Use Regular Old YouTube to Discover New Music
Music streaming is commonly believed to go something like this: Spotify reigns supreme, and people with slightly different tastes in their platform of choice will choose Apple or another service entirely dedicated to music. The large music players themselves are technological marvels that have revolutionized the music industry as a whole and brought unbridled convenience to listeners all over the world. And I’m here to advise you to stream your music somewhere else.
YouTube is part of Google’s far-reaching business, so using a music streaming platform doesn’t quite support the ongoing war with corporate America, but YouTube is a treasure trove of incomprehensible and wonderful deep acronyms that will help you expand your musical taste. into unexpected areas. I’m not talking about YouTube Music, but good old YouTube.
If your music research seems outdated, then this is why you should go back to basics.
Playlists not curated by the algorithm
Don’t get me wrong, there are many rare gems on Spotify. But for the most part, the playlists you get are curated behind the scenes by platform architects, giving these arranged tracks an artificial vibe. In one recent example of how the Internet is curated by users rather than an algorithm for purely profit, YouTube is full of playlists and DJs created by people interested in sharing music organically and spreading it everywhere.
For example, here are two mixes that I dug recently. The first is a mix of tracks by Japanese funk / soft rock artist Tatsuro Yamashita:
The second is a DJ set of Brazilian boogie funk and 80s disco:
The latter is a good example of how YouTube can help music discovery more easily than some music platforms. All the tracks in this set are from DJ Milos Kaiser, uh, rare, to use the term vinyl snobs love. I wouldn’t have heard them if this guy hadn’t dug them out of a drawer somewhere, filmed himself playing them, and uploaded a video to YouTube. Of course, there are many playlists created using algorithms, but you don’t have to pay attention to them.
Its interface leads to more natural discoveries
I understand that Spotify is sleek and its mobile design works seamlessly on the go. But using YouTube to find new tunes doesn’t leave you feeling bombarded or having to resort to special features specifically designed to find new artists. Personally, I’ve never listened to an artist on Spotify using shuffle play without end up hearing songs from other artists that I really don’t like.
YouTube’s algorithm seems a little less overbearing, as you’ll get suggestions for new tracks at the end of the video instead of immediately switching to a song you didn’t select. Of course, this depends on whether you turned off autoplay or not, but it remains true that you will remain more in the music field of your choice.
YouTube has real music communities
Unlike the traditional YouTuber page, which comes with a lot of quirks and headaches typical of modern internet culture, pages owned by record labels and various music communities tend to generate less bullshit. Even before the Internet became the corporate hell it is today, DJs, DIY music publications, and record companies had their own YouTube channels. While YouTube may not be your music preference at this time, it cannot be denied that many of these groups are thriving, even with the convenience and popularity of other platforms.
For example, take curated music group Boiler Room, which has 2.6 million YouTube subscribers. On Spotify, it’s just a shadow of this trusted community of scattered playlists curated by Boiler Room listeners. If you’re into that kind of thing – or any other aspect of the DIY music scene – you would be wise to subscribe to any of these YouTube channels and receive email updates every time something interesting is uploaded.
Musical discovery is about being guided by intuition, so by all means, you must do what you want. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to try the waters of another platform if your routine seems boring and good old YouTube can be a rewarding place to come back.