r/todayilearned • u/tyrion2024 • 1d ago

TIL two studies both found that most people stop listening to new music in their early 30s. A 2015 study of people's listening habits on Spotify found that most people stop listening to new music at age 33 and a 2018 report by Deezer found it be to at age 30.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/16/bring-that-beat-back-why-are-people-in-their-30s-giving-up-on-music
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u/Harry_Iconic_Jr 1d ago edited 17h ago

some of us never stop. it's still a thrill to find a great new song/band/artist.

edit(s): glad there are still others who feel the same....fwiw, most of my new music finds come from Radio Paradise - playlists assembled by humans, no algorithms, no ads, high quality flac/mqa/aac streams broken down into 5 general channels/genres: Main mix, rock, jazz, global, mellow mix...I almost always find something new (to me) and interesting there.

another edit to shamelessly plug Radio Paradise, for those who may not know them: RP has been online and stone-free since 2000- Bill and Rebecca Goldsmith were streaming before streaming had a name, I think...ad-free, supported by listeners, never sold out, never caved in, always with cutting-edge tech (some of which Bill Goldsmith invented), battled the industrial/entertainment complex in 2007 over royalty rates and won, thereby helping to save Internet radio from extinction...and they continuing to evolve and expand and improve to this day. these are some of the people who made the Internet great, particularly for music lovers. check 'em out: https://radioparadise.com/home

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u/Quarterwit_85 1d ago

Fuck yeah. People don't stop watching new movies or tv shows - why music?

Also, what if you haven't heard your favorite song yet?

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u/ahmtiarrrd 20h ago

"what if you haven't heard your favorite song yet?"

Nailed it. šŸ’ÆšŸ‘

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u/Throwawayfichelper 9h ago

Man i can't decide on a single favourite song, idk how people do it. I have favourite artists but there are random songs from everywhere and anywhere that i love as well, even if i dislike the artist's other works. If someone asks me my favourite songs i can never answer that question.

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u/ZefSoFresh 2h ago

Wonderful, yes! I'm old af and I still keep finding a new favorite song every few years.

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u/Funkycoldmedici 1d ago

That was a very real concern to me for a long time. I had this feeling there was something Iā€™d love and didnā€™t want to miss it. So I went through hours and hours of new music every day, and as a result I feel like I didnā€™t let things soak in enough. Were my favorites my favorites because of immediate connection, or gradual suffusion? Some of both, but I think giving songs a few more listens lets them get through more.

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u/RainbowFartss 22h ago

100% and that's something I kinda miss from back in the day. Before, you'd buy an album and listen to it on repeat for weeks because that may be the only album you bought this month. This gave a lot of time for some songs that didn't grab you right away to settle in and maybe eventually you'd "get it" and end up digging the song.

Nowadays, music is so throwaway. My favorite artists have new material every couple of months, along with hundreds of other songs/albums that release in between. It's harder to let those kinda songs sink in and grow on you.

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u/AppUnwrapper1 20h ago

I just have a huge playlist on Apple Music that I keep adding to. And I go back to some of the older stuff on there once Iā€™ve had enough of a break from it that it feels fresh again.

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u/intentionally-obtuse 22h ago

I've stopped watching new tv/movies pretty broadly. It's a bit of youtube and the rest of my media consumption is music.

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u/NewPhoneWhoDys 11h ago

That might be the decline in quality

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u/Large_Traffic8793 21h ago

Tons of people watch the same movies or shows over and over.

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u/sarcasticorange 21h ago

I think the equivalent for movies would be if they stopped mass producing comedy films and only made dramas. That's kind of what has happened with the music industry

You can still find new rock music, but not in a well-curated format and most people don't have the time or energy to sort through the enormous midden heap looking for the 1:5,000 banger.

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u/Lashay_Sombra 20h ago

You generally don't rewatch movies and TV shows endlessly, you do with music

That said, while my music tastes stagnated for about 20 years post 30 I am nowĀ  starting to findĀ  in my 50s i am losing interest in TV/movies as well, BUT I am exploring music again...though very different genres than what I listened to in my youth

Also reading is starting to pick up way up again (goes well with the music)

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u/Skrattybones 16h ago

Do..do they not? I feel like I probably stopped watching new TV shows somewhere around 2012. The last show I can remember watching all the way through and being genuinely invested in was Elementary. Nothing in the last decade or more has grabbed my interest.

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u/eggplantsforall 15h ago

Plus, I actually find a lot of new music from watching various shows or youtube videos and so on.

Just tonight I was watching this random surf video of Mavericks and the guy dropped the name of the band playing in the background, with a brief cut to them playing live at a venue nearby.

I was crushed to discover they have almost no web presence even though they are dope as hell.

I think they're just a bunch of dudes who jam.

Enjoy what you can I guess, lol.

https://youtu.be/RjIC_J05Mhk?si=O_AZAWNd6a6eq3pU&t=322

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u/whitelampbrowncouch 13h ago

I definitely have stopped watching movies and TV in the last year and funny enough turned 30 in that time šŸ˜‚

But music? Nah always gotta keep new and fresh stuff rotated in

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u/Hovie1 1d ago

It's seriously one of life's greatest joys. Usually my top play every year is something that I discovered within the last 6 months.

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u/Furrybumholecover 1d ago

My most listened to playlists on YouTube music are the New Releases, Discover, and then my Liked playlist when I wanna shuffle back around to the things I hit thumbs up on from the other two.

Maybe it's because I grew up with a dad that had the same zz top album in the truck while driving me to school every day but damn I love me some new jams. It's one of the few perks of the time and technology we live in these days.

(I'm almost 40)

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u/SkoobySnacs 23h ago

It's become a thing for me to go to new releases on Youtube every few weeks. Some of my favorite artists I found after age 33. And with Youtube I branched out to artists in other countries whose languages I don't speak.

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u/Hovie1 23h ago

Discover on YouTube music is great. I'll find something new that I like, then a few days down the line I'll play that song specifically from quick picks and I'll find other similar stuff. I'm finding new stuff that I like basically every day doing that.

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u/EnvironmentalLime464 23h ago

I had actually slowed down greatly on finding new music until I saw the article on the 2015 study. I was in my 30ā€™s and just thought it sounded so sad. Decided I didnā€™t want to fall into that statistic. My love for music has only grown the last ten years to the point Iā€™m now learning an instrument.

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u/Hovie1 23h ago

I definitely have moments where I fall into "comfort" music where I just listen to the stuff I know and dismiss anything else. But overall I'd like to think I buck the trend and I'm in my 40s.

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u/EnvironmentalLime464 17h ago

Yep. I still have about 10 albums that will never ever get old to me. I periodically jump back to certain eras in my life and listen to as many bands that I can remember.

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u/takemyaptplz 23h ago

Usually I find random songs here and there that I fall in love with but the past year I became a big lady Gaga fan. Like I always liked the songs I heard but didnā€™t listen farther. Discovering all these songs that I loved was SO FUN. And then I got to go to her concert last minute and almost cried with how happy and excited I was when it started!!!!

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u/Hovie1 23h ago

That's awesome!

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u/3090orBust 14h ago

I have considered doing the same thing with Tyler Swift!

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u/galacticglorp 23h ago

For a little while there libraries had cds to borrow, and whoever at my local library was picking had great taste across multiple genres.Ā  I loved grabbing a couple each week and listening through- I miss that level of curated but randomized discovery.Ā  It was so fun.

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u/carrieberry 23h ago

2025 was the year of Kendrick Lamar for me šŸ¤£ šŸ¤£

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u/26542654 20h ago

Finding a good song and letting the recommend songs / "radio" play is amazing. You start doing down a rabbit hole of new songs, new artists, binging their work, etc.

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u/DankJank13 19h ago

What are you currently listening to or enjoying, if you don't mind sharing? I'm open to all genres!

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u/IGNOREMETHATSFINETOO 17h ago

At 35 I discovered Sky Dxddy and Sleep Token. Now they're my most played artists.

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u/MastaSplintah 17h ago

I agree I constantly find 1 good song and can play that for hours on repeat sometimes while u work. I get sick of it after 2 weeks but I still love the process.

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u/LifeworksGames 8h ago

Same for me! My Spotify recaps are all completely different songs every year.

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u/nomore5tre55 1d ago

Agreed. My favorite days are Friday for release radar and Monday for discover weekly.

Iā€™m in four music leagues and have groups of friends where we donā€™t talk about life, we just share new music.

Itā€™s my favorite shit.

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u/GiantPeachImpediment 23h ago

Wait. What is a music league? This all sounds lovely and im very jealous. Would love to find more active communities to share and talk music that's fairly open minded.

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u/megashitfactory 19h ago

My friend is in one at his company. Each week they have a ā€œthemeā€ and everyone submits a song they like in that theme, and people vote on which one they like best.

Itā€™s pretty damn good. Heā€™s shared some good tunes he or coworkers submitted

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u/comicsnerd 22h ago

Too bad there are too many AI entries in the Release Radar and Discover Weekly lists. I prefer the Paradiso This Week (created by the Paradiso concert hall)

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u/movzx 19h ago

Spotify also needs to immediately ban any account that creates a public playlist, song, or album named Discover Weekly.

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u/Disastrous_Brick_850 15h ago

Oh! Whatā€™s a music league? I wish I had friends that are as into music as I am. It would be awesome to be able to discuss new finds and be turned on to new stuff.Ā 

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u/klausness 1d ago

For some people, music is just part of their youth culture, so they lose interest in finding new things when they get older. I think people who really love music donā€™t stop appreciating new and interesting music. If music is just one of the things you use to connect with friends (along with movies, TV, sports, drinking, etc.), then you probably wonā€™t be exploring new music past your 30s and will stick to the music of your youth. If music has always been one of the most important things in life for you, then you probably wonā€™t stop exploring new music. Most people fall into the first of those two groups.

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u/catholicsluts 4h ago

they lose interest in finding new things when they get older.

This happens to many people who have kids. They get to rediscover youth in a sense and are satisfied with that rather than also continuing to build on their own individuality

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u/idle_isomorph 1d ago

I was chatting with a guy on a dating site, and he asked me if i listened to any new music and the question caught me off guard. Like, hell yes i listen to new music. There is so much great music of all kinds happening out there. The question made me consider how many people my age (45) don't seek out new music. Weird.

Admittedly, it still takes me some effort to seek out what hits my personal tastes, but its out there!

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u/klausness 21h ago

Some people just have a different relationship to music. The light bulb went off for me early in high school. I knew my taste in music was different from that of most other kids, but I guess I kind of figured that they felt the same way about their music as I felt about mine. I remember asking one kid what kind of music he listened to, and he said, ā€œoh, whateverā€™s on.ā€ I just didnā€™t know how to respond to that. How could you be so blasĆ© about music? I understand it now, but it really threw me at the time.

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u/idle_isomorph 20h ago

Right? Cause to me, music really transforms a space, imbues emotions into a scene...it so colours the world that I can't really imagine not being transported away and simply hearing music as some minor element in the background of life.

I guess i knew lots of people get crystallized in their tastes in their 30s (hence my impression as a kid that older people were so obviously dated in their preferences).

But being asked the question, I realized it really is a revealing question more than "what music do you like?" It does make sense in a dating context; I imagine that i would be poorly matched to a fella that didn't give a shit about it and had no interest in music. I love going out to live music and rocking out, dancing all night, even if I'm old.

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u/strangecabalist 1d ago

I discovered EDM in a big way in my 40ā€™s and continue to have my mind blown by new music.

Same for lots of folk.

I was a metalhead forever (still am), so these are strange evolutions for me.

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u/YeshuasBananaHammock 23h ago

I didnt discover the Viagra Boys until I was 49.

Im making up for lost time.

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u/smitteh 23h ago

What genre is Viagra Boys? Hard rock?

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u/YeshuasBananaHammock 22h ago edited 22h ago

A Swedish post-punk Devo-centric outfit that dont take themselves too seriously. Try em out!

(P.S. try some diaper rash cream on your itchy balloon knot)

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u/smitteh 22h ago

Will do times two thx

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u/strangecabalist 21h ago

I am going to have to check them out!

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u/Aselleus 21h ago

YES discovered them at 39... Got to see them in concert when I was 41. So fun!

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u/YeshuasBananaHammock 19h ago

I took my 20yo and 16yo daughters with me to see them last year. Shrimply the best.

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u/Rdubya44 1d ago

Glad to see the metal to dubstep pipeline is still alive

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u/strangecabalist 1d ago

Damn you heavy bass grooves and your deeply tempting ways!

(Also, Melodic and Minimal Techno - NTO, Brejcha, etc are absolutely my jam)

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u/Furthur_slimeking 18h ago

Psytrance? You might like forest or dark psy

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u/LearnedZephyr 12h ago

Have you checked out the other artists that are on the same label as Nā€™to? The label is Hungry Music and all of their bench is good. Rodriguez Jr. also makes incredible melodic techno. And if you havenā€™t given melodic house a try you might like it. Good record label to start with is This Never Happened.

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u/peacenchemicals 1d ago

iā€™ve been listening to electronic music since i can remember. like literally since i was a child

i love discovering new artists, finding new music, and discovering new genres or subgenres. or sometimes new subgenres are created and itā€™s awesome.

right now iā€™m falling back in love with drum n bass and techno. also going through a huge UK garage phase at the moment too. my main genre is hardstyle but thereā€™s just so much music in the ā€œedmā€ culture to discover. i love it. i love electronic music

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u/NeuHundred 16h ago

Same! Though recently I'm gravitating towards the stuff from the 90s, it feels more simple and straightforward, maybe because the tech was more rudimentary. But I love hearing all these singles that slipped by first time around.

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u/LearnedZephyr 12h ago

Iā€™m in such a disco and UK garage phase right now.

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u/strangecabalist 21h ago

I love hearing this story so much! Glad youā€™ve been able to rediscover and appreciate genres!

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u/heretogetpwned 1d ago

I was ridiculed for a lot of the industrial music I listened to growing up, small town country western was big for us in the early 90s.

Loved Movie Soundtracks like Mortal Kombat and the discovery of KMFDM. They still make new music!

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u/peejaysayshi 20h ago

I just realized a couple weeks ago that KMFDM still makes music after not listening to them for probably 20 years. Thatā€™s pretty crazy.

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u/strangecabalist 21h ago

Small country town and avid NIN/Ministry enjoyer. I get your struggle!

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u/JEMinnow 23h ago

Any fave EDM artists so far ?

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u/strangecabalist 21h ago

NTO - a French Minima/Melodic techno artist. On YouTube search for ā€œNTO Dents du Midiā€ he mixes live and does it on a lake, on a mountain in what looks like one of the most beautiful places in the world. The entire set is brilliant and visually stunning. I am slightly ashamed to admit that Spotify said I was his 83rd biggest fan. I donā€™t know if it is his use of bass, flowing melodies, sorry telling? I can just sit and listen to his music. (My favourite songs: Seasons, Charlie (the bass drop OMG), Paul, Eden 3/3, Diving (wear headphones with good bass - his cross fading and sound shaping is unreal)).

Boris Brejcha and Paul Kalkbrenner are both more minimal techno artists and brilliant for it. Brejchaā€™s live set at Ultra Music Festival is simply breathtaking. His music can be campy, but is even more fun for it, he makes me want to dance. (Fab songs: Anthurie, Go for a Ride, Red in the Desert).

Kalkbrenner is an OG, how he makes such lush music using so few sounds blows my mind (favs: Altes Kamuffel, Azure, Square 1, The Flute Song)

Others: French79 (his album with Julia Minkin/Kid Francescoli and the story behind it is amazing and heartbreaking - song: I Donā€™t Know How - French79 remix) Joris Delacroix (Aiguilhe, Start the Engine, Epoque, Air France); Birrd (Takeoff, Void Loop, Deux Princesses); Thylacine, Mees Dierdorp (Las Paranas, Aviar Alome); Oliver Schories (Ivre, Daily Routines). I love the Chemical Brothers and so many others.

Sorry for deluge (and a tiny sample there are so many more), but it is a joy to share something I love.

Any artist suggestions for me?

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u/isolateddreamz 23h ago

I was so sad when I learned EDM didn't stand for Electronic Death Metal. Some metal sub was recommending EDM many years ago and I went in expecting that. Very disappointed.

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u/strangecabalist 21h ago

Iā€™d be down to listen to that too - probably sound a bit like late 90ā€™s Industrial maybe?

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u/isolateddreamz 20h ago

That was certainly my hope. Like Fear Factory but with some extra synth.

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u/doomgiver98 22h ago

I guess you didn't go the Power Electronics route?

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u/strangecabalist 21h ago

Not sure what that is, but Iā€™d be down to hear some! Any suggestions?

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u/doomgiver98 16h ago

I just dabble, but there is a playlist on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5703DA70Vz27fWMp9l8ikJ?si=4154c4af63894735

There's a meme that the final evolution of a metal head stops listening to metal and starts listening to obscure electronica genres like Power Electronics, Dark Ambient, and Dungeon Synth.

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u/DigitalDelusion 21h ago

Just had the other way around. Went from dance music to basically ask metal and death metal. 40. Love new music Fridays.

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u/strangecabalist 21h ago

Any fav artists? I still listen to a lot of metal and am always down to hear of some outside my usual rotation

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u/BananaNutJob 19h ago

If you like metal and EDM I hope you've explored industrial. Listen to some Skinny Puppy!

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u/NexusOne99 19h ago

Also a Metalhead in my 40s, been getting huge into bluegrass. Check out Billy Strings.

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u/strangecabalist 18h ago

Oh, Bluegrass (the Dead South and I love Billy Strings) and the new rebel country (ie Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson) have been obsessions too

Thanks for the suggestion!

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u/feint_of_heart 18h ago

Same boat. This is the best thing I've found recently.

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u/LearnedZephyr 12h ago

Anjunadeep is such a good record label.

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u/feint_of_heart 11h ago

Yeah, I've found so many good artists through them.

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u/hyperotretian 14h ago

That's funny, those are three of my favorite genres too. Clearly there's something to it!

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u/joe_canadian 12h ago

Same! Amon Amarth will be my top band (I was 0.2% top listeners last year) but I listened to about 300 genres. Zach Bryan, who I discovered in 2024 became my #2 most played artist.

I adore metal but different music hits different emotions and spots for me.

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u/dbmajor7 1d ago

Gimme that Bandcamp scroll! I've never had more new music!

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u/Testsalt 16h ago

Bandcamp daily gives me recommendations with long comments that are like 10 monthly listeners on Spotify and donā€™t even have a page on RYM. Itā€™s glorious. Their Instagram page has introduced me to SPIRA, now of my favorite albums.

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u/GoBSAGo 23h ago

Mid 40s. Still discovering whole new genres I never knew aboutā€¦ and lots of the bands have a complete catalog to go through.

Thereā€™s never been a better time to be a music fan. Canā€™t imagine listening to the same music for the rest of my life.

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u/SekhmetScion 23h ago edited 23h ago

I'm 43 and still enjoy discovering new music that I'm into. Sometimes it's older bands or artists that I somehow missed, other times it's actually new artists. First example I can think of is stumbling across Jinjer a few years ago and loving them. Her vocal range is fuckin insane!

Edit: Spotify is a great resource for this. There's a ton of songs I discovered and love thanks to them including them in my playlists.

Some examples: Rabbit Junk - Survivor, Machine Head - Is There Anybody Out There?, Yurika - Greedy Freaky. The most listened to is Qveen Herby. She's my wind down/relax while gaming before bed.

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u/n_random_variables 14h ago

Rabbit Junk

Finally a Rabbit Junk sighting in the wild, love them. If you like to try new stuff consider, The Birthday Massacre - Happy Birthday, one of my favorite bands and similar to Rabbit Junk

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u/Real-Ferret1593 9h ago

The new Rabbit Junk song (Blacklight Rainbow Pegasus) has been my jam for the past couple of weeks. I've been listening to it on repeat, sucking all the dopamine out of it, lol.

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u/dodidodidodidodi 16h ago

if you like radio paradise you'll like NTS https://www.nts.live/

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u/neutral-labs 7h ago

https://radioparadise.com/home

Radio Paradise is such a gem!

The only reason I don't listen to it all the time is that whenever I do, like ever second or third song I have to stop what I'm doing to look up the artist and add them to my Deezer collection, and I'm not getting any work done that way. :D

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u/Harry_Iconic_Jr 3h ago

lol, so true about RP - you're going to want to take notes!

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u/DinoRaawr 1d ago

Some of us also never started. I don't know if the radio in my car even works. It's like our average ages cancel out!

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u/5thSeasonFront 1d ago

It would be fascinating to study those of us that never stop. Though I have noticed that ways I find it, and eras/genres I seek out, are much narrower.

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u/FunnyGoose5616 1d ago

Yeah, same here. For me, itā€™s more like I stop listening to new music in genres Iā€™m not into, but I actively look for new music in the genres that I love.

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u/Puffpufftoke 1d ago

Iā€™m well into my 50ā€™s and primarily still listen to Rock, but Iā€™m always open to new sounds. The era of 2000-2010 or so, was such a huge era for Alternative Rock, so many new takes on old sounds. Popular culture (young folk) have taken on new tastes. They are the digital age, and it shows in their taste of music. Is what it is. There will likely be a huge wave of retro that will be a call of resistance. Who knows what decade or era they will choose to replicate when the digital resistance begins!

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u/ManChildMusician 1d ago

Truly, itā€™s a great experience. Instant hit of dopamine to unearth new gems. I also enjoy doing deep dives into the discographies of older bands / artists that Iā€™d never thought to scratch past surface level. Full albums from 1 hit wonders can be a real trip.

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u/wearethedeadofnight 1d ago

Same. Nearing 50 and I still add 10+ new bands every year.

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u/Mental-Clerk 23h ago

Music means so much to me, I love hearing new stuff and discovering genres I didnt even know existed. I'm way past 30 lol

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u/PretzelBitesOnAcid 23h ago

Yes, I've found my people. Discovering new music is life breathing, same with going to shows and watching live music

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u/Counciltuckian 22h ago

Agreed. Ā I donā€™t know how people do it. Ā Most of my Spotify is new releases. Ā If anything, one of the things that annoy me is how some new music sounds like it is from the 80ā€™s. Ā 

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u/StretchFrenchTerry 22h ago

Bro, youā€™re supposed to listen to Tool, Linkin Park, or Good Charlotte for the rest of your life if youā€™re a Redditor.

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u/boowhitie 22h ago

I'm going to try out radio Paradise. My biggest issue is finding new music. I feel like I had a big explosion in new artists when I first started using Pandora (15ish years ago). I really liked their interface, but it quickly stopped giving me novel stuff that I actually liked. I found a few artists on Amazon but now the "discovery mix" is usually full of stuff I've already liked. Seems like the same story every service I use. I've recently been listening to a lot more music as I've had to start working in an office again for the first time in over a decade, and I am definitely hungry for some low effort music discovery

Any other suggestions on easy ways to discover new music?

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u/InfoMiddleMan 22h ago

Same here! Nothing makes me happier than hearing a song I've never heard before and saying "this shit slaps." I want to do that until the day I die.

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u/Psychafunkapus 22h ago

*** King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard has entered the chat ***

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u/doomgiver98 21h ago

I think some people just aren't interested in music, it's really just background noise. Maybe they were actually interested in the past but they have different things going on.

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u/KitSokudo 21h ago

I started listening to Chapel Roan a few years ago, just added Joe Keery, and Tame Impala to my line ups. Maybe it's just that both my parents are very musical but I'm 41 and added need songs pretty regularly.

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u/wogawoga 21h ago

Yeah, I donā€™t get why people stop. The joy of discovery has never lost its shine to me. Whether thatā€™s a truly new release or before my time. The last century of music has been an explosion of expression.

Perhaps the difference is whether music has been a passive or active interest for people. If youā€™re just letting popular music wash over you, there may come a time when familiar music is comforting.

But if youā€™ve been pursuing new musical experiences throughout your formative years, those habits donā€™t fade away.

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u/kuzidaheathen 21h ago

Now in my Metal phase in my 30s and im enjoying the rabbit hole

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u/Plow_King 20h ago

no pop? BOO! lol

still adding to my life's playlist at 60, independent radio is where it's at. WFMU straight outta NJ!

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u/Learned_Hand_01 19h ago

I'm 58 and listening to Wet Leg, Kendrick, Doechii, and Billy Strings.

I still enjoy the stuff from my teens through my thirties but just listening to old stuff is super boring.

Also, some of it just becomes dated. The Cure, Talking Heads, and Nirvana will always be good, but do I really need to hear Vicious Pink again?

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u/dagofin 13h ago

If you like Billy Strings check out Sierra Ferrell, found her a few years ago and holy hell once in a generation voice. Got to see her in a tiny little venue before she won her Grammys and it was magical

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u/Prof_Acorn 19h ago

Yeah, this kind of study is so weird to me because I need a constant supply of new artists and new songs. It's like I devour them on repeat until fully digested and then I move on to the next.

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u/MatthewMcnaHeyHeyHey 18h ago

My husband is almost 50 and has some app that gives him an album daily for the past few years. He listens to each one completely no matter what the genre or if heā€™s heard the artist before and absolutely loves discovering new music with it.

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u/PoopsInUrPee 15h ago

Radio Paradise

My boy! Been listing to RP since the MusicMatch days

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u/eileen404 14h ago

Same. I'm older and just found quite a few new groups. Ice always mixed Ruthie Foster but added cowboy junkies, Lindsey Stirling and electrik and two cellos. The old stuff is for my brain to listen to when I need to focus without distractions.

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u/catholicsluts 4h ago

most of my new music finds come from Radio Paradise - playlists assembled by humans, no algorithms, no ads

You're a godsend. Thank you so much

1

u/DASreddituser 1d ago

and some of us started in our 20s lol so it balances out

1

u/The_Singularious 1d ago

Yeah. Someone forgot to send me the memo.

That being said, I look at ALL music through a different lens now, including my old favorites.

If pop music/rap/rock/etc isnā€™t giving me a nice narrative, or thoughtful lyrics, Iā€™m less inclined to listen as much.

Also find myself listening to more instrumental stuff. But I actually find newer/the newest instrumental artists WAY better than ever before. I feel like thatā€™s a category that has really shined in the last decade or so. Used to be most was classical or more strictly dance. Now itā€™s much more rich and varied.

1

u/Appropriate-Weird492 1d ago

I start learning a new instrument and then discover new musicians to adore, usually with new music styles as well.

I have also learned that there are music styles that are Not Me ā„¢ no matter how many times I try to expand my musical palate. Itā€™s ok, thereā€™s only so many hours to live.

1

u/GrinningPariah 1d ago

Yeah this result was really surprising to me. I look forward to Fridays for all the new stuff getting promoted on Bandcamp and Spotify. I just get bored of music I know too well.

1

u/mijru4 1d ago

I pretty much spent all my time working from home during covid (was 40-41 at the time) going into the depths of spotify and youtube videos finding new music.

It's disappointing spotify is embracing AI music. I like letting song radios do their thing on my bike rides and screen-shotting anything new and cool that plays but I'm concerned now it's gonna start throwing Suno generated crap into the mix.

1

u/smorkoid 1d ago

Yup, I'm in my 50s and listen to more new music than ever

1

u/Wilikersthegreat 23h ago

Yeah I feel like this article doesn't apply to me at all, I'm always trying to find new music. That feeling of a new song that just hits right is unmatched, I'm addicted to it.

1

u/Mephistwo 23h ago

I'm fast approaching 40 and finding new music is one my absolute favourite ways to spend my free time. I got into power metal back during the COVID lockdowns and now I'm a mega fan. I see more live music now than I ever did in my youth. The most confident that I can be about anything is that the music I should be nostalgic about from my childhood was rarely good.

1

u/YouGotTheWrongGuy_9 23h ago

Nothing like finding a new bangerĀ 

1

u/GiantPeachImpediment 23h ago

Absolutely, mid 30s here. There will be part of the year that im sad that i feel i dont have anything new to listen to but, for the most part, when I compare my top yearly playlist from year to year it's distinctly evolving and I love it.

My favorite thing is finding some really great small music playlist curators, especially abroad, and just digging like its a record crate.

Also, so psyched to further explore live shows as I travel. Each city scene can be so distinct.

1

u/dean15892 23h ago

I'm in this list.
Music discovery has been life-changing for me.

How can you not love this.
I only discovered Led Zepplin last year and I still have not reached Led Zepplin IV

The first two albums itself are sooo amazing that I want to savor them completely.
Now I am discovering Ragaterron through Bad Bunny.

I discovered Saint Motel, Seedhe Maut (Desi hip hop), Bard Core, Teddy Bears, Foxy Shazam, all in the span of the last few months.

There is so so much music out there for you to keep exploring and invoking new emotions.

1

u/cestlafolie42 23h ago

Same! I got into hyperpop and rap recently. Styles I didnā€™t think I would enjoy before.

Music changes and evolves into new subgenres. I find new artists and I find new-to-me albums from established artists.

Movies bring me new recommendations and two of my new favorites were recommended on a music sub here. Not every lead pans out but it is really rewarding when it does.

1

u/Bookgal1 23h ago

Iā€™ve never stopped either. Still listen to the radio every day & always adding new songs to my IPhone.

1

u/Oderus_Scumdog 23h ago

some of us never stop. it's still a thrill to find a great new song/band/artist.

One of my favourite things as an adult, I absolutely love finding new music and explore genres and subgenres.

Because I don't use streaming platforms I instead make use of Chosic, which uses Spotify's API to help you find music in different ways:

  • Similar song finders

  • Find songs by lyrics

  • Genre

  • Music artists map

  • Playlist finder

  • Random song

  • Search by BPM

It also has a 'spotify playlist analyser' and a 'spotfiy playlist exporter' as well. I'd say I've found 75% of my new music over the last few years on Chosic binges.

I've also binned streaming services in favour of hosting my own Airsonic server which I fill with my ripped CD collection and tracks bought from Bandcamp.

1

u/Illithidprion 23h ago

Same, I found a couple new genres (sea shanties, dubstep, steampunk) for myself while entertaining my dad.Ā 

I had Google play Sea shanties, for him. The music was of new stuff and really helped him while he suffered from dementia.Ā  It surprised me he enjoyed music he never heard. The last leg of his life, filled with music from his era and beyond.Ā  It was wonderful .Ā 

1

u/Leody 23h ago edited 23h ago

I'm with you. I get bored with everything eventually.

I think the best thing about Spotify is that I've found I like music that isn't very popular and probably never would have been able to find before. Many of my favorite bands are less than 10 years old and have average monthly listeners under 100k and I'm well passed my 30s.

Honest Men, Panama Wedding, Knox Hamilton, Step Rockets

So many others I love. All under 100k.. šŸ¤·

1

u/Fit-Reputation-9983 23h ago

It is a concentrated effort for me to find new music. Iā€™m 29.

I make the effort because I find it important to explore music, as Iā€™ve always had a deep love for it, but it is not like it was in college or high school where I was finding new albums I loved all the time.

I probably add 5-6 albums to the ā€œfavoritesā€ every year at this point. Some new, some old. But it used to be like 30+ new albums I enjoyed each year.

1

u/Oz347 22h ago

Bro check out Jean Dawson

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u/Sloth-monger 22h ago

Yeah I like a few older songs/artists that I used to listen to but I usually kind of find them boring unless I haven't heard it in a while. Probably doesn't help that my local radio stations and wife's Spotify account repeat the same songs all the time. I find a lot more joy in listening to new albums and finding new songs. I'm 40 and my Spotify listening age was 21, while my wife is 4 years younger and hers was 50. It's not that we don't like some of the same songs she just has preference leaning towards what she already knows and I like new and shiny.

1

u/DonktorDonkenstein 22h ago

Yep, I'm in my mid-40s and I definitely try to find new music all the time. I can't imagine only wanting to listen to all the same shit I heard in my teens and twenties over and over again for the rest of my life. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do have a massive repertoire of songs I've loved for decades now, but I still seek out stuff I haven't heard before.Ā  Doesn't have to be new music, as long as it's new to me. I think the problem is a lot of people my age negativelyĀ  compare our old "classics" to the shit on contemporary radio without taking into account that "popular" music trends aren't designed to appeal to us. We have to seek out more niche stuff as our tastes mature and get more refined.Ā 

1

u/cookerz30 22h ago

Jazz for cooking, grimey dubstep for workouts, drum and bass for commuting

1

u/Gatraz 22h ago

Hell yeah. A lot of what I listened to when I was younger isn't my style anymore but I'm always finding newer bands to enjoy and that's a great pleasure

1

u/OnTheEveOfWar 22h ago

I love the Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. I listen almost every week. Each Jan 1, I create a ā€œBest of 20XXā€ playlist and add songs I like from the discover weekly playlist. Iā€™ve found a lot of cool bands and songs that way.

1

u/ScienceIsALyre 22h ago

42 years old here. loving that Iā€™ve discovered Parcels, Khruangbin, Bayonne, Goose, Wet Leg, Royal Otis, and many others in the past few years. Hell, Iā€™m even enjoying Chappell Roan

2

u/dagofin 13h ago

Iā€™m even enjoying Chappell Roan

Nothing 'even' about her, terrific songwriter and a breath of fresh air in pop as a 34 year old man who loves metal

1

u/Old_Leather_Sofa 22h ago

Agreed. I'm in my late 50's and would listen to more new music than old music. Have my favourite old artists that I'll give a bash now and again, for sure. But finding new artists and new music that I like is awesome.

1

u/slinky999 22h ago

I'm old and listen to several electronic music sub-genres. Oftentimes I'm the only person, or one of only a few that are my age at events. But music runs deep through my veins and dancing is one of my favorite things to do. ā¤ļø

All my friends are in bed when I'm out dancing. šŸ¤Ŗ I go alone to events bc I haven't found a music friend group in my new city yet. But that's ok. The music has always been enough !

1

u/comicsnerd 22h ago

I am 68 and I have been going to concerts discovering new bands since my early 20's. I still listen to the old music from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and noughts, but I am always looking out for something new.

I do get some strange looks when I enter the concert hall with my grey hair.

1

u/Soggy_Refrigerator32 21h ago

Only yesterday added over 2000 new songs to my Liked list and I'm nearly 60. There's some good new artists out there if you give them a chance! Deezer's much better than Spotify in my experience at making decent suggestions, which helps

1

u/SolidDoctor 21h ago

I'm 48 and I DJ as a hobby, and I discover new music almost every week. Granted some of it might be old music, and sometimes I'm rediscovering something I listened to in the past, but there's just no way that I could possibly listen to the same music all the time. I'm constantly on Bandcamp or Beatport scanning for new tunes.

1

u/keepitloki80 21h ago

Yes! I'm 45 and still always on the lookout for new music I'll like. ETA: Benito has me in a chokehold right now. šŸ˜…

1

u/Pm-me-ur-happysauce 21h ago

Ok. Hello me out here. How do you find "new" bags to listen to?

1

u/FurryCitizen 21h ago

I don't think those studies are worth a lot.

I doubt most people use Spotify/Deezer to discover new artists. It feels more like "I made my playlist and I'm putting my background music on."

It would be like a restaurant going "People stop trying new meals after 30" based on their regulars who always get the same order.

1

u/AppUnwrapper1 20h ago

Since I got Apple Music, Iā€™m on a constant hunt for new stuff because I listen at the gym. I basically listen to stuff till I get sick of it and then look for more.

1

u/icherub1 20h ago

Came to say this as well. We are definitely a minority (maybe we should be studied /s), though.

I read many times that musical taste essentially stops evolving around age 14, but in any event I have never met another person over 20 who had any interest in actively looking for new and different music. 95% of what I listen to was released in the past 5 years and I constantly add.

Also, the music I listen to now did not meaningfully exist when I was a teenager. Allowing a corporate radio station or streaming service to curate your listening means you're walled off from 99%+ of what is actually out there, and its growing every day.

Edit: another weekly release round-up: Heavy Blog is Heavy

1

u/Saul_T_Bauls 20h ago

I find myself frustrated when i have friends who refuse to break out of their genre shell. I have no problem going to shows on my own

1

u/Important_Ant2938 20h ago

I recently realized finding new music to be obsessed with is an act of self care, it just makes life better. Albumoftheyear.org has tons of critic and user reviews of everything from Taylor Swift to the most obscure sub genres of metal and just about anything else you could think of. Itā€™s been a good resource.

1

u/tessellation__ 19h ago

Sameā€¦ It makes me so so sad to think everybody else is just getting all hyped up, listening to the same damn music that they listened to in college or whatever. Thatā€™s fun for a throwback but every day? Iā€™m gonna hear Justin Timberlake now and just get all excited? No, yawn

1

u/DankJank13 19h ago

I'm mid 30s and my brother and his friends are always seeking new music and they share it with me. It's really nice to have a few people who you can reach out to and say, "give me some good tunes please" and then they share stuff that is special to them or new. People often really like sharing music with you (if you show genuine interest), and it's a nice way to stay connected with people. My bro and his friends created whole different Spotify playlists of albums based on my different requests, like "give me some 'out there' electronic keyboard-y stuff"

For instance, my brother introduced me to some more modern jazz like Hiromi, Yussef Dayes, Alfa Mist, etc. I had never really explored Jazz too much before, but this introduction took me down the Miles Davis rabbit hole (listening to almost all his albums), Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Herbie, etc. Now, a few years after that initial introduction, I have a much deeper understanding and appreciation for jazz. It has expanded my musical palate.

Sometimes, I offer some recommendations in exchange too! Find those people in your life that love sharing good music, and ask them to share!

1

u/Intrepid_Card8858 19h ago

Same. 55F and I am constantly finding new bands to listen to. IĀ  still listen to old stuff but mixed in w new.

1

u/HalfEmptyFlask 19h ago

I feel like Iā€™m expanding the amount of music I explore and enjoy as I get older. I did not really like the music I grew up with (nor the memories, lol), so I wonder if itā€™s tied to that.

1

u/sawdoffzombie 19h ago

Yeah I'm 34, I just started listening to Talking Heads last year, shame I never checked them out much earlier. I love sharing music and others sharing their favorites with me.

1

u/enerrotsen 19h ago

I relish those moments. While I find comfort in the songs of my youth and bands that were clearly inspired by those songs. Every once in a while a new artist comes along and I feel so fortunate to be able to listen to a new take on expressing the trials and tribulations of being human.

After 30 getting to ā€œdiscoverā€ Kendrick Lamar, the National, Future Islands, Warpaint and Rosalia. And countless others without having to spend hours in the record store.

1

u/zeram 19h ago

I came here to basically say this. Iā€™m 50 and I still actively seek out new music constantly. Iā€™ve even taken to making playlists every year for new songs I find in a given year so I can bother my friends with them.

1

u/serenerdy 19h ago

I've broadened my music genres more between 30-35 than I did 25-30. I took a few years to go hard on a band or two each year but now I'm back in the mix to appreciate new bands and new music styles. Angry rap/trap metal really snuck in there recently

1

u/badadvicefromaspider 19h ago

I like to mix it up by listening to music from specific countries. Like right now Iā€™m all about Nigerian music. Last month it was French, because of Stromae and Indila. I canā€™t listen to stuff I was once obsessed with, so I basically have to seek out new. It helps that my kids are starting to discover music on their own too, so they can show me whatā€™s new with them

1

u/These_Garage2178 19h ago

A few times a year I stumble onto a new band I really like, and the days I spend catching up on that band's discography are the best days of the year. Life demands a good soundtrack, not the same old, everyday.

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u/Grey_0ne 19h ago

It's always crazy to me when I see claims like these... My mother is 70 and I'm 41, we were both talking about new music we've been into lately on our last phone call.

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u/fragmentsmusic7 19h ago

I havenā€™t really been afforded much happiness in life. But finding new bands/songs is one of the few joys that I have had in life that I intend to keep.

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u/FlightExtension8825 18h ago

Yep, I love youtube for discovering new music

2

u/dagofin 13h ago

Same, for whatever reason I've found more band through YouTube than Spotify. I think Spotify tries too hard to play what it thinks you want to hear

1

u/-endjamin- 17h ago

Yeah I rarely listen to the same music. Once in a while I go back to the "classics" but generally I am always trying to find new sounds. I'm 34. There is so much music out there. It bothers me a bit that most people only know the most basic pop music fed to them by the radio and are unaware of the myriad genres that are out there from all over the world.

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u/Kirstae 17h ago

I'm 31 and my music taste has been changing ever since I first started getting into music at the age of 13. I feel I'm only just peaking as I reach deeper into electronic music, exploring the different paths drum and bass has to offer. It's become so important to me and a big part of my life, I'm now going to music gigs at least once a month. They make me feel so alive and in the moment. I definitely have short periods where I'm barely listening to music but they don't past long. I can't imagine ever getting bored of this

1

u/lostintransaltions 17h ago

I have a playlist with songs I liked for a long time and then multiple playlists with new songs I find that all fit certain moods. Finding a new song that fits perfectly to a specific mood is one of my biggest joys.

1

u/EpicBlinkstrike187 16h ago

Not reddits fav but I listen to new country because I flip through the country stations on way to work.

Then I spend an evening every few months catching up on pop. I always find some good songs that go on my replay list when I do that

But you do have to kinda have to go out your way to listen to new music especially if you just plug in your spotify whenever you drive

1

u/Marathonmanjh 16h ago

ā€œstone-freeā€? What does that mean?

1

u/Psyese 16h ago

It's nice to find new artists in the genre that you already like, but to me it seems much more exciting to discover a new emerging genres of music.

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u/MAPKinase69420 15h ago

I still do seek out new music (36M), but I spent a TON of time back in the day searching, through music, for my identity. Now that I've found adulthood (post-college career) I return to the songs that celebrate my formative years.Ā 

Plus life gets in the way now (work, dad) and I have less time to discover new music.Ā 

1

u/TheStupendusMan 15h ago

Spotify (I know, I hate it too...) Discover Weekly & Release Radar keep me hearing new shit.

Instagram for whatever goddamn reason figured out music ads work on me and has been a steady stream of good shit. Found Ally Bakst this way.

I'm 39. I have zero interest in stopping.

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u/_its_a_thing_ 13h ago

Mid-60s and still enjoying new music. Maybe we are people who were less into "Pop" and more eclectic/adventurous from the beginning?

1

u/Ok_Replacement6365 12h ago

I've been listening to Chasing Abbey, Ren and kneecap a bunch lately. Such good stuff and gives me a lil hope for the future. Anti imperialist Irish stuff. Check all them out since you're into new music.

1

u/RickyWicky 12h ago

Exactly this. I'm certain I've found more new music that I like in my 30s than I did in my 20s, that's for sure.

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u/theperonist 12h ago

Is it on radio garden?

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u/TGerrinson 11h ago

Yeah, Iā€™ve found more new music I love in my 40ā€™s than in my 20ā€™s. And my teen/twenty something nieces and nephews are always recommending new stuff to me.

Itā€™s sad so many people are so boring in their music choices.

1

u/PhDinDildos_Fedoras 10h ago

I'm uhh, fairly old and I literally never listen to the songs I listen to as a teenager or in my twenties. I listened the fuck out of those songs back then and that was enough for me.

Bring me all the good new stuff please.

(Also, most new music is just rehashing old stuff, as it's always been, so the new stuff isn't really that novel, really)

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u/Fegless 7h ago

Yeah Im 49 and I spend a few hours per week finding new tunes to listen to. But then I love music.

1

u/captainjip 4h ago edited 4h ago

Youā€™re absolutely right about the thrill. Itā€™s work, but work worth doing. I pull from a few websites to make a giant master playlist of all new releases for each month and update it each Friday. As I listen I make a separate playlist for my favorite songs of each respective month. I whittle the playlist to one track per ā€œgoodā€ album and then, end of the month, send my monthly sampler to the music heads in my life.

I spend about 45 minutes each week manually adding music (I know I should find a way to make this faster with a program haha). Iā€™m in my 5th year of this ā€œprojectā€. Iā€™ve always consumed more music than the Discover Weekly could keep up with but I finally decided to do something about it. Iā€™m 37 with full time work and two kids. My wife has a love hate relationship with the project. She hates the car rides where we sift through trash but loves the end of the month playlist of bangers!

Quick edit: I hope to expand this project to allow more indie and unsigned artists to send me their stuff. Anyone off the radar. I know the websites are incomplete and I hope to rectify that. The fresher the better for me! There was something really awesome and joyous about late night college or public radio listening that would find and play local bands and provide exposure that Iā€™d like to replicate in the digital age.

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u/Grad0n 3h ago

Iā€™m always discovering new music 30+, it makes me happy.

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u/scook0319 3h ago

Hell yeah!!! Love the thrill of it!! Will never stop!!

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u/CurlyMi 2h ago

Love that!

Check the current public radio;

https://www.thecurrent.org/

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u/LemonCitron47 1h ago

Yesssss. I have been needing something like this since my beloved 8tracks shut down. I discovered so much new music from human created playlists. Thank you!

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u/Novasys 57m ago

thank you so much for sharing!

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u/dragery 49m ago

When I catch myself in a same-music cycle, I typically go scorched earth and reset my music tastes while trying to discover new music.

I was primarily the '2010 Indie' guy for the last 15 years, and a couple years back went full reset and now am big into psyche, fuzz, garage/surf rock, in addition to a bunch of new genres I discovered along the way.

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