live performances or create music on their own. According to the National Park Service, technological advances in the late 19th century began to enable sound recording; individual musical works would still need to be purchased in order for audiences to hear their favorite pieces. Similarly, radio provided listeners with a greater variety of options, although the choice in programming is not regularly picked by the individual. However, the advent of the internet age would transform our musical landscape in rapid fashion. As reported by the Michigan Daily, after foundations had been laid by services such as Napster and the iTunes Music Store, music streaming grew tremendously in the years to come, leading to industry giants such as Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud becoming the main mode by which we enjoy music.
With such a revolutionary resource readily available, it seems improbable that we would still suffer from boredom or grow tired of the content surrounding us. However, as a music listener I often feel myself falling into slumps where my reliable playlists and favorite albums become less engaging or interesting. Even though my shuffle playlist contains nearly 1,500 songs, I find myself skipping through dozens of tracks in search of something to satisfy my hyper-specific musical desires, pushing me to hunt for new sounds. In this piece I want to highlight the various means by which I attempt to find music, discussing the success and pitfalls of the internet’s enormity as a musical archive.
Beginning the discovery process can be an overwhelming task; there is no end to what we may access through the online world, and the sheer quantity of content becomes difficult to effectively sort through. One of my consistent starting places is RateYourMusic (RYM). Although one may initially be turned off by the archaic user interface of the site, RYM offers its users a highly efficient method of searching for releases. The charts section of the site enables one to sort through works by a number of quantifiers, such as year of release, highest average rating, number of ratings, release format, genres, descriptor adjectives, locations and languages. These quantifiers can be combined to form a highly specified search based on the user’s interests, enabling one to narrow down the vastness of streamable music into a list of options. Additionally, user-created lists enable fans to create a catalog of recommendations with detailed descriptions, typically based around a particular theme or style. Some of my favorites include “Strange Music Behind The Iron Curtain,” “Spacemo,” “Hypnagogic Pop: A Contemporary History of Underwater Pop Nostalgia (2006-’20)” and “500 Experimental and Avant-Garde Albums Everyone Should Check Out”. Whether you’re searching for classics and genre staples or obscure albums that seldom see the light of day, RYM’s charts and lists will help you more effectively guide your musical explorations.
Another avenue for new discoveries is YouTube. The website’s algorithm is surprisingly apt at recommending albums and songs based off of what one is currently listening to, presenting the audience with a sidebar of recommendations enjoyed by those who clicked on the same album as the listener. Although the ability to browse is far less specific than RYM’s search engine, YouTube’s recommendations are remarkably satisfying, providing listeners with a more randomized, indeterminate means of discovery. Additionally, creators such as deep cuts and Polyphonic create in-depth, well-edited videos for fans of music to survey new styles, including pieces on genre introductions, music history and discography guides. Other channels serve as album archives typically focused on a particular style or genre, such as sweetbabyjaysus uploading ’90s alternative, independent and hardcore music. Finally, my favorite music channel Amoeba is home to the series “What’s In My Bag?” which features artists record shopping while describing the personal appeal or importance of their chosen albums. This is a fantastic way to understand a musician’s influences through the projects they recommend, enabling the audience to find new music by exploring their favorite artist’s highlighted purchases.
The final way in which I seek out new music is through the recommendation of others. In conversations, I often discuss recent listening with friends who I know are interested in the subject, taking mental note of their particular favorites at the moment. Spotify’s activity tab is another way of keeping up to date with the listening habits of your followers, which can provide a fresh influx of music for one to explore. Additionally, the mobile app also offers a listening party feature by which you and another person can queue up songs and listen alongside one another, found by clicking on the bottom left button resembling a speaker that appears when you have a song taking up your screen.
With a variety of resources at one’s disposal, it seems unlikely that musical boredom should ever be a consistent issue for a dedicated listener. However, it may be the vast amount of content consumed by music listeners that drives us to often feel tired or bored of an entire art form. Streaming offers us essentially any piece of music we want at a moment’s notice, with little active consideration on our part as to how this is both technologically possible and radically incongruent with music consumption in past centuries. One should consider the possibility that we do not need music in every moment of silence available to us; our listening burnouts may be brought upon us by an overabundance of options instead of a perceived lack of choices. Music will remain fulfilling and exciting if it is used to complement our lives and accompany us in moments of true want rather than simply filling a void without intent, a practice of reasonable moderation to combat cycles of musical boredom.