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At the risk of sounding like a big old fuddy-duddy . . . I rarely listen to music anymore.
I grew up in the days of cassette tapes, making my own mix tapes, and listening to the three radio stations that played that moment's popular and/or somewhat alternative/rock artists and songs. I tuned in to those countdown shows to find new stuff. I blasted my car radio or my "boom box" and sang along to everyone and everything from Billy Joel and Bryan Adams to Meatloaf and Def Leppard to movie soundtracks of Footloose and Dirty Dancing.
If you look at my playlists on iTunes now . . . it wouldn't be all that different. Okay, I do have some new stuff on there - really! - but not much. I have no clue how to come up with more modern soundtracks for my writing. This is where you all come in.
How do you listen to music now?
Where do you find new artists and songs?
Who are some of your current favorite artists? Songs?
Please help me find my way out of my time warp! (Or, I suppose, we could all just watch Dirty Dancing and mouth along to every lyric and swoon as Patrick Swayze reminds us that "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Sigh.)
Oh my gosh - I'm SO with you! But hey, it's not our fault that all the good music came out in the 80s.
ReplyDeleteI'm introduced to new music every once in a great while by my friends or a younger writer friend. If I notice a song I particularly like in a TV show or movie, I try to find out the band & look into them to see iif there''s more I like by them.
Oh, the 80s! I knew I was old when I started hearing songs from the 80s on "classic" stations. Sigh.
DeleteHa! I actually owned an 8-track player for a while.
ReplyDeleteI don't like much of the new music. I made CDs for myself from MP3 files (you can burn those on your computer if it has the device to do that), and that's what I listen to--either on CD or my MP3 player. I also found a couple of radio stations that play some 70s music.
For instrumental music to listen to while I write, I like YouTube playlists or a video set on repeat. ;)
Great post!
IWSG #142 until Alex culls the list again.
Thanks for the suggestions, Melissa!
DeleteI listen to music, but it's mostly what's playing on my favorite radio station. I sometimes buy songs, but not a ton.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm not one of those writers who can put together a playlist for whatever novel I'm working on. That takes way too much thinking and I never can find songs that fit perfectly... although it seems like so many others have that ability.
I don't think I've ever had a playlist or a soundtrack or anything like that for my novels, but I love how other people do. Hmm, maybe it's just not part of my process?
DeleteI listen to music every day! I use Spotify. It's free and easy to download to your computer. I find a lot of new songs/bands on there. Just about every artist ever is on there. There are commercials with the free version (and by that I mean one commercial with ab out 30 seconds of talking every once in a while), but it doesn't bother me. You should check it out. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion, Chrys! I'll check it out.
DeleteI'm completely out of touch with what's popular - I normally listen to soundtracks on YouTube or Spotify when I'm drafting!
ReplyDeleteI never thought of listening to YouTube. Thanks for the tip!
DeleteI wish I could help but I'm stuck in the same time warp LOL. The only way I hear anything new is through my nieces and nephews.
ReplyDeleteSo come back here in a day or two and check out all the great suggestions in the comments. Let's get out of the time warp together. :)
DeleteI listen (and play) music every day. I'm always on the hunt for something new and fresh. Check out Spotify or Pandora. They are great ways to find new music.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex! I've heard of Pandora and will check it out.
DeleteWe recently bought a new CD player, because I realised I was neglecting all my CDs. I also listen to the radio, so I get new music ideas from there - I listen to a great station with a no-repeat policy, which means I hear brand new stuff and older stuff all mixed up together.
ReplyDeleteI hardly ever think to play any of our CDs, turning instead to iTunes. Thanks for the reminder!
DeleteHi, Madeline, I know less than 1/3 (if so much) of the songs that are popular today. Not a fan of what is being produced in such large quantities these days.
ReplyDeleteI hear you. I know there's good stuff out there, but a lot of what I do catch does nothing for me. Hopefully, through the suggestions here, I'll find some new favorites. Maybe you will, too!
DeleteI'm like you, I rarely listen to music anymore (nothing beats the 80s, right!) except when I'm driving somewhere. :) I bet you can search on YouTube too.
ReplyDeleteSeems there are a lot of us 80s fans around here. :)
DeleteI listen to music throughout the day, usually when I'm on the computer. Most of the new stuff I find now is through YouTube videos or picking up albums by artists I've heard of and want to check out.
ReplyDeleteGod, Entertainment, & Annoying Things
I could check out albums from artists I've liked the past. Maybe they have some new stuff I'm not aware of....
DeleteNothing wrong with the Dirty Dancing soundtrack—it's one of my faves!
ReplyDeleteI listen to music ALL the time—car, house, exercising (which happens rarely). :) I have Pandora and all you have to do is select the artist you want to listen to, and it pulls up their "station." It will automatically play other artists with similar styles, so that can help you find more music you might be interested in. I like a variety from country to pop like Taylor Swift. I like the classical romance station that plays piano and instrumental (great for when I'm writing because there aren't any words to distract me).
Sorry to write a book! Hope that helps. :)
It does help, thank you!
DeleteIf I come across Dirty Dancing while flipping through the TV channels, I always stop and watch at least a few minutes of it. :)
I typically find new music through the radio, but I often turn off my radio to think about my books instead. Sometimes I turn to Pandora (an internet/preference driven radio). But radio is my best bet for finding new music.
ReplyDeleteI haven't listened to the radio in ages! I'm not in my car as often as I used to be, and that's where I would usually put on the radio. Probably why I don't think of it while I'm sitting in my house. :)
DeleteI'm in the same boat. Ever since I got an iPod, I only listen to "my" music, which can get stale. One of the best ways I've found to discover new songs is to go see live bands I love who do covers. I've made some great discoveries that way, and had a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that era of music was the best. Going to be hard to find anything that can top it.
The same thing happened to me regarding my iPod/iTunes. Good idea going to see live bands!
DeleteSounds like we grew up in the same era. Oddly enough, I find new music from recommendations, soundtracks from my fav shows eg The Walking Dead has a great collection of new songs, and only occasionally the radio because I don't listen to the radio often.
ReplyDeleteLove TWD! I find a lot of the music from the early seasons eerie and creepy, which is good, but not always what I'm in the mood for.
DeleteI don't listen to music as much as my hubby does. If I'm at the day job and closing, I have an MP3 player I can plug in, but I don't load it up with much new stuff outside of Green Day or Shakira's latest.
ReplyDeleteMy husband doesn't listen to much music. He leans more toward talk radio and podcasts.
DeleteI listen to all kinds of music, except for country and heavy metal. I often find myself playing music to go along with my mood. I will say that surprisingly, I've been listening to New Age stuff after a stressful day.
ReplyDeleteI also listen to movie soundtracks when I'm writing
A lot of people seem to listen to soundtracks while writing. I think I'd have trouble with that, always picturing scenes from the movie/TV show in my head instead of scenes from my work. :)
DeletePandora is great because you can start with artists you like and it will play you similar sounding music that you can vote up or down. It's an internet streaming thing, so perfect for listening while writing. I am lucky enough to get to listen to it at work, and also work with a bunch of 20-somethings that turn me on to new stuff daily. Before that, I listened to this cool Vancouver B.C. radio station (shore104) that tells you the song and artist after every song. It opened my eyes to Lorde, Metric, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and more! Good luck
ReplyDeleteSo great that station tells you the name of the song and the artist! The stations I used to listen to way back when rarely ever did that.
DeleteLike you, I listen to music in the car, mostly. I listen sometimes at home, but not that often. My kids are always listening to new music, so they keep me moving with "the times."
ReplyDeleteIt's good your kids keep you in the loop musically. :)
DeleteI have music on an iPod that's my old stuff, and then I listen to Lithium on Sirius, which is basically 90s rock and some from the 2000s. I do listen to Pandora when writing, and one of the stations/channels I listen to is new songs. Maybe try that out on your computer?
ReplyDeleteWill definitely make a note of that station for when I do try Pandora. Thanks!
DeleteI used to never listen to music when I wrote. At some point, I'm thinking a couple years ago, I made mixed CD's of "soundtracks" that inspired/made me think of the project I was working on. That morphed into listening to youtube and then FINALLY I tried Pandora. I'm super anti-change, so it took a while, but I've discovered TONS of new artists that I absolutely love and wouldn't have found otherwise. Typically I listen to Iron & Wine's station because it's very folky, soft sounding, lullaby-type music. No Katy Perry or Taylor Swift. I don't find those inspirational at all. I would definitely check out Pandora, though. Good luck and have fun!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about being "super anti-change." :)
DeleteI'm making a note of that station - sounds like something I might like.
I'm all for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack!!!
ReplyDeleteI listen to the radio,youtube, and Spotify . . . good luck finding new cool jams ;)
All this talk about the Dirty Dancing soundtrack makes me want to listen to it again. :)
DeleteYou sound just like me. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
I think there's a lot of us hanging around the blogosphere. :)
DeleteHi! I'm visiting from IWSG. I probably grew up in the same times as you because I was all into mixed tapes etc. I like Pandora because you can not only create your own stations but new artists are also introduced that fit into your tastes and you can read their bios and the lyrics if you are so inclined. I hear Spotify is even better. It's installed on my computer but I haven't tried it yet. For the moment, Pandora is good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, thanks for stopping by! Pandora and Spotify seem to be the ones most recommended so I'll definitely be giving them a try.
DeleteAlthough I don't listen to music 24/7, I can't imagine not listening to music because it puts me in the mood I need to be in while I'm working on a task, whether it's house chores or writing. I listen to a lot of music while I'm driving my kids around, and that's how I discover a lot of new songs and music.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because I go through spurts when I don't miss music at all but then there are the times I really do miss it. :)
DeleteOkay, I grew up with 8-track tapes, so you got nuthin' on me, lol. I still listen to my 70's music, but I also listen to a lot of different things. I mostly listen to Pandora.com at work. If you're not on it, it's free, and you create your own "channels." Pick a pop channel to see what the young people are listening to. I'm getting used to a lot of it by now, but if you don't like it you just hit the thumbs down button and it'll give you something else.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was one of those "young people." Sigh.
DeleteWell, I don't listen to music while I write because I have to listen to dialogue in my head! But music for driving is a must! I've found a couple of songs by Lady Gaga that I like, Lady Antebellum, Kelly Clarkson, Katie Perry. I need energizing. For relaxing, it's definitely the old (old) favorites by Sinatra and Mel Torme, and renditions by Michael Buble.
ReplyDeleteI have a station that plays 70s and 80s songs permanently glued on the radio in my car, because these are ones I can sing along to.
Nice to find another Dirty Dancing and Footloose fan!
I think there are a lot of us Dirty Dancing and Footloose fans hanging around here. :)
DeleteI grew up having the pleasure of seeing the switch from records to cassettes to CDs to mp3s. I still buy CDs but also mp3s now. I hardly listen to the radio except for Christian music and Classic Rock. lol
ReplyDeleteSame here, from record albums to all the digital stuff. :)
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