How to find new music you'll like
Start from songs you already love and listen to what sounds like them. On iPhone, the free Sonik app does it for you: you swipe through 30-second previews, and it learns what type of music you like from the sound of the songs you keep.
1. Swipe through new songs
Sonik plays one preview at a time. Keep what you like and skip the rest, and every swipe teaches it more about your taste. It's free on iPhone, and you can try it in a browser at sonik.club/listen.
2. Start from one song
Type a song you love into Songs like… and hear the songs that sound closest to it, each with a preview. There's nothing to sign up for.
3. Use your streaming app's own playlists
Spotify's Discover Weekly brings 30 new songs every Monday, and Release Radar has new releases every Friday. Apple Music's Discovery Station plays songs you haven't heard that fit your listening. They come with those apps, so they're worth a listen if you already pay for one.
4. Follow a sound across the decades
If you love the sound of a decade, a list like new songs that sound like the 80s finds recent songs that carry it.
5. Play a daily music game
The daily mystery song has you guess songs by how close they sound to a hidden one. It's a quick way to hear songs you'd never have picked.
Questions
What's the best app to find new music?
It depends on how you listen. If you use Spotify, Discover Weekly is already in your app. If you want an app made just for finding new songs, Sonik learns your taste from your swipes and finds music by how it sounds, including artists you've never heard of.
How do I find songs that sound like a song I love?
Type it into sonik.club/songs-like for the closest-sounding songs, each with a preview. In the Sonik app, search for it in Discover and the songs that sound like it come straight after.
Why do my recommendations keep playing the same artists?
Recommendations built from your listening history tend to point back at what you already play. Recommendations built from sound can step outside it, because a song can sound right even if nobody you know listens to it.
Is Sonik free?
Yes. Sonik is free with 100 songs a day and one playlist a week, and your first day has no limit. Sonik Pro, an optional subscription, gives you unlimited songs and playlists.
