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I've been thinking a lot lately about how I discover new music now versus how it used to be in the 90s (radio, TV, music magazines).

I'm very reliant on Spotify. I've discovered some cool new artists via the algorithm giving me a related track after I finish listening to an album. I usually give the New Music Friday a playlist a listen most weeks and will add my faves to a playlist.

Btw, I feel like albums are more of a thing again. I guess there is an incentive for artists to make an album that works as a whole, to encourage more streaming. Plus the Gen Z kids love their vinyls!

Social media is also useful - and in one particular way. I follow various artists on Instagram and some will do Instagram stories of tracks they're listening to. Sometimes it feels like formal promo, other times they're just hyping songs of their less famous friends or just tunes they're loving at the moment.

I also pay a little bit of attention to the NZ top 40, just to keep up with all the stuff that's floating to the top.

I don't want doing all this to feel like work so I don't necessarily do all this all the time. But my big incentive is that while listening to music from the 90s makes me feel old, listening to current music doesn't. There's so much good new music out there!

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I agree that the algorithms seem to be getting better. Apple makes a radio station for me that is often pretty good - although it plays too many songs from my son's playlists - meaning mostly 21 Pilots and Church & AP. But there's a new music playlist curated for me too and I often find some gems on there... happy hunting!

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