# How do people find out about new music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 19, 2021, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-find-out-about-new-music/946816 "2021-07-19T12:07:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Franklymydear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Franklymydear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklymydear)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-find-out-about-new-music/946816/41 "2021-07-20T21:55:33Z")
I still listen to FM radio during my daily commute. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-find-out-about-new-music/946816/42 "2021-07-20T23:00:35Z")
> [@ArtBeforeScience](#): > > I never managed to train Pandora but one of my roommates did, and we had awesome music for a while. Unfortunately Pandora never identified the tracks via audio and it wasn’t my computer, so I never learned who the musicians or tunes were. This is what Shazam is for. And for when you hear something you like on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-find-out-about-new-music/946816/43 "2021-07-20T23:27:18Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > This is what Shazam is for. And for when you hear something you like on TV. It doesn’t always work, though. The last The Equalizer show had a song on it that a lot of people want to get their hands on, and every website I’ve gone to that tries to figure out what the song title/artist is has been reporting that Shazam hasn’t been able to identify it. Yet. I’m one of the people who wants that song. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-find-out-about-new-music/946816/44 "2021-07-21T15:28:45Z")
I listen to a local college radio station to stay hip with what the cool cats are grooving to. I don’t get Top 40 stuff from there, but that’s not the kind of music I’m into anyway. I listen in the car and over my smart speaker at home and discover all kinds of great new stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-find-out-about-new-music/946816/45 "2021-07-21T15:59:58Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > > [@Keith1](#): > > > > I was simply addressing another poster’s apparent ignorance, which he then compounded by laughing at me as if I’m the idiot here. Any MP3 file is lossy. It’s the purpose of MP3. However few would notice the difference between an MP3 at high bit rate and a non lossy format. > > Sure. Not to defend the tone of the comments but I believe the point was that criticism of “poor quality mp3s” was perhaps more true in the early 2000s and earlier when people ripped tracks into low rate, low fidelity, files to be able to fit more onto a device and because you were sending stuff via dial-up but, these days, high bit rate mp3 quality is more than good enough for most use cases and the larger file size hardly matters for storage or transmission. I would assume that any mp3 seller worth their salt is offering high bit rate files given the negligible restraints. So your initial dismissal of loading “low quality mp3s onto your phone” was a bit curious. But, hey, I know people who refuse to deal with anything but FLAC files so takes all kinds and guess it doesn’t affect me any. Bingo. His complaint had merit 20 years ago. It’s not really relevant now. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-find-out-about-new-music/946816/46 "2021-07-21T22:55:20Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > It doesn’t always work, though. And sometimes misidentifies songs. But I’ve found plenty of songs using it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-find-out-about-new-music/946816.md?page=2)