You already know what you like, and it’s easy to find your favorite songs on Spotify.

Of course, some of your favorites come packaged with emotional baggage, so changing your music can feel like buying a new car! But who needs a personal music shopper? Can’t you just ask a friend for suggestions, or use Release Radar and Discover Weekly?

It Depends What You Want.

Spotify’s suggestions for you based upon…

• WHOSE music you “Heart”
• Track POPULARITY

So Release Radar displays new music from artists you already know about, and Discover Weekly displays the most commercial music that more or less sounds like your favorite artists.

Below all this hype lurks a hidden layer of independent music that gets little or no advertising, because its producers lack commercial funding. Most playlist curators specialize in finding sub-popular music, which takes a lot of time and industry knowledge, but is it worth finding?

Imagine a Parallel Universe

The pop music you loved as a kid filled our airwaves with expensive recordings funded by wealthy record labels. Nowadays, an even huger quantity of niche-hits are coming out of garage studios funded by streaming. If you haven’t already noticed this trend, pay attention, because the results are profound. Today’s departure from commercialism has sparked a creative explosion rivaling the 1960’s! Songwriters are freely expressing whatever they feel…with mixed results…

It’s a Matter of Personal Preference.

Some pop stars have actually started copying independent artists. However, one listener’s trash is another listener’s crush, so it’s worth hunting for playlist curators whose taste matches your own. Then you can either Save (Heart) their playlists for repeat listening, or else use them as source-material for creating your own.

What’s Unique About Red Alert Playlists?