Discovering new music online, for free!

Jun 18, 2012, 6 a.m.

One of the best things to come from the advent of the internet is the ability to listen to music online. With an endless number of music websites available to you, discovering music doesn't have to turn into a scavenger hunt -- instead, it can be as easy as selecting one or two of the services below. From there, let the music and your ears do the rest.

Spotify -- This is a great starting point for the discriminating music fan who wants to listen to music online. Once you've downloaded and installed the service (which comes free with commercials or without commercials in exchange for a monthly fee), you can seek out an artist that you're familiar with and the system will bring up their discography, a short bio, and a list of similar artists. You can listen to individual songs, entire albums, and even make playlists of hand-selected tracks.
Grooveshark -- Similar to Spotify in that you can listen to entire albums or individual songs, there's one thing that Grooveshark does that Spotify doesn't: it creates a personalized "station" based off your preferences. Let's say your grandkids just introduced you to Lady Gaga and you're interested in finding similar music. Using the search field to find Lady Gaga, you can listen to entire albums, individual songs, or create a radio station that'll play you her songs and follow them up with similar singers.
Pandora -- Many people love Pandora for its simple interface, which allows you to key in an individual song or artist. The only drawback of Pandora is that, unlike Spotify and Grooveshark, it doesn't let you listen to entire albums. However, you can create a stream of music that leapfrogs off your last choice and selects an artist it thinks you'll enjoy. It may not always be accurate, but it sure beats listening to radio static.
LastFM -- This is another popular music website that creates a personalized radio station for you. While you can't listen to entire albums on LastFM, you do have option to create a uniquely personalized listening experience that combines your past choices with artists in a similar genre.
Music-Map -- Want a great visual way to discover new music? Music-Map may be for you. With Music-Map, searching for an artist brings up dozens of similar musicians, scattering them all over your screen in an interesting visual pattern. From here, all that's left to do is spot something that looks visually appealing, click, and have a "blast" listening.

Content Provided by Spot55.com