We’ve never been more spoiled when it comes to access to new music, but despite the rise of streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, finding fresh music to listen to can still present a challenge.
Sure, such services make their own admirable curation efforts, but the sheer weight of choice can make it feel like swimming against the tide. That’s where these handy music discovery apps come in.
Shazam [Free]
The daddy of all music discovery apps, Shazam proved so successful in helping users find new music, Apple went out and bought it. You’ll probably know all about it thanks to its deep integration into Siri, but Shazam works by listening to a music track and identifying what’s playing. These days it’s quicker and more reliable than ever, while it can also supply time-synced lyrics, show you upcoming concerts, and find the track on Apple Music.
Discz [Free]
Discz is the hot young thing on the music discovery app scene. It will recommend songs to you based on your listening preferences, which sounds like any major music streaming service. However, the way it showcases those tracks to you is by serving up 15-second snippets. Needless to say, it’s caught the imagination of the TikTok generation, aided by the app’s ability to help you find your music scene, connecting your up with like-minded community of music lovers.
SongCapsule [$4.99/£4.99]
It’s all very well discovering new music, but with the vast digital music libraries that many of us have accrued over the year, it can be a thrilling voyage of discovery simply diving into our MP3 collections. SongCapsule takes that idea and runs with it, scanning your iTunes library and creating playlists for you. The Magic DJ feature lets you choose your algorithm, from assembling top songs to surfacing hidden gems. It certainly beats hitting the shuffle button.
Indie Shuffle [Free]
The trouble with music streaming giants like Spotify and Apple Music is that they’re always going to favor the flavor of the month – the hot new band or artist that’s on everyone’s lips and playing on the major radio stations. IndieShuffle provides smart playlists and curated recommendations from real humans with distinct musical tastes, and as the name suggests, they won’t always go for the big names. It practically guarantees you something new and interesting to listen to each and every time you use the app.
SoundCloud [Free]
If you’re even vaguely into discovering and listening to online music, you’ll have likely heard of SoundCloud. It’s perhaps the leading way for artists to quickly upload and promote new tracks without having to go through the usual industry apparatus. What people tend to forget is that there’s a mobile app to accompany the original desktop service, enabling you to connect to artists new and old, and to discover fresh tracks that often turn out to be exclusives.
