Discovering new music

I recently read a fabulous article about how we discover new music. The article was written by Jeremy D. Larson and featured on Pitchfork.com. Larson’s key premise suggests that for many people there is a certain point in life where most music becomes something to remember rather than something to experience, with the act of discovering new music giving way to routine ‘life’ activities.

Larson described the way our brains work in recognising music, and that we find comfort and joy in recognising music that we are familiar with. He called it “ … a positive-feedback loop … we love the things we know because we know them and therefore we love them”. Larson explained that music we know provides solace, and particularly so in the troubling times the world is currently facing.

This paragraph about discovering new music was perfectly written:

“The act of listening to new music in the midst of a global pandemic is hard, but it’s necessary. The world will keep spinning and culture must move with it, even if we are staid and static in our homes, even if the economy grinds to a halt, even if there are no shows…