More Ways to Broaden Your Musical Horizons
Last blog I talked about ways to get exposed to different types of music. Here are even more ways:
Follow the 3 chances rule. Give a new album three chances. The first time I listened to the debut record of one of my favorite artists, I hated it. I chalked it up to a waste of money and stowed it away somewhere. But months later I revisited it and have been in love ever since. Much like you do when you meet someone and they make a bad impression, give an album a few chances to prove itself and become your friend. Especially if the album belongs in a new genre than what you're used to, give it the benefit of the doubt of a few rounds of play before you rule it out.
Go underground. Research local bands and go and see them play. It's a great way to support your local music scene and up and coming artists, as well as exposing you to new sounds. Try searching events by location on JukeboxAlive to get started. Encourage diversity and creativity by buying CDs and merchandise directly from struggling musicians who've contributed something unique to the world. A great way to do this is to buy music directly from the artist's website or at the merchandise table at shows. They'll receive more of the money than if you bought it from a third party website, too.
JukeboxAlive Radio. Go to www.jukeboxalive.com and on the first page you will see radio stations. Click on one of the choices from there - or click on more stations to be treated to a variety of genres. This is a great way to listen to many different artists and then make a note of the ones you like and then visit their pages, make a friend request, and then check out one of their local shows.
Go to the library. Libraries carry so much more than books these days. Go and check out your library's collection of CDs, DVDs and records. Most libraries allow you to borrow a nearly limitless amount of materials for up to two weeks... and, best of all, it's free! Explore away-- and most libraries are part of a system that allows them to request what they don't have from other libraries.
Bring back mix "tapes." Consider trading mix tapes or CDs with friends. You might even want to make some mixes for them featuring your latest and greatest music discoveries.
There is likely a huge variety of artists and genres you haven't discovered yet. Take advantage of the internet, the local music scene, and friends to start seeing what's out there.