Are you #teamnewmusic or #teamletslistentothesamebandsagain? Can you name at least one act from your hometown that nobody else has ever heard of? Is your playlist full of random songs by bands you’ve seen at local events?
If music discovery is what you visit this blog for, I’m stoked we’re on the same page.
So let me introduce you to a segment I run, dedicated almost exclusively to emerging bands. I guarantee you’ll find a few new additions to your music library there.
Okay, I know Facebook is no longer the cool social media platform. But old habits die hard. And because this is how it all started, this is how it’s going for now.
You can surely imagine that, as a music blogger, I receive quite a few asks for reviews, interviews or any other forms of a collab. I read them all (true story).
I also get recommendations from friends. And “music radars” on streaming platforms serve me up a nice portion of fresh weekly releases. Plus, I’m a curator on Groover. So I can’t complain about being bored.
But not every pitch or suggestion makes the cut for this blog.
Sometimes, there’s not enough “substance” for a full post. Or it’s just not the right moment. I might already have things lined up a few weeks in advance, and a later publication date would just not be relevant any more. Or – full disclosure – it’s just not my vibe, and I feel like I wouldn’t be able to do the release justice.
Nevertheless, I hope you’ve noticed that I’ve made it my little quest to support up-and-coming artists in any way I can. So I thought that having a little public repository of all the talent that has landed in my inbox would not be a bad idea. Hence, the segment I created on my Facebook page nearly two years ago.
On Mondays, I share short write-ups about acts I hadn’t heard of before getting the pitch and their latest track.
There’s no big philosophy behind it. I (try not to) discriminate against any genre, the artists’ provenance and/or the song’s release date (i.e. it’s from last year, but the act hasn’t released anything new since). The only criterion is this: it must be an Aussie outfit.
So travel with me across the whole country: from Perth to Brisbane, and from Hobart to Darwin. You’ll get to know new aspiring hip hop artists, like Co-Lo, and half-musos/half-comedians, like Paul McDermott. Plus, you’ll 100% remember a band called Folk Bitch Trio or The Traumadolls, right?
Don’t forget all those acts were my music discoveries when I wrote about them. Interestingly, since them, some have graduated from the “emerging artist” label and rightfully joined the ranks of the Aussie music scene, i.e. The Rions or Peach PRC.
Having looked at this precious collection recently, I decided to take the next step, so the music wouldn’t be lost for posterity (you’re welcome).
And yes, you guessed it correctly. I created a playlist with most artists covered in the #FoundYou segment. “Most of them” because not everyone has music released on commercial streaming platforms, like Spotify, which I use the most. Some keep it simple and independent and stick to SoundCloud or Bandcamp. I take my hat off to them for that.
So without further ado, here’s the playlist so far. I keep adding to it periodically, so you might want to follow it to be in the know.
I’m always keen to hear new suggestions, too. If you have a song or band for me to check out, send them my way.
Last but not least – please support emerging artists by listening to their tunes and adding them to your playlists on streaming platforms. It’s one of the few affordable ways for their music to be picked up by tricky, ever-changing algorithms. And it’s frequently the most attainable way to reach new audiences and gain new fans.
As a former emerging band manager and an avid music lover myself – thank you kindly.
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Silly McWiggles. A blog about Aussie music. 