Hi! Another independent music blogger and playlist curator here! It’s definitely difficult to get your foot in the door and have a consistent audience, but Substack has really helped me expand my reach and talk to those who are not as active on social media platforms.
I think communities are really where new music discovery shines. Discords, web forums, facebook groups, are all places where there’s been an eager exchange of new music and discussion. Building those relationships and trust are way more successful than relying on the algorithm, IMO.
Huge +1 to community and the description of it as an "eager exchange."
Makes me think of this interview with the Weather Station I read recently:
"I feel a lot of nostalgia for the early 2000s, when I had just moved to Toronto, and I was a music fan going to every show. We were all reading music blogs and talking on message boards about bands we liked. There was this immense level of care and consideration, and people were hungry for challenging music. I do think a time like that will come again. That scene I got to experience was a response to this mainstream, major-label thing that had been happening before, and I think there will be a similar backlash." https://www.hearingthings.co/the-weather-station-is-opting-out-of-the-algorithm/?ref=weekly-roundup-newsletter
I definitely feel the seeds of that reaction here on Substack!
This is good stuff, Emily. I hope you're right that the new independent music (curation) movement is really on the rise... because I sure would love to make a living doing it! :)
Love this. Yes, it’s such a shame that current algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, which leads to more passive and repetitive experiences over time. But I’m hopeful that this is a phase, and only platforms that are truly aligned with the interests of their users will thrive long term (barring oligarchies and anti-competitive practices…)
I think algorithms and human tastemakers could—and already do—work together. For example, algorithms could help you find the people with the closest taste match, and help you develop your own taste.
It’d be fun to chat about what it could look like for an algorithm to empower listeners, creators, and tastemakers more. There’s an interesting new “creator-first algorithm” brewing at Patreon!
Yes! Exactly - I'm by no means "anti-algorithm" but it's all about the incentives. Algorithms are powerful for identifying and matching users with super-niches. Looking into this creator-first algo you speak of 👀
Happy to be a founding member at New Bands for Old Heads - if you like a band, buy merch, if you like a curator? Buy merch, let’s turn this thing into something that is valued in our little corner of society
Hi Emily, I’m a marketing executive having spent most of my career at a major record company. I’m new to substack and just found your post-I so appreciated your insights.
One thing I will add is that while I agree with you that music listeners want curation from humans and not AI or algorithms, there is substantial data that shows that playlists do not drive streams anymore. Being on a large DSP playlist with 35M followers barely gets 1M streams for an artist in most cases. It USED to have impact. Coupled with the fact that Spotify this week has been touting that their editorial playlists are 100% curated by a human, which they are. What’s happening is that the listener no longer trusts these curators for many reasons. Who the human is, matters.
I love seeing the growth in independent musical tastemakers because we are bringing a level of gatekeepers and curation, without the ego. They are truly picking music they love and that’s good, rather than picking songs that keep a listener on the platform paying $10.99 per month.
For the sake of artists and the music industry, we have to support independent curators like us and those you listed with a like, follow, share, or $$
Otherwise we’ll all be listening to the same song…forever.
Yes! I’d add that the decline in impact of editorial playlists is also due to the DSPs own product and programming decisions to intentionally direct listeners towards more programmed streams / forms of listening. There is so much the platforms could do to drive more consumption of human curated playlists, but it’s not a priority!
It priority is keeping your credit card to bill $10.99 per month. I get it. It’s a business. Guilty of making decision for revenue as well. Just want to ALSO support those who help discover and develop the next great artist. We need more of them. That’s one of the reasons I joined Substack and I am sure it’s one of your goals as well too.
This must a very obvious point, but I really wish that a music streaming service could work really integrated with a platform like substack. For example, a post could contain its own playlist and the post/list could be added to the user’s library at the DSP.
I have been thinking about this a lot too! There is something about playlist embeds in a text post that just isn’t quite integrated enough / I think there is opportunity to do something cooler 👀
This was such a thoughtful and inspiring read. Really appreciated the insight and all the links you dropped. I checked them all and subscribed to every single one. I truly believe we need this return to human curation. I’ve always been one of those people who treat music like an emotional archive, and I guess I’ve always gravitated toward spaces where people still listen with intention.
Recently, I started this small project called The Soundpost (pretentious, I know!). It’s a very personal thing that began when I realized I wasn’t really listening to new music anymore. At the beginning of this year, I started putting together a monthly playlist with the best songs I’d heard, just for the joy of it. No big plan behind it, just my own little space. It’s been helping me reconnect with the way I used to experience music.
Thanks again for putting this out there. It made me feel less alone in how I experience music and more excited to keep sharing my own discoveries.
Your project sounds awesome! I’ve definitely had those moments where I realize I’m out of the habit of listening to music and it’s fun to find new rhythms that help you get back into it.
Great read! I love hearing this! I have a newsletter that is based on music curation combined with storytelling. I had grown it to about 150 people over a few years just by word of mouth. That was enough for me - to hear people were discovering music through my channel. Now I’m “rereleasing” each one on substack and in the process of merging audiences and hopeful to get to lead even more on the journey to music discovery. Truly excited to meet more fellow curators and hear the human stories behind their picks!
Lots of great insights and links to dive into here! I'm a music curator and Substack is my main medium of sharing. However it often feels like we have to also be great at social media to find new members which is exhausting. Looking forward to reading your next newsletter!
I hear you - and that echos what I hear from artists a lot too. The social media treadmill is exhausting and can feel like a whole different job than the work of creating— or curating the art
Thank you for compiling such an excellent resource! Mixie isn't live yet but will be a new home for curated playlists. Music League is super fun - each round is a new theme, you submit a track based on that theme, it generates a playlists with all of the anonymous submissions, and you vote on your favorite track.
Music League is my favorite way to keep in touch with friends (especially those geographically distant). The lead developer recently left the project- I am not-so-secretly a larger platform scoops it up to keep it running and evolving.
For me the best avenue for music discovery since COVID has been streaming DJ sets - you get the community and benefit of someone deliberately selecting songs and not just ‘shuffling’ stuff together based on an algorithm - They decide when and if to drop a new track, when to play an old classic that maybe you haven’t heard, etc.
I do a weekly Spotify playlist and rundown on Substack of 10 brand new Japanese indie pop and R&B picks, so I have to drawn from a variety of sources to stay on top of things (mostly artist’s social media, followed by Japanese music publications), but I feel like nothing can draw you into a music scene quicker than those DJ streams - besides actually attending a festival.
Ironically it was originally a local independent radio DJ: I called in to their show to get the names of what they were playing and they pointed me toward a mix on some website. I looked up the artists on YouTube and then YouTube (‘s algorithm) suddenly started giving me recommendations for live streaming DJs that did similar stuff; If it was random people I wouldn’t have clicked, but these were famous DJs from the 90s, still around, but playing all new stuff.
Another time a guy sent me some music on Twitter - I looked at his profile and saw he had a Twitch stream - checked that out and he recommended a bunch of other streamers as well. The online DJs have to be heavily into self promotion and promoting their community of streamers.
I started music for ur mental to take on the algorithm. I saw a post about how gen z don’t know where to discover music outside of social media, which I found extremely sad.
Hi! Another independent music blogger and playlist curator here! It’s definitely difficult to get your foot in the door and have a consistent audience, but Substack has really helped me expand my reach and talk to those who are not as active on social media platforms.
I think communities are really where new music discovery shines. Discords, web forums, facebook groups, are all places where there’s been an eager exchange of new music and discussion. Building those relationships and trust are way more successful than relying on the algorithm, IMO.
Huge +1 to community and the description of it as an "eager exchange."
Makes me think of this interview with the Weather Station I read recently:
"I feel a lot of nostalgia for the early 2000s, when I had just moved to Toronto, and I was a music fan going to every show. We were all reading music blogs and talking on message boards about bands we liked. There was this immense level of care and consideration, and people were hungry for challenging music. I do think a time like that will come again. That scene I got to experience was a response to this mainstream, major-label thing that had been happening before, and I think there will be a similar backlash." https://www.hearingthings.co/the-weather-station-is-opting-out-of-the-algorithm/?ref=weekly-roundup-newsletter
I definitely feel the seeds of that reaction here on Substack!
This is good stuff, Emily. I hope you're right that the new independent music (curation) movement is really on the rise... because I sure would love to make a living doing it! :)
I discover music at the coffee shop via Shazam bc I’m a dinosaur 🙃
Definitely diving into your list of platforms to up my game!
that's legit one of the ways I recommend that people find new music
Love this. Yes, it’s such a shame that current algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, which leads to more passive and repetitive experiences over time. But I’m hopeful that this is a phase, and only platforms that are truly aligned with the interests of their users will thrive long term (barring oligarchies and anti-competitive practices…)
I think algorithms and human tastemakers could—and already do—work together. For example, algorithms could help you find the people with the closest taste match, and help you develop your own taste.
It’d be fun to chat about what it could look like for an algorithm to empower listeners, creators, and tastemakers more. There’s an interesting new “creator-first algorithm” brewing at Patreon!
Yes! Exactly - I'm by no means "anti-algorithm" but it's all about the incentives. Algorithms are powerful for identifying and matching users with super-niches. Looking into this creator-first algo you speak of 👀
Happy to be a founding member at New Bands for Old Heads - if you like a band, buy merch, if you like a curator? Buy merch, let’s turn this thing into something that is valued in our little corner of society
man I never even thought about this but it brings me such joy to read. thank you, truly
Hi Emily, I’m a marketing executive having spent most of my career at a major record company. I’m new to substack and just found your post-I so appreciated your insights.
One thing I will add is that while I agree with you that music listeners want curation from humans and not AI or algorithms, there is substantial data that shows that playlists do not drive streams anymore. Being on a large DSP playlist with 35M followers barely gets 1M streams for an artist in most cases. It USED to have impact. Coupled with the fact that Spotify this week has been touting that their editorial playlists are 100% curated by a human, which they are. What’s happening is that the listener no longer trusts these curators for many reasons. Who the human is, matters.
I love seeing the growth in independent musical tastemakers because we are bringing a level of gatekeepers and curation, without the ego. They are truly picking music they love and that’s good, rather than picking songs that keep a listener on the platform paying $10.99 per month.
For the sake of artists and the music industry, we have to support independent curators like us and those you listed with a like, follow, share, or $$
Otherwise we’ll all be listening to the same song…forever.
Yes! I’d add that the decline in impact of editorial playlists is also due to the DSPs own product and programming decisions to intentionally direct listeners towards more programmed streams / forms of listening. There is so much the platforms could do to drive more consumption of human curated playlists, but it’s not a priority!
It priority is keeping your credit card to bill $10.99 per month. I get it. It’s a business. Guilty of making decision for revenue as well. Just want to ALSO support those who help discover and develop the next great artist. We need more of them. That’s one of the reasons I joined Substack and I am sure it’s one of your goals as well too.
This must a very obvious point, but I really wish that a music streaming service could work really integrated with a platform like substack. For example, a post could contain its own playlist and the post/list could be added to the user’s library at the DSP.
I have been thinking about this a lot too! There is something about playlist embeds in a text post that just isn’t quite integrated enough / I think there is opportunity to do something cooler 👀
This was such a thoughtful and inspiring read. Really appreciated the insight and all the links you dropped. I checked them all and subscribed to every single one. I truly believe we need this return to human curation. I’ve always been one of those people who treat music like an emotional archive, and I guess I’ve always gravitated toward spaces where people still listen with intention.
Recently, I started this small project called The Soundpost (pretentious, I know!). It’s a very personal thing that began when I realized I wasn’t really listening to new music anymore. At the beginning of this year, I started putting together a monthly playlist with the best songs I’d heard, just for the joy of it. No big plan behind it, just my own little space. It’s been helping me reconnect with the way I used to experience music.
Thanks again for putting this out there. It made me feel less alone in how I experience music and more excited to keep sharing my own discoveries.
Your project sounds awesome! I’ve definitely had those moments where I realize I’m out of the habit of listening to music and it’s fun to find new rhythms that help you get back into it.
wonderful roundup
thank you
Great read! I love hearing this! I have a newsletter that is based on music curation combined with storytelling. I had grown it to about 150 people over a few years just by word of mouth. That was enough for me - to hear people were discovering music through my channel. Now I’m “rereleasing” each one on substack and in the process of merging audiences and hopeful to get to lead even more on the journey to music discovery. Truly excited to meet more fellow curators and hear the human stories behind their picks!
Lots of great insights and links to dive into here! I'm a music curator and Substack is my main medium of sharing. However it often feels like we have to also be great at social media to find new members which is exhausting. Looking forward to reading your next newsletter!
I hear you - and that echos what I hear from artists a lot too. The social media treadmill is exhausting and can feel like a whole different job than the work of creating— or curating the art
Wonderful piece, Emily! Absolutely helped me frame up a bunch of ideas that have been bouncing around it my head. Thanks!
thank you for mentioning The Music Directory! now, i’m very curious to learn more about some of the platforms you shared, like Mixie and Music League.
Thank you for compiling such an excellent resource! Mixie isn't live yet but will be a new home for curated playlists. Music League is super fun - each round is a new theme, you submit a track based on that theme, it generates a playlists with all of the anonymous submissions, and you vote on your favorite track.
Music League is my favorite way to keep in touch with friends (especially those geographically distant). The lead developer recently left the project- I am not-so-secretly a larger platform scoops it up to keep it running and evolving.
that sounds like a really fun game! i love thematic playlists :) i'll keep an eye out for Mixie to launch.
For me the best avenue for music discovery since COVID has been streaming DJ sets - you get the community and benefit of someone deliberately selecting songs and not just ‘shuffling’ stuff together based on an algorithm - They decide when and if to drop a new track, when to play an old classic that maybe you haven’t heard, etc.
I do a weekly Spotify playlist and rundown on Substack of 10 brand new Japanese indie pop and R&B picks, so I have to drawn from a variety of sources to stay on top of things (mostly artist’s social media, followed by Japanese music publications), but I feel like nothing can draw you into a music scene quicker than those DJ streams - besides actually attending a festival.
Tooootally agree. How do you discover DJ sets you like?
Ironically it was originally a local independent radio DJ: I called in to their show to get the names of what they were playing and they pointed me toward a mix on some website. I looked up the artists on YouTube and then YouTube (‘s algorithm) suddenly started giving me recommendations for live streaming DJs that did similar stuff; If it was random people I wouldn’t have clicked, but these were famous DJs from the 90s, still around, but playing all new stuff.
Another time a guy sent me some music on Twitter - I looked at his profile and saw he had a Twitch stream - checked that out and he recommended a bunch of other streamers as well. The online DJs have to be heavily into self promotion and promoting their community of streamers.
I love this take. There’s so much room for optimism moving forward that gets overlooked and thank you for linking the resources.
Thank you!
I started music for ur mental to take on the algorithm. I saw a post about how gen z don’t know where to discover music outside of social media, which I found extremely sad.
I’m focusing on reflective, inward-looking music https://musicforurmental.substack.com/