If you're a music lover like myself, then you're probably searching all the time for the best places to listen to your favorite tunes. But there are so many sites out there? How the hell are we supposed to know which ones will deliver delicious musical satisfaction, and which will make us cry. Well I'm here to help!! After reading this, you'll be the new DJ among your friends... Unless one of your friends is already a DJ, in which case, why didn't you ask him first?
You'll feel like this guy.
YOUTUBE.COM
This site is kind of a no-brainer here. But some people still don't know about the fancy playlist feature that Youtube has implemented. It's very cool, just go to the search bar, search your favorite band/genre/whatever, and pick a video. Sometimes for bands or genres they have playlists set up in the top right hand corner next to the video. Youtube has some great selection, but you may have to sacrifice music quality for that great selection.
PLAYLIST.COM
This site was one of my favorites throughout high school. Very simplistic design makes it easy to find what you're looking for. The search bar is right in the center of the page, if you can't find it then... well you're stupid. But I digress. The site has a decent selection and will usually have the songs you're looking for. Another handy feature is that there's an option to search for playlists with the song you're searching for already in it. This way you can discover other music that the playlist's creator also liked. The site has featured playlists on the home page with some decent bands and good mixes for parties and other events. It's how I discovered a few of my favorite groups!
8TRACKS.COM
I recently discovered this site while stumbling. It's great. People create playlists of related music and post them for your pleasure! The interface is simplistic and easy to follow. And many of the playlists have music that you've probably never heard of before (if you're searching by genre at least). The site limits how often you can skip to the next track. Which personally I find to be a benefit. It forces you to listen to the whole song before you immediately go searching for the songs you already know. Half the fun is discovering new music!
SOUNDCLOUD.COM
I've recently become a member on this totally awesome site. This site has some music I'm sure you've heard of, but the real gripper for this site is all of the independent music. The coolest feature that I've found on this site was the social aspect of it. It's almost like facebook or twitter for music. You can follow certain uploaders who's music/taste you enjoy and leave comments and messages for them. Many independent songs also have download links available which, needless to say, is freaking awesome. The only downside is that you have to sign up to fully utilize this site, and it's a bit hard to navigate. But the songs all have a visual sound wave which you can watch while listening. Pretty chill.
PANDORA.COM
How can you make a music site without mentioning Pandora? I myself am not a huge fan of the site. But I can't deny it's usefulness and benefits. The set up is simple enough, you go to the site, input a band, genre, song, etc into the search box, and the site formulates a "radio" station with music that fits the same style/taste. They limit the times you can skip per hour. Which I still see as a benefit, and the music will play indefinitely which means it's great for party playlists. If you sign up, you can save all of the stations you've previously created for easy access. The ads get on my nerves, but hey, it keeps it free. You can also pay to upgrade to an advanced membership. There you have more skips, higher quality music and no ads.
Honorable Mention:
DEEZER.COM
I had to mention this site. It doesn't have much functionality here in the united states, but the interface and selection are out of this world. To me at least. The site functions like Itunes almost. Create infinite playlists, find full albums, favorite songs/artists/genres/etc, and the home page has the charts for the US, UK, Belgium, and France. This site was my go to music site while I was abroad in France. I hope that in the future they can put more usability in the states. The selection is great, and a great way to find out what other countries are listening to.
So there it is!! Happy listening my friends. Let me know what you think in the comments!
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