Venture into new music websites.
Pandora.com is a digital treasure trove unlatched. Just enter in the name of a band you like, and the folks at Pandora start playing music that is similar to the kind that you like. You can rate the songs they play; the more you rate, the better they can target the music to your tastes. You can create stations for several of your favorite bands.
Other great sites to help you pinpoint new (and often lesser-known) artists based on your preferences include purevolume.com, liveplasma.com, Yahoo! Music, and Gnoosic.com.
Join the in-crowd: hit up MySpace.com.
Visit the MySpace page of a band you like, and they will probably have quite a few bands listed as friends. More often than not, these are bands they have played with or admire, so there's a better-than-average chance you'll like them. Plus, you can browse some of the bands listed on your friends pages, and check them out. If all else fails, ask Tom.
Read the rags.
With all the benefits of the web, you still need offline outlets to balance things out. Print magazines sometimes offer more in-depth reviews and insights than their online counterparts. In addition to recognized stalwarts like Rolling Stone and Spin, there are great magazines like Paste and CMJ New Music Monthly that not only provide reviews and features, but also include a sampler CD of new music in every issue.
Browse Online Music Stores.
Erstwhile file-sharing anarchist Napster lets you listen to a song three times before you have to buy it, making it a great place to troll for spanking new tunes. Fellow subscription service Emusic.com is another good stop for browsing, and offers a free trial. Amazon's "Customers who bought this also bought" is a great way to find artists, as are the customer-created lists on their music site. More independent-minded CDBaby.com offers recommendations based on the genres you select, and lets you listen to samples of the artist's songs.
Dig for Local Weeklies.
Check out your local alternative weekly newspaper and browse online for some of the bands coming to town. If you like one, head out and see them live. This can be hit or miss; but if it pays off, it pays off big. Nothing's better than seeing a great band live.
These are just some ideas the more you look for new stuff, the more places you'll discover to locate your personal Next Big Thing. With your iPod now chock full of the latest in singularly important music, you will once again be able to celebrate your entire catalog. Maybe then you can invest in a smartass t-shirt and impose some of your own musical wisdom.
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