*Finding New Bands*

[liveinsmalldives]

Hi, I posted the following question inrock section of the forum and it was a massive help, being an indie kid myself, id love to hear what you guys think too. This is for an art project at Uni im doing some research for.

"HOW DO YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN NEW BANDS - WHETHER SIGNED OR UNSIGNED?"

in general I was wondering if its things like:

mainstream advertising - tube underground / billboards...
street advertising (stickers / Flyers)
Word of Mouth
Radio
You relate / like the style of the band (raw, pretty boys whatever)
or whether you investigate for yourself - going to small venues / pick up leaflets / web (such as myspace, or watching support acts at bigger venues.
or even what i do - and go in to independent record stores, going through promo albums etc..


if anyone can find time to write a couple of lines with their opinions it would be a massive help, and interesting to see the wide range people find new bands!!

You are all legends thanks for helping!

Lee

[Wanker]

I usually go by word of mouth, whether it's people from here or one of my friends from school.

The other way I find new bands is surfing the web and finding bands similar to the ones I already like.

[Tomahawk]

Word of mouth, mostly.

And the interweb. But not myspace. Never myspace. Mainly AMG and RateYourMusic. Used to be that I'd discover a lot of new bands through this here forum, but not recently.

[morrissey]

Word of mouth, but it usually takes two or three separate mentions for me to check them out, unless the person really sells them to me. For example, a friend could mention this new record they're listening to and then someone in A/I mentions them in "what I've been digging lately", things will probably click and I'll check them out. Or, I come across their name in the "similar artists" section of allmusic and then someone on sputnik writes a review. It could be any combination, but usually a seed is planted the first time I hear mention of them and it is activated when I hear another mention.

So basically it is a combination of word of mouth and the internet.

[Kyle]

As fas as indie goes I find out about most new bands through this forum, the people here like a much wider range of music than most of my friends.

Other than that then I suppose reccomendations from websites or the similar artists section on Amazon occasionally. I have discovered quite a few bands from support acts, but it usually turns out that their studio stuff is crap compared to their live sound.

[mr_jackalope]

Word of mouth, but it usually takes two or three separate mentions for me to check them out, unless the person really sells them to me. For example, a friend could mention this new record they're listening to and then someone in A/I mentions them in "what I've been digging lately", things will probably click and I'll check them out. Or, I come across their name in the "similar artists" section of allmusic and then someone on sputnik writes a review. It could be any combination, but usually a seed is planted the first time I hear mention of them and it is activated when I hear another mention.

So basically it is a combination of word of mouth and the internet.

Nailed it. There are so many bands that get mentioned just everywhere that I really need more of an impetus than a single line.

There are a few people out there, at this forum and others, that I will trust with one recommendation, though.

[Smackers]

Word of mouth is pretty much how I've gotten into 80% of the music I listen to. Some of it is just stumbling onto it myself and the rest would be relating to it.

[EightMilesHigh]

Mostly through here. But I find out about local hXc bands by going to their five dollar shows, because that's just how I spend my weekends.

[dilettante]

I find out about bands through music blogs and local bar shows mostly. Word of mouth doesn't work too well here because I'm usually the person telling people about bands. Except this one time I was talking to this guy from Amoeba. AMG is nice, too, sometimes--similar artists and whatnot. I don't think I've ever gotten a band off television.

[liveinsmalldives]

I find out about bands through music blogs and local bar shows mostly. Word of mouth doesn't work too well here because I'm usually the person telling people about bands. Except this one time I was talking to this guy from Amoeba. AMG is nice, too, sometimes--similar artists and whatnot. I don't think I've ever gotten a band off television.

yep, quite simular to me, much prefer going to cheaper smaller bars, and find out if that band have any promo material available.

Word of mouth has to start somewhere

would you pick up leaflets / check out websites if a band who wasnt playing that nite had left promotional items around? or would it have to be really well designed to spark an interest?

[DemonicRubberDucky]

I look at videogame soundtracks, samplers, and word of mouth at school (rarely at school)

[dilettante]

yep, quite simular to me, much prefer going to cheaper smaller bars, and find out if that band have any promo material available.

Word of mouth has to start somewhere

would you pick up leaflets / check out websites if a band who wasnt playing that nite had left promotional items around? or would it have to be really well designed to spark an interest?
It would have to be well designed.

[Tangy zizzle]

Most of my friends (real friends, not you precious spectres) have bad taste in music (excluding a few but they like what I do cuz I told them about these bands) so I definately don't hear about bands from them.

Seeing someone live as a support or just going to random gigs is always a good way to pick up new bands. If they're good live then you'll want to hear them again, wontcha?

Advertising(any sort)/radio/myspace doesn't do anything for me. But the interent is your friend when it coems to new music/bands.

[Krash100]

Usually I find bands by people telling me they sound like some other bands that I like or if I hear good things about some in magazines or some other medium I check them out.

The internet is another important medium for me in finding new bands because unsigned acts and signed bands a like can get their music heard easily.

[Sleeper]

I find lots of new bands by finding who my favorite bands are influenced by, for example:
Team Sleep influenced by Pinback, Hella
I also find new bands by word of mouth or by similar sound, and Mx helps out quite a bit.

[Sleeper]

I look at videogame soundtracks, samplers, and word of mouth at school (rarely at school)
I remember finding lots of new bands from the Madden Football game series.

[ATM]

Mostly through the net. I go on a couple different message boards and if something catches my attention, I'll check them out.

[EonBlueApcolyps]

Ive got three friends I get my music from, two for rock and one for rap, other than them I listen to pretty much all my music from stuff ive seen here.

I got a handful of friends that would thank Wanker in particular for getting me into Godspeed and those bands.

[jaredong]

i'd like to say only word of mouth from my freinds and sending mp3s.

However, im shallow and use Amazon as well. You read reviews by other people and then there's "similiar users liked". Frankly I thought it related pretty well, however, its somewhat telling Amazon "hey i like buying these things". Its wierd having the company know your genre of music are.

Oh. And pitchfork.

/gets murdered by mob with pitchforks

[Biz]

I watch subterranean on MTV2. Its on usually 3 sundays out of every month. It sometimes will skip a sunday, but it is on at 11 p.m.-12a.m. It usually has some good music.
-Biz

[Robert Crumb]

People send me free new music because I'm great. I don't find new music. New music finds me.

[Clunge]

allmusic really, tis very useful.

[Little Man being Erased]

People send me free new music because I'm great. I don't find new music. New music finds me.
I knew it! I always thought you were the man, but this just confirms it.

[neal_672]

Internet forums, magazines, radio, tv etc etc

[Little Man being Erased]

bark

[JonM]

Most of it I find here, but usually part of my exploration of new music is driven by a sort of academic interest, so I research a sound or a style that I really like, learn its history, its progenitors, and its descendents, and I discover artists in the process.

[2muchket!]

Word of mouth sometimes, but myspace is good for discovering new bands.

[BillCosby]

Here and RYM, basically. Very rarely do my friends reccommend me things worth listening to.

[Biz]

Oh, I also read Harp magazine. I forgot to put that one down.
-Biz

[Robert Crumb]

I knew it! I always thought you were the man, but this just confirms it.

Most of the time, I have to tone down my awesome. I don't want anyone to get hurt or anything.

[EightMilesHigh]

Most of the time, I have to tone down my awesome. I don't want anyone to get hurt or anything.

Oh man, you and me both.

The YSI threads got me into more music than I could have possibly imagined. Ryan Adams, Wilco, The Dillinger Escape Plan, A Tribe Called Quest, Dead Kennedys, countless other bands.

I really wish we still had them :(

[Robert Crumb]

Yeah, despite their gross illegality, YSI threads were pretty effective. And awesome.

[Mexican Bandito]

Mostly using the internet.
If there is a band I like I put it in WIKI and go to "related bands"

Also word of mouth.

[JonM]

We do have an mx soulseek chatroom...

[Kurtz]

mx basically reversed my musical taste.

[Bukowski]

http://www.markprindle.com
http://www.punknews.org

Those are some good review sites i use a lot. MP got me into The Residents, heh. They've reviewed 20+ Residents records there. Punknews i don't use so much anymore, but it has a great review section that isn't strictly limited to punk.

I've seen some decent support bands as well, that's a way to find new artists. And the old YSI threads were helpful, i guess. That got me into rap music.