Spotify seems to be the go-to app for music streaming, but few know how to use it to find new artists and music. Using Spotify to just listen to Top 50 and Top 100 is a shame because there is so much music out there. Music is so important in both an interpersonal and intrapersonal way. It is a form is an expression and can be used in connecting with others so your music should be just as unique as you are. I will detail how to discover new artists and music on Spotify.

The first step is to start with artists you have already listened to. When you go to an artist profile it will have a similar artists tab. Go through these artists and look at their most popular songs, which is another artist profile feature. You can also use the artist profile to see music that they have been featured in.

The browse feature is helpful, but can be overwhelming. The new releases and discover feature within browse are catered to your music preferences so this is a good place to look. Another good place to look for new music is in playlists made by Spotify, Digster, Topsify, and Filtr. Theses tastemakers do have Top 50 playlists, but they also have unique curated playlists with up and coming artists that you may not know about yet. I usually click on the playlist based on the title; the more basic the title the basic the playlist, the more fun and unique the title the more unique the playlist. Spotify also has categories for the playlists beyond just the genre, but also mood or event. These playlists can also be a big find.

The third step is to use the radio feature to find the music. There is a radio playlist for pretty much every album, song, and artist. The playlist will be filled with similar songs and artists, or will be based on listening trends observed in relation to that album or song so an “other users also listened to this” situation.

The fourth step is to follow your friends see what they are listening to. Everyone has unique music tastes and you may even find a new genre of music that you like.

If you are a student, you get a discount on the Spotify subscription cutting the price in half. All you have to do is use your .edu email from your college when you sign up.

Music is such an important part of life and even the music you listen to can be an expression of yourself, you don’t just have to play the music to express through it. In addition, sometimes lyrics are the best therapy. Thus, you shouldn’t just be stuck on listening to the radio reruns that everyone else is also listening. There can be a great reward for finding a little-known artist or song and sharing. We often forget that music can be social you can share it; it can even be a point of relation in forming a friendship.