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[Guide] How to find good music
posted in Off Topic
1
#1
Chief Video Editor
0 Frags +

Hello, I'm Beater, and I've encountered the question "How do you find music for your videos?" enough times that I've decided to make a small guide on how you yourself relatively easily can discover some amazing tracks and expand your music library. Don't worry, it's pretty easy!
Oh, and just to get the obvious disclaimer out of the way: There is no definitive place to go to find good music, since everybody have their own unique taste in music. This guide will merely provide the framework on how to go about finding music in general

Youtube
First step: Get a youtube account (seriously, get a youtube account)

There are a ton of channels on youtube which are dedicated to uploading music in a specific genre, so by simply subscribing to these channels you'll have a ton of good music in your youtube-feed. Make a habit of checking your "my subscriptions" for music a couple of times every week, maybe make a playlist out of them and listen to them while you do something else and you're bound to stumble upon some stuff you love sooner or later.
It's also worth checking out the related videos and other tracks by artists who've made a song which you like.

Some examples of channels which I like
Liquicity
FunkyyPanda
Proximity
MrSuicideSheep

And there are many more. It's simply a matter of finding channels with the type of music which you like. Use the search function!

SoundCloud
Get a soundcloud account (yes, get a soundcloud account)

Soundcloud is awesome since it seems a lot more 'direct' than youtube. Instead of subscribing to an aggregate account which uploads music from many artists in the same genre, soundcloud tends to be the artists themselves publishing their own music. Usually when an artist releases a new track or an album it will be available for listening on soundcloud even before it becomes available in the shops, so soundcloud is a great way to keep tabs on your favorite artists.

After you've made your account, you're able to search for and follow different artists and if you find a track which you really like you can save it to your favorites or make a playlist containing as many songs as you like.

Some examples of users which I like and follow
Gramatik
Grum
Matrix & Futurebound
Chromeo
Chomstars

Beatport
Electronic music portal/shop. You don't need an account to browse, but you can follow artists and buy music with an account, although I don't think the follow feature is worth it.
Thanks to a magical Chrome plugin called Streamus you can listen to songs in their entirety, and not just the 30 second preview.

Install streamus and browse your favorite categories (you can make a playlist of the top 10 or top 100 in a given category by pressing a single button)

Reddit
Make a reddit account (it's worth it)

They say there is a subreddit for everything, and music is no different. The main music subreddit is called /r/music, but it's mostly filled with old pop music that you've heard a million times before, so you want to branch out and subscribe to the more specific subreddits. There are plenty of links available in the sidebar to get you started

Some subreddits I like and subscribe to
/r/nudisco
/r/Electrohouse
/r/Trance
/r/frenchhouse
/r/listentothis

Newgrounds
Get a Newgrounds account (Ok, maybe you shouldn't get a newgrounds account)

Newgrounds is a website that was originally made to give people a place to share self-made music which people could use in games and videos without having to worry about copyright claims, which means that any music you find on this site can be used without worrying about copyright infringement, as long as you give credit, of course. The site is a far cry from its former glory, but I felt like I should mention it anyway. You can follow artists and save songs to favorites and the site is really well designed, so it has that going for it, but these days there aren't a lot of people who upload songs regularly to the site.

Some of the artists I follow
F-777
WaterFlame
Geoplex

In closing
Finding new, awesome music involves listening to a lot of mediocre, boring or straight up terrible music, but such is life. Listening to online radio stations can also be a good way to find new music, since the playlist is usually publicly available and very easy to find (Trance.fm and spotify radio stations being examples).

Good luck and happy listening

Hello, I'm Beater, and I've encountered the question "How do you find music for your videos?" enough times that I've decided to make a small guide on how you yourself relatively easily can discover some amazing tracks and expand your music library. Don't worry, it's pretty easy!
Oh, and just to get the obvious disclaimer out of the way: There is no definitive place to go to find good music, since everybody have their own unique taste in music. This guide will merely provide the framework on how to go about finding music [i]in general[/i]

[b]Youtube[/b]
First step: Get a youtube account (seriously, get a youtube account)

There are a ton of channels on youtube which are dedicated to uploading music in a specific genre, so by simply subscribing to these channels you'll have a ton of good music in your youtube-feed. Make a habit of checking your "my subscriptions" for music a couple of times every week, maybe make a playlist out of them and listen to them while you do something else and you're bound to stumble upon some stuff you love sooner or later.
It's also worth checking out the related videos and other tracks by artists who've made a song which you like.

[u]Some examples of channels which I like[/u]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/user/Liquicity]Liquicity[/url]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/user/FunkyyPanda]FunkyyPanda[/url]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/user/PandoraMuslc]Proximity[/url]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/user/MrSuicideSheep]MrSuicideSheep[/url]

And there are many more. It's simply a matter of finding channels with the type of music which you like. Use the search function!

[b][url=http://www.soundcloud.com]SoundCloud[/url][/b]
Get a soundcloud account (yes, get a soundcloud account)

Soundcloud is awesome since it seems a lot more 'direct' than youtube. Instead of subscribing to an aggregate account which uploads music from many artists in the same genre, soundcloud tends to be the artists themselves publishing their own music. Usually when an artist releases a new track or an album it will be available for listening on soundcloud even before it becomes available in the shops, so soundcloud is a great way to keep tabs on your favorite artists.

After you've made your account, you're able to search for and follow different artists and if you find a track which you really like you can save it to your favorites or make a playlist containing as many songs as you like.

[i]Some examples of users which I like and follow[/i]
[url=https://soundcloud.com/gramatik]Gramatik[/url]
[url=https://soundcloud.com/grum]Grum[/url]
[url=https://soundcloud.com/matrixandfuturebound]Matrix & Futurebound[/url]
[url=https://soundcloud.com/chromeo]Chromeo[/url]
[url=https://soundcloud.com/chomstars]Chomstars[/url]

[b][url=http://beatport.com]Beatport[/url][/b]
Electronic music portal/shop. You don't need an account to browse, but you can follow artists and buy music with an account, although I don't think the follow feature is worth it.
Thanks to a magical Chrome plugin called [url=https://streamus.com/]Streamus[/url] you can listen to songs in their entirety, and not just the 30 second preview.

Install streamus and browse your favorite categories (you can make a playlist of the top 10 or top 100 in a given category by pressing a single button)

[b][url=http://reddit.com/r/music]Reddit[/url][/b]
Make a reddit account (it's worth it)

They say there is a subreddit for [url=http://www.reddit.com/r/petsgonewild]everything[/url], and music is no different. The main music subreddit is called /r/music, but it's mostly filled with old pop music that you've heard a million times before, so you want to branch out and subscribe to the more specific subreddits. There are plenty of links available in the sidebar to get you started

[u]Some subreddits I like and subscribe to[/u]
[url=http://www.reddit.com/r/NuDisco]/r/nudisco[/url]
[url=http://www.reddit.com/r/electrohouse]/r/Electrohouse[/url]
[url=http://www.reddit.com/r/trance/]/r/Trance[/url]
[url=http://www.reddit.com/r/FrenchHouse/]/r/frenchhouse[/url]
[url=http://www.reddit.com/r/listentothis/]/r/listentothis[/url]

[b][url=http://newgrounds.com]Newgrounds[/url][/b]
Get a Newgrounds account (Ok, maybe you shouldn't get a newgrounds account)

[url=http://www.newgrounds.com/audio]Newgrounds[/url] is a website that was originally made to give people a place to share self-made music which people could use in games and videos without having to worry about copyright claims, which means that any music you find on this site can be used without worrying about copyright infringement, as long as you give credit, of course. The site is a far cry from its former glory, but I felt like I should mention it anyway. You can follow artists and save songs to favorites and the site is really well designed, so it has that going for it, but these days there aren't a lot of people who upload songs regularly to the site.

[u]Some of the artists I follow[/u]
[url=http://f-777.newgrounds.com]F-777[/url]
[url=http://waterflame.newgrounds.com]WaterFlame[/url]
[url=http://geoplex.newgrounds.com/]Geoplex[/url]

[b]In closing[/b]
Finding new, awesome music involves listening to a lot of mediocre, boring or straight up terrible music, but such is life. Listening to online radio stations can also be a good way to find new music, since the playlist is usually publicly available and very easy to find (Trance.fm and spotify radio stations being examples).

Good luck and happy listening
2
#2
-4 Frags +

if you're into weird japanese -core stuff i think comiket 86(?) is coming up soon and you can find some new stuff in the /jp/ threads

if you're into weird japanese -core stuff i think comiket 86(?) is coming up soon and you can find some new stuff in the /jp/ threads
3
#3
-1 Frags +

I use a lot of those, plus Spotify for discovery, but my major source are music blogs.

Earmilk
TheMusicNinja
Pigeons and Planes
Hypetrak
IndieShuffle

Are some of my favorites.

I use a lot of those, plus Spotify for discovery, but my major source are music blogs.

[url=http://www.earmilk.com/]Earmilk[/url]
[url=http://www.themusicninja.com]TheMusicNinja[/url]
[url=http://www.pigeonsandplanes.com]Pigeons and Planes[/url]
[url=http://www.hypetrak.com/]Hypetrak[/url]
[url=http://www.indieshuffle.com/]IndieShuffle[/url]

Are some of my favorites.
4
#4
5 Frags +

I think people should stick to their own personal music taste, because I am kinda sick of all these people using the same songs over and over, there is like a billion frag movies with "Emancipator- First Snow" :P

I think people should stick to their own personal music taste, because I am kinda sick of all these people using the same songs over and over, there is like a billion frag movies with "Emancipator- First Snow" :P
5
#5
1 Frags +

Also worth noting are bandcamp.com and last.fm.

Also worth noting are bandcamp.com and last.fm.
6
#6
3 Frags +

I find that following record labels you like is also good for discovery on Soundcloud.

Little tip, on Spotify you can search by label to find all their releases.

label:Innervisions
label:"Hospital Records"

You can usually find the label name at the bottom of an album page.

Edit: For new music aggregation check out Hype Machine

I find that following record labels you like is also good for discovery on Soundcloud.

Little tip, on Spotify you can search by label to find all their releases.

[code]label:Innervisions[/code]
[code]label:"Hospital Records"[/code]

You can usually find the label name at the bottom of an album page.

Edit: For new music aggregation check out [url=http://hypem.com/]Hype Machine[/url]
7
#7
0 Frags +

to find new albums i spend a lot of time just browsing genre pages on rateyourmusic for top rated releases

just lurking rateyourmusic has really changed my perspective on music(and jake)

Saberif you're into weird japanese -core stuff i think comiket 86(?) is coming up soon and you can find some new stuff in the /jp/ threads

im pretty sure theres a total of no one on this website actively trying to follow doujin music

to find new albums i spend a lot of time just browsing genre pages on rateyourmusic for top rated releases

just lurking rateyourmusic has really changed my perspective on music(and jake)

[quote=Saber]if you're into weird japanese -core stuff i think comiket 86(?) is coming up soon and you can find some new stuff in the /jp/ threads[/quote]

im pretty sure theres a total of no one on this website actively trying to follow doujin music
8
#8
2 Frags +

I use a list of youtube channels I have collected for some months since I started to make videos. Mostly because these upload recent (and usually good) stuff that doesn't trigger Youtube Content ID.

For personal listening and my favorite artists I use mostly spotify/soundcloud but also youtube, there's always some rare version or remix of that song that isn't anywhere else but youtube.

I use a list of youtube channels I have collected for some months since I started to make videos. Mostly because these upload recent (and usually good) stuff that doesn't trigger Youtube Content ID.

For personal listening and my favorite artists I use mostly spotify/soundcloud but also youtube, there's always some rare version or remix of that song that isn't anywhere else but youtube.
9
#9
2 Frags +

You could add Bandcamp and Last.fm there. Semi-related: if there was a list of music that you shouldnt use in frag clips and movies it would probably have all production from Stan SB, Fox Stevenson and Madeon

Show Content
not hating these, they are just so overused that you feel like you've already seen and heard this(except if its some really sick frags that will blow your mind)
kevim pretty sure theres a total of no one on this website actively trying to follow doujin music

Not so actively but when ever theres a comiket Ill try to check out what kind of albums have been ripped and uploaded, so much of the stuff is Touhou stuff though so sometimes it feels like the same melodies are getting a bit heard, except for the circles whose style I really like.

You could add Bandcamp and Last.fm there. Semi-related: if there was a list of music that you shouldnt use in frag clips and movies it would probably have all production from Stan SB, Fox Stevenson and Madeon[spoiler]not hating these, they are just so overused that you feel like you've already seen and heard this(except if its some really sick frags that will blow your mind)[/spoiler]

[quote=kev]im pretty sure theres a total of no one on this website actively trying to follow doujin music[/quote]
Not so actively but when ever theres a comiket Ill try to check out what kind of albums have been ripped and uploaded, so much of the stuff is Touhou stuff though so sometimes it feels like the same melodies are getting a bit heard, except for the circles whose style I really like.
10
#10
1 Frags +

I tried all sorts of music discovery methods and none of them did squat. However, one day when I was browsing idly on Amazon, I noticed a wacky trend that people who give 5 star reviews to albums I really like also happen to give 5 star reviews to other albums I hadn't heard of but now really like. For some reason, Amazon's current recommendation system is built on similar purchases rather than similar reviews (which provides much less relevant results). I can't guarantee this will work for your genre of music, but it's worth trying.

I tried all sorts of music discovery methods and none of them did squat. However, one day when I was browsing idly on Amazon, I noticed a wacky trend that people who give 5 star reviews to albums I really like also happen to give 5 star reviews to other albums I hadn't heard of but now really like. For some reason, Amazon's current recommendation system is built on similar purchases rather than similar reviews (which provides much less relevant results). I can't guarantee this will work for your genre of music, but it's worth trying.
11
#11
1 Frags +

http://www.furia.com/misc/genremaps/engenremap.html I've been using this little gem for the past days and i have found some pretty good music.

http://www.furia.com/misc/genremaps/engenremap.html I've been using this little gem for the past days and i have found some pretty good music.
12
#12
0 Frags +
Pyromancerhttp://www.furia.com/misc/genremaps/engenremap.html I've been using this little gem for the past days and i have found some pretty good music.

this page is awesome. thanks for the link

[quote=Pyromancer]http://www.furia.com/misc/genremaps/engenremap.html I've been using this little gem for the past days and i have found some pretty good music.[/quote]
this page is awesome. thanks for the link
13
#13
1 Frags +
Pyromancerhttp://www.furia.com/misc/genremaps/engenremap.html I've been using this little gem for the past days and i have found some pretty good music.

a lot of these are incorrect.

[quote=Pyromancer]http://www.furia.com/misc/genremaps/engenremap.html I've been using this little gem for the past days and i have found some pretty good music.[/quote]

a lot of these are incorrect.
14
#14
Momentum Mod
-3 Frags +

primus dude

never fails

primus dude

never fails
15
#15
0 Frags +

If you are into music blogs or just new music check hypem.com, collates from a heap of blogs and has a top today/top this week, plus genres and all that good stuff.

If you are into music blogs or just new music check hypem.com, collates from a heap of blogs and has a top today/top this week, plus genres and all that good stuff.
16
#16
0 Frags +

this is how i find music:
-find a song you actually like (not just because it has a catchy melody. you're looking for consistent results).
-look up the labels that the artist is under. the label that signed them are also into other artists with similar sounds or musical vision.
-look up mixes if they dj. their track selection is a reflection of their taste in music. their taste in music is important here because that is what crafted their own tracks.
-look up mixes that contain a song you like. check out the other songs in that mix.
-repeat.

blackout, eatbrain, critical music, inspected, soulection, and shogun audio are some of my favorite labels. labels labels labels. you'd be surprised at the consistent results.

Yes Semi-related: if there was a list of music that you shouldnt use in frag clips and movies it would probably have all production from Stan SB, Fox Stevenson and Madeon
Show Content
not hating these, they are just so overused that you feel like you've already seen and heard this(except if its some really sick frags that will blow your mind)

lol i agree. too many songs in frag videos with happy-ass melodies as the defining characteristic.

this is how i find music:
-find a song you actually like (not just because it has a catchy melody. you're looking for consistent results).
-look up the labels that the artist is under. the label that signed them are also into other artists with similar sounds or musical vision.
-look up mixes if they dj. their track selection is a reflection of their taste in music. their taste in music is important here because that is what crafted their own tracks.
-look up mixes that contain a song you like. check out the other songs in that mix.
-repeat.

blackout, eatbrain, critical music, inspected, soulection, and shogun audio are some of my favorite labels. labels labels labels. you'd be surprised at the consistent results.

[quote=Yes] Semi-related: if there was a list of music that you shouldnt use in frag clips and movies it would probably have all production from Stan SB, Fox Stevenson and Madeon[spoiler]not hating these, they are just so overused that you feel like you've already seen and heard this(except if its some really sick frags that will blow your mind)[/spoiler]
[/quote]
lol i agree. too many songs in frag videos with happy-ass melodies as the defining characteristic.
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