The Definitive Guide to Finding Out About New British Music
So you’re one of those people who wears a t-shirt that says ‘I listen to bands that don’t even exist yet’, you’ve got your finger on the proverbial pulse of all things new music (indie in particular), and your friends turn to you whenever they hear something on the radio and say, ‘who’s this then?’ Let’s face it, you’re the guru of new indie music and if you’re not listening to it, it’s not worth listening to. Fact.
Ok, give yourself a self-congratulatory pat on the back. But now we ask you this: are you as clued up as you think on music when it doesn’t originate in the USA? How about new British music? Were you the first to tell your friends about Professor Green, is Jessie J constantly on your iPod, or don’t you have a clue about who we’re talking about?
It’s time to expand your musical horizons, get tips from the great backstage seating in the sky, and start genning up on all things new music across the pond. Read on to discover the best go-to places for everything music…
First Port of Call: NME
The NME kicked off in 1952 so it’s fair to say it knows a thing or two about music, what’s more it’s the longest running weekly music publication in the world – which isn’t to be sniffed at. You won’t know about similar publications like Melody Maker and Select magazine, but believe us they were good and yet they still bowed down to the mighty NME. Discerning British musos pay £2.20 ($3.45) a week for a copy, and with a readership of 411,000 they’re in good company (mainly of men aged 17-30).
However you don’t need to get hold of a paper copy to keep up to date on everything the NME hails worthy. Just check out their website for reviews, news, and videos all there for your musical pleasure.
Second Port of Call: DIY Magazine and Website
You might not have heard about DIY magazine but we have a feeling you will soon. According to a report on Music Week, DIY magazine (which is published by RWD Creative Media) has 38,125 readers and over 15,500 likes on Facebook. It might sound small fry to you, but in terms of a music magazine in Britain it’s starting to be taken notice of.
The magazine arm of the business is published quarterly but as we’re talking about keeping a finger on the pulse of new music, you’re best checking out their website. It’s packed full of info on up and coming bands, fashion, film and reviews. What’s more, it’s even got its own online radio station which is definitely worth a listen to.
The whole site has a friendly, easy-to-navigate feel and is a great place to check out what’s happening in the music world. What’s more, it doesn’t have that whole ‘sceney’ thing the NME has going on – which gives it double thumbs up in our books.
Third Port of Call: Last.fm
Bored of listening to the same old tunes (even though you still love them?) Best check out Last.fm then. Basically, it’s a music recommendation service which suggests music you might like based on the music you listen to via its top secret technology ‘The Scrobbler’. It’s probably not top secret but we’re no good at tech so we’ll just pretend it is. So, in this respect, not only will you be pointed in the right direction of new music you might like, but you’ll also discover music from ye olden days too. We can only compare it to lounging around post gig backstage and being told by your music idol what you should be listening to. And that’d be pretty cool, no?
It’s a pretty popular service and just a couple of years ago – in 2009 to be precise – it claimed it had 30 million active users worldwide.
The service is free if you’re in the UK, USA and Germany, but elsewhere users need to pay a €3.00 ($4) per month fee – still, it’s pretty good considering what a CD costs these days…
Fourth Port of Call: Artrocker
Ok, so this one’s not for anyone who has an aversion to all things too achingly cool: think trucker caps, people wearing those thick rimmed glasses when they don’t actually have a problem seeing, and the ironic mullet. If you can get past all that though, Artrocker’s a pretty good place to stop by for new music-related happenings of the indie and indie-rock kind.
It’s a monthly magazine, which according to a 2008 press pack, has a circulation of 30,369.
It’s a very London-centric magazine so if you’re keen to keep up to date with all the gritty musical goings-on in London, UK, this magazine and website is perfect. As well as news and reviews on music, you can expect to see articles on fashion and TV, too. And like DIY Magazine, Artrocker also has its own radio show – which you can find on Resonance 104.4fm.
And here endeth your definitive guide to finding out about new British music. Go check out the websites, bookmark the pages and start praising the likes of the next big British thing. (Tip: she might be a UK X Factor reject but we have a sneaking feeling Misha B is going to be big).
The article is written by Isabella Woods, a professional writer for numerous websites and publications.
