The ’00s saw the battle of who can make money off music end with iTunes at the top, selling 10 billion songs by last year. World domination aside, declaring a victor doesn’t solve the problem of music discovery in the wasteland of MP3s we find ourselves in now, whether they are owned, pirated, or streamed.
People have turned to Pandora and Spotify to seek new artists, but that newness is questionable. You listen to tracks similar to songs by familiar artists, chosen by an algorithm that has analyzed your taste (Pandora), or you just listen to stuff you already like (Spotify). The effect is rewarding at first, but with Pandora it’s the same genre (and often the same artists). With Spotify, you’re still in your comfort zone.
If you need the shock of the new and your playlists are played out, go to KEXP.org. Allow a human being to discover new music for you.
The True Gen 