Where ARE People Discovering Music Nowadays?

It is often said (encouraged) that you shouldn’t bring up a problem without having a solution to propose for it.

Sometimes the tips that I give out in my “Bruce’s Bonus Book” eBook series – providing help for on and off the stage for up-and-coming performers – are of the “don’t” variety, meaning, what you should do, of course, would be the opposite.

However, I found myself giving out a tip in the “Bruce’s Bonus” segment of Episode 298 of “Now Hear This Entertainment,” which will come out the day after tomorrow, leaving, perhaps, some open-endedness.  Thus, another opportunity to utilize this blog as part of my quest to help the aspiring singers, songwriters, musicians, recording artists – entertainers who follow my company, my weekly show, and me and my other related initiatives.

I’m focusing this week specifically on where else an artist can get their music heard.  The key word there is ‘else’ because you already know of the obvious outlets that most indie artists pursue.

So, in testing myself on this one, I found it best to back into the answer.

It’s rather eye-opening to stop and ask yourself, where do you discover new music?

Now, if this were an episode of “Now Hear This Entertainment” I would probably pause and allow for some dead air so you could think about it.  So, on the honor system, maybe close your eyes right now and just think about that question.  Don’t go with the knee jerk answer.  Actually let it sink in.  Give it maybe a good 30 seconds or so.

Now open your eyes and continue reading.

When I put myself to this little test, I came up with a couple interesting answers.

They can thank me later for this, but, I realized that I – without overstating it – do utilize Shazam enough to warrant listing it as a source of how I discover music.  Often times when I’m out somewhere and hear a song playing that’s really getting my attention, I quickly open that app and voila, find out who the artist is and the title of the song and then I add it to a playlist.  So, the point here is, make sure your music not only is getting widespread distribution, but, is recognized on Shazam.  Don’t take this one lightly.  That app has over 100 million downloads.

Next is, so many of you are really attracted to film and TV placement for your music.  I’m a big proponent of setting your sights high, so continue that pursuit.  My self-test also revealed that there are times when I’m watching something and hear a song and either watch the credits or Google the lyrics or undertake some similar exercise to track down what I’m hearing and liking.

Notice that I’m not mentioning radio here.  Heck, when I’m driving, I’m listening to podcasts.  And so are lots and lots (and lots) of other motorists these days.  So, don’t put all your eggs in the radio basket.  It’s still a good place to be, of course, but it’s not the be-all, end-all for the music that you’ve worked so hard to put out.

See what your own self-test reveals and then challenge yourself to get your music to that (those) desination(s).

Talk with others about how/where you discover new music in our Facebook group.