Before The Music Ends: 8.12.09

Being the music buff that I am, one of the constant things I get asked is, "where do you get all your new music from?" If you take a look at my i-pod and my CD collection (yes, I do still buy CDs), most of the stuff I have is underground music or literally, barely up and coming musicians- musicians that have a demo or an EP to their name. Well I thought I'd be nice for once, and let you all in on my daily life of scanning the internet. I live by certain websites (as I hope you will one day live by what I write) that I read and re-read every day. Through these websites comes new music, new artists, and new ideas. So take notes by little butterflies:

My Top 8 Music Websites (In No Particular Order):
1. All Music- This website is dedicated to giving you all the information you could possibly want regarding any musician, group, composer, writer, producer, you name it. There is a full biography, full discography (by both albums and songs), credits, and any awards they have received. While this site is really dedicated to the information about a particular person or group, every now and then brand new music pops up. I use this website to look at upcoming album release dates and such.

2. Hypebot- Quite possibly my favorite blog, but I can only assume that most of you will just find this one boring. This one is one that I consider my bible as it relays up to the minute information about all music industry information. Whether livenation decides to merge with Ticketmaster, or whether Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls made $10,000 in one night via Twitter... all that is in this lovely little blog. There is even a community network you can join where you begin to network with people from all aspects of the community to give each other advice, suggestions, etc. If you're really into whats going on in the business side of the industry, then this site is for you.

3. Pollstar- This website is the free version of Pollstarpro.com, which is a magazine/website used for industry professionals in the concert aspects. The free version just gives up the minute details on all concerts going on around the world. Its a bit hard to get your concert dates added if you are a brand new musician, since this website is regulated by major booking and promotion companies, but it still serves a great purpose for the rest of us out there who just want to know the next time Bruce Springsteen will be in town!!!

4. Stereogum- Ahhh! Now here's one you're sure to be interested in. This website dedicates itself to all things indie and alternative. This includes news on upcoming projects and upcoming bands. But the best part about this website is that it has daily free downloads that are completely and legally free!! Keep in mind that this is still indie music, so if you're looking for something that sounds like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, or Akon, then you're better off heading over to MTV.com. 

5. Pitchfork- This, my friends, is the go-to website when it comes to ANYTHING underground or indie. Pitchfork does have the reputation of being the leading new independent music website, but it also has the reputation of being the biggest snob about music. Getting music reviewed by Pitchfork can be one of the highest honors (if you even get them to look at your demo, be honored then too), but they also have the ability to tear you to pieces. Their reviews and articles are superb, and you must have the patience and humor to deal with the things these writers say. But hey, through Pitchfork I discovered some of my now favorite bands (Bon Iver, M85, Animal Collective). While you can't download mp3s from here, they do have a player with their picks of the best new music, most of which I can guarantee you won't ever have heard. Swing by, I think you'll be impressed.

6. New Music Tip Sheet- This website is great to stay on top of upcoming releases, TV listings, and news. This is directed more towards the general population and mainstream music realm, but it does what it is supposed to do, and it has become a tool for the industry to look into music placement as well. For all of you who couldn't find your music at Stereogum or Pitchfork, you may just find it here.

7. Artist Rise- Okay, so as a manager to a local band, I LOOOOOOOVE this site. This in a way, is sort of like pollstar, only for up and coming artists. While for the time being, this is directed towards the Los Angeles and New York music scenes, it is a great way to see what new artists are playing where. Artist Rise is sort of like a facebook or myspace, except that once a profile is created (whether your an artist, band, venue, booker, promoter), you use your profile to network and get gigs. 

8. Crazed Hits- So this technically is another industry site, but don't worry. This could potentially be the best website to find completely unknown music. It is an industry A&R website which takes unsigned bands or artists, places their music on this website, and distributes it to labels, publishing, other a&r agents, etc. Through this site, a virtually unknown artist has the chance to become the next Justin Timberlake (horrible analogy, but I thought I'd talk in simpler terms). For example, some of the artists that were featured on this site before they were signed to major labels are: Katy Perry, Iglu & Hartly, Drake, LMFAO, and a tons others. 

So there you have it... my top 8 websites that I go to daily as both a music fan and music manager. But there are hundreds more that can tell you about upcoming music. Just one word of advice, you may be overwhelmed over just how much new music is out there. Myspace helped for a while in this area, but new blogs are taking over, and they are wayyyyy better.

Happy Searching!

Dals