How to Discover New Music: Music Discovery Communities
Discover the best music communities for real recommendations. From Substack newsletters to Reddit forums, these platforms connect passionate music fans sharing genuine finds.
The algorithm has failed us. Despite having access to over 100 million songs, most people discover music through sterile, hyper-personalized playlists that create isolation rather than connection. When everyone gets unique recommendations, there's no shared musical experience.
But passionate music lovers are building communities where human enthusiasm trumps corporate algorithms. From thoughtful Substack newsletters to underground Reddit forums and real-time Discord servers, these communities offer what streaming platforms can't: context, passion, and serendipity.
Here's your guide to the best music discovery communities of 2025.
Substack Music Newsletters: The New Music Criticism
There are so many great music writers on Substack now, and the music writing here surpasses anything you will find elsewhere—with at least 20 or 30 top notch critics doing outstanding work day after day.
Essential Music Newsletters
Ted Gioia - The Honest Broker
The gold standard of music criticism on Substack. Ted Gioia is a cultural critic, music historian, and author of 12 books who previously taught at Stanford University. Gioia doesn't just recommend music—he explains why it matters culturally and historically, combining deep musical knowledge with sharp cultural criticism.
New Bands for Old Heads
Perfect for music lovers who feel overwhelmed by new releases or think music peaked in their youth. This newsletter bridges generational gaps with thoughtful curation that helps older listeners connect with contemporary artists.
The Wax Museum by Jared Smith
"Crate digging through culture" combining vinyl discovery with modern streaming. Creates fascinating connections between analog record culture and digital discovery, offering recommendations across formats and eras.
Jeff Tweedy's Newsletter
Original interviews, oral histories, audio stories, themed mixtapes, and more transmissions from the Daniverse from the Wilco frontman. Getting recommendations from working musicians reveals influences and inspirations algorithms miss.
Flow State
Each weekday, Flow State recommends music that's perfect to work to (no vocals). Each rec tells the story of one artist's work (in one paragraph)—perfect for discovering instrumental and ambient music.
First Floor - Electronic Music Culture
Goes beyond surface-level EDM to explore electronic music's creative underground, focusing on underappreciated labels and artists.
The Sound Vault
A human-curated alternative to algorithmic music discovery, The Sound Vault provides subscribers with handpicked songs from rare world music to timeless favorites. Each selection comes with detailed context and stories, moving beyond simple recommendations to create deeper connections with music. The newsletter covers diverse genres from ambient and downtempo to progressive metal and world music, always focusing on uniqueness and charm over popularity.
The Music Week
This Substack offers deep dives, album reviews, recommendations, and conversations about a wide range of music. It’s a place for sharing music discoveries and discussing various genres and artists. The newsletter highlights underrated artists and celebrates diverse musical expressions
Bandcamp Notes
Bandcamp Notes is a music discovery newsletter created and written by the Bandcamp Daily editorial team. It features weekly artist highlights, album reviews, and recommendations for listening parties. The newsletter aims to connect fans with new and exciting sounds available through Bandcamp’s platform.
The Slow Music Movement
The Slow Music Movement supports lesser known, independent, and alternative artists in a music industry often dominated by commercial forces. It promotes a mindful listening experience, focusing on more thoughtful, intimate, and often experimental music styles.
Reddit Music Communities: Democratic Discovery
Reddit's music communities operate on democratic principles that surface hidden gems before mainstream platforms. Reddit forums like r/listentothis and r/ifyoulikeblank make music discovery easier than ever before, with fans recommending their favourite artists to people who have never come across them before.
Major Discovery Subreddits
r/ListenToThis (17M+ Members)
The place to discover new and overlooked music with automated moderation that removes spam, reposts, household name bands, and poor amateur music. Artists must not exceed 500,000 plays across platforms, ensuring genuine discoveries.
r/IfYouLikeBlank (600K+ Members)
A simple but well-run board that matches users tastes with other bands of a similar ilk. Post what you love, get tailored recommendations from the community.
r/indieheads (1.9M+ Members)
Reddit's Largest Indie Music Community spanning members and recommendations from continents, steadfastly encapsulating the gamut of independent artists' fans.
r/Music (27.5M+ Members)
The mothership. For anything that contains an audible beat, the 2008-born behemoth subreddit commands AMAs (ask-me-anythings) on the regular.
Specialized Music Subreddits
r/vintageobscura
Focuses on obscure music that's at least 25 years old. Chances are you've never heard the songs posted here.
r/futurebeats
Catches experimental electronic and beat music before it hits mainstream platforms.
r/WeAreTheMusicMakers (1.5M+ Members)
Whether you're looking for feedback on your latest track or advice on gear, you'll find a supportive community.
r/electronicmusic
This subreddit covers all things electronic, from house to techno to dubstep. Share your favorite tracks, discuss upcoming festivals, and connect with fellow electronic music fans.
r/Metal
Whether you're into classic heavy metal, death metal, or black metal, you'll find something to headbang to on this active community.
r/hiphop
This subreddit covers all things rap and hip-hop, from new releases to classic albums to underground artists.
r/popheads
From mainstream hits to indie pop gems, you'll find something to sing along to on this lively community.
Discord Music Communities: Real-Time Discovery
Discord is a chat-based social media platform that concentrates on live stream and video content, encouraging conversation through video calls, live streaming, voice chat, and text, allowing users to connect however they please.
Major Music Discord Servers
Musicord (31K+ Members)
Discord's premier music hobbyist server for discussing favorite artists and finding recommendations. Real-time conversations create immediate discovery opportunities.
3mpire (60K+ Members)
Distinguished by its emphasis on music from around the world with 60,000 people hosting "global music nights" where songs from various countries and cultures are played.
Lagoon18 (70K+ Members)
Boasts a sizeable membership of 70,000 people interested in electronic dance music (EDM). Weekly electronic dance music parties where DJs and producers upload and share their tracks and mixes.
Koma (35K+ Members)
Emphasizing underground and alternative music with 35,000 members featuring "open-mic evenings and 'Underground Artist' showcases".
Specialized Music Discord Communities
HITMKR
A music collaboration community with artists, musicians, producers and sound engineers. Discussions around the industry, best practices, create a supportive and collaborative environment.
The JBR Community
A place for artists, musicians, writers, game developers, and content creators to discuss and share their work in a non-judgmental and open space.
Hardwell & Revealed Recordings
Welcome to the official home of Hardwell & Revealed Recordings! Join other EDM lovers, music producers, and artists!
Specialized Platforms & Communities
Bandcamp: Community-Driven Discovery
Discovering music through Bandcamp feels more community oriented. When I listen to a track on Bandcamp, I can see the supporters of the track, any recommendations that they've made about their favorite tracks, and earlier releases from the same artist or record label.
Why Bandcamp Works:
Direct artist support through purchases
Record label exploration impossible on streaming platforms
Community recommendations from actual buyers
Higher artist revenue compared to streaming
Last.fm: Social Music Tracking
What makes Last.fm a great resource for new music discovery is its use of listening habits to fine-tune the curated playlists on offer. Like streaming services such as Spotify, Last.fm uses AI to analyze the songs you listen to and suggest a playlist based on your taste.
Music Blogs & Online Magazines
Pitchfork
One of the biggest music magazines in the world, this Condé Nast owned publication has a blog that is a trusted source of music reviews as well as features on current artists and events.
Stereogum
The self-styled world's best indie music blog. It was the first major publication to write about Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, and Billie Eilish.
Earmilk
An online music magazine with contributors from across the globe. It publishes content on a variety of music genres and they have a mission statement that focuses on the discovery of underground talent.
This Song Is Sick
Has been sharing fresh new music since 2010. Here you'll find a mix of genres, and new music from both established artists and up and coming acts.
International & Genre-Specific Communities
World Music Discovery
r/WorldMusic
You'll find links to international, traditional, and ethnic music along with music that's popular in countries you've never been to.
r/jpop (27.3K+ Members)
Focusing on Japanese pop/rock/electronic/dance music, anime original soundtracks, idol bands, Vocaloid lovers, and Japanese City Pop.
Electronic Music Communities
UFO Network
A music entertainment company and news & media outlet that specialise in covering the latest and hottest EDM news, interviews and trends. Ranked 'Top 50 EDM Blog' three years in a row.
Dancing Astronaut
Focuses primarily on dance music. The blog reports on concerts and festivals and keeps you up to date with the latest news and reviews of dance music.
Hip-Hop Communities
r/hiphopheads (2M+ Members)
The most active hip-hop and R&B forum on the Internet with 2 million users. The tightly-knit community stays up to date and abreast on pretty much anything within the scene.
The Future of Music Discovery Communities
Music discovery is not dead, just evolving—the industry needs to evolve with it. The most successful communities now combine AI tools with human passion and context. The most successful music discovery strategies in 2025 emphasise collaborative ecosystems. Artists are no longer competing in isolation but building interconnected networks that amplify collective potential.
Emerging Trends:
Cross-platform integration linking newsletters, forums, and servers
AI-enhanced human curation maintaining personal touch
Micro-communities around increasingly specific genres
Real-time collaborative listening experiences
What do you recommend for film music discussion and analysis?