Discovering Music on the Internet

It seems that everything you need and want with regards to music can be found on the Internet.  From getting copies of your current favourite music's lyrics, to learn more about the artist or the band behind it, to listen via online streaming or watching the music video and even downloading the songs to your computer.

Music and the Internet go together very well because music is one media that lends itself well on the online platform.  In fact, it is online that most people discover artists and music genres that they otherwise would not know about.

Here are the top five online lounges to go to when you want to discover new songs or artists to add to your own playlist.

1. iTunes Genius.

If only for the sheer number of users, any recommendation engine within iTunes would be a sure hit.  iTunes Genius makes use of a very intelligent algorithm that helps you discover more music that you might like.  iTunes Genius is readily included starting with the version 8 of the program.

iTunes Genius lets you select any song and recommend similar tunes that have the same musical elements.  The best thing with iTunes is that it is a great music player as well as a music finder.

2. MyStrands.

MyStrands has a recommendation engine that has been described as the top notch and on the mark.  One just uploads iTunes playlists from his or her computer, or add favourites while on the site, and MyStrands could easily serve up a list of similar songs, or other tracks from the same albums or artist that you have.  Unlike most recommendation engines, Mystrands can take two or more songs to narrow down the recommendations and make it more attractive to you.  Further, MyStrands also features a desktop app that allows you to work offline and synchronizing your offline and online lists.

What is more, MyStrands list of recommendations that may be filtered according to different factors like genre, decade or popularity to further finetune the recommended playlists.

The only thing wrong with MyStrands is that it is not that great as a music player as iTunes is.

3. iLike

iLike is definitely a Web site to check out if you are looking forward to finding new music.  The site is very user friendly and may be used with your own iTunes or Windows Media Player. iLike lets you see what your friends are listening to and helps you find free downloads.

iLike has software that appears on your favourite music player as a button.  This allows you to add the songs you play to your profile and then view related songs and even download these recommended songs for free.

4. Musicovery

Unlike the previous music discovery tools and sites, Musicovery does not need to have a copy of your playlist.  In fact, you can log in and just specify the mood you want and then choose the genres of music you want the recommendations to come from.  Musicovery will present you a graphic that features its recommended songs.

Notwithstanding the eye-catching graphics, the recommendations fall within your set preferences.  You can also add new songs to your favourite’s lists and block songs to narrow down your choices.  Musicovery also lets you buy the songs from online retailers like eBay, iTunes or Amazon.

5. The Hype Machine

The Hype Machine lets you go back to the basics.  No frills, no funfare.  This site brings together the content of various blogs written by music lovers from the world over.  So instead of some algorithms and formulas, you get the recommendations in the old fashioned way: by reading the recommendations.  The people behind The Hype Machine have selected the best music blogs and throw them into the site, together with music charts from Twitter posts, and content from other people as well.

The site also features a radio stream that features all the songs that were featured the previous week, letting you sample the songs they feature.

Admittedly, the site is not for those who are in a hurry.  Instead, it is for hard-core music lovers who want to get to know the music, the artists, and the composers in a more in depth manner.