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It can be challenging to discover new music on streaming platforms. Today, some ideas to help you out of a listening rut.
Credit...María Jesús Contreras
Nov. 8, 2025, 6:07 a.m. ET
Several years ago, in a misguided effort to reclaim closet space, I threw out all my CDs. Yes, all of them. I figured I’d uploaded most to my computer, and the rest I’d overlistened to anyway. I should have known I’d come to regret this move — I am, after all, the same person who, in a madcap period of college “reinvention,” threw all her childhood diaries into the dumpster behind the dorm.
There were, of course, dozens of homemade mixes in those bursting plastic-paged binders of discs: the road trip mix that soundtracked a drive from Seattle to Los…
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It can be challenging to discover new music on streaming platforms. Today, some ideas to help you out of a listening rut.
Credit...María Jesús Contreras
Nov. 8, 2025, 6:07 a.m. ET
Several years ago, in a misguided effort to reclaim closet space, I threw out all my CDs. Yes, all of them. I figured I’d uploaded most to my computer, and the rest I’d overlistened to anyway. I should have known I’d come to regret this move — I am, after all, the same person who, in a madcap period of college “reinvention,” threw all her childhood diaries into the dumpster behind the dorm.
There were, of course, dozens of homemade mixes in those bursting plastic-paged binders of discs: the road trip mix that soundtracked a drive from Seattle to Los Angeles in the summer of 2002. (I remember it included Nick Drake’s cover of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”) One was made up entirely of songs about houses and home. (Besides “This World Is Not My Home” by His Name Is Alive, what else was on it?) Oh, and an old friend had compiled the music he’d loved on Nigerian AM radio as a child. (I discovered so many musicians from that CD.) All those personally curated playlists, all beyond retrieval now.
In my defense, I did not know when I tossed those CDs that, in the future, my musical life would be governed by a cruel robot DJ who would care nothing for expanding my horizons. A maddening algorithm that would, despite all my best attempts to find new stuff, keep feeding me the same songs I already knew.
I have, according to my notes, been complaining about the algorithm’s refusal to introduce me to new music since mid-2024, when I first wrote in my notebook of ideas for this newsletter, “Streaming is starting to ruin my relationship with music.” I wanted to write about this, but I didn’t want to come to you with a problem and no solution. (It’s Saturday morning. You’re trying to unwind, you don’t need another thing to be upset about.)
So for the past year and a half, I’ve been trying to figure out the easiest way to uncover new music. Not new releases, not new songs like the ones I already like, but music that’s new to me, by artists I haven’t encountered before. I haven’t steered out of the rut completely, but I’m getting some traction. (My hacks for music discovery are by no means the only ones — there are zillions of sites, podcasts, publications and podcasts devoted to this — but it can be hard to find a way in.) Here’s what works for me:
Ask people you know to make you playlists. What else do they have to do today? It’s also a good way to get to know people better. And flattering! It says, “You have good taste.”
Excavate your old MP3 library. Mine’s on an old auxiliary hard drive, but there were some forgotten gems and albums I’d never fully explored on there.
**Try La **Blogothèque’s Take-Away Shows. Since 2006, this French collective has made videos of musicians performing outside traditional concert spaces. Some are well known (e.g., Bon Iver on the streets of Paris) and many are less so. They make playlists of each year’s concerts. Think Tiny Desk Concerts, without the desk.
Go to concerts early and see the opening bands. This is a suggestion from the music critic Lindsay Zoladz. “I’m off social media entirely these days, so I am into more analog ways of finding things I like,” she told me. She also advises Shazaming that song that sounds interesting in a restaurant or store. Of course, Lindsay’s newsletter, The Amplifier, is one of the best sources for recommendations.
Listen to the radio. What a concept! I always forget I can listen to most any radio station, anywhere in the world. There are a lot of sites that collect interesting feeds: Indie music. Music for working. Choose your decade + country.
Mine other people’s Spotify playlists. Search for friends, musicians, stores, brands, publications (Aquarium Drunkard has eclectic lists), radio stations (a weird ouroboros, but your college radio station might very well be on there), celebrities (I’ve enjoyed the writer Michael Chabon’s archive), exes with good taste, record labels (Numero Group is wonderful), people you met once and found interesting — they might have troves of playlists on their public profiles.
I’ve long since fallen out of touch with the friend who cataloged Nigerian tunes. But I searched him on Spotify and found that not only has he continued to make incredible playlists, but the very playlist I loved from 20 years ago is in his library. I’ve been making my way through his latest creations. Writing this newsletter was an excuse to get back in touch and thank him.
What’s your secret for finding new music? What’s the best discovery you’ve made with it? Share in the comments.
THE LATEST NEWS
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Los Angeles was among the affected airports.Credit...Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times
Government Shutdown
Flight cancellations ordered by President Trump began to hit airports. Up to 10 percent of flights may be affected by next week.
A Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, paused a lower court order that would have forced the administration to fund food stamps.
Missed meals and paychecks: Explore this timeline of the shutdown’s impact.
Politics
A federal judge in Oregon said Trump had failed to prove that protesters were blocking his policies in Portland — and permanently forbade him to send in the National Guard.
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, is purging military leaders with little explanation.
Here’s what to know about the new gender rules for U.S. passports.
Democrats may eventually beat Republicans in the redistricting arms race, writes The Times’s chief political analyst, Nate Cohn.
Other Big Stories
A Kentucky county clerk who was once jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its 2015 decision legalizing those unions.
Canada killed hundreds of ostriches exposed to avian flu.
As lawyers ask A.I. to write their briefs, bogus A.I.-generated citations are cropping up in court. A network of legal vigilantes is publicizing the errors.
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Film and TV
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Meet the poster designers who help bring to life movies like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Back to the Future” and “Rambo.”
The latest “Knives Out” movie pulls together a laundry list of stars. This is how the producer made it happen. (It’s “literally the definition of herding cats,” said Daniel Craig, one of the stars.)
Nine Inch Nails, the pioneering industrial rock band, has gotten into film scoring. They wrote the soundtrack for the neon-streaked Disney extravaganza “Tron: Ares.”
“South Park” has doubled its viewership by skewering Trump. It depicts him in a romantic relationship with Satan, who is carrying the president’s baby.
Music
Tame Impala’s catchy psychedelic rock and dance music is drawing more and more listeners. But the arena stage poses new challenges for its awkward frontman.
Rosalía, the Spanish pop star, takes an avant-garde swerve on her latest album: singing in 13 languages.
The violinist Itzhak Perlman wasn’t sure about playing the music for “Schindler’s List.” He spoke about the film, his violin, his dog and his Vitamix blender in a new interview with The Times.
The latest class of musicians will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame today. Meet the inductees.
Political Culture
Ticket sales are down. Dozens of employees are gone. Read about the crackup at the Kennedy Center in Washington after Trump took over.
Zohran Mamdani is New York City’s first millennial mayor. You can tell by the softly trendy suits he wears.
On the campaign trail, Mamdani seemed fun and funny. Can he keep it up when he gets to City Hall?
Norman Rockwell’s family denounced the Department of Homeland Security’s use of the artist’s work in social media posts promoting an anti-immigration agenda.
In a new book, Michelle Obama unpacks the complexities of dressing and hairstyling during her eight years as first lady.
More Culture
A new series of souped-up Harry Potter audiobooks features a voice cast of more than 200 actors, a 60-piece orchestra and an immersive soundscape.
A polarizing San Francisco fountain will be dismantled after the city’s Arts Commission voted to remove it because of safety concerns.
CULTURE CALENDAR
🎬 🪄 “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” (Friday): In the 2013 movie “Now You See me,” a quartet of magicians pull off an impossible heist. That the movie — an entirely unlikely illusionist-comedy-action-thriller with a Robin Hood angle — succeeded was perhaps the bigger feat. Nine years after its first sequel appeared, the magicians have returned with new tricks, new targets, new locales and a fresh invitation to suspend your disbelief. And why not? As Dave Franco’s prestidigitator says, between card flourishes: “Wars. Pandemics. Climate Change. A.I. Let’s face it — y’all need magic more than ever.”
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
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Credit...Beatriz Da Costa for The New York Times.
Mushroom Pasta Stir-Fry
For an easy, meatless meal, try Hetty Lui McKinnon’s mushroom pasta stir-fry. She uses the high heat technique to make a simple but deeply flavored sauce out of mushrooms that are seared and tossed with crisp broccolini and your favorite long pasta. Perfect for chilly November evenings, five-spice powder gives this dish a warm, autumnal aroma, while maple syrup lends sweetness and a dash of chile adds a bright note of heat.
REAL ESTATE
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Credit...Katherine Marks for The New York Times
**The Hunt: **Unsure how she could afford her own apartment in the city, a young renter scoured government programs and found one that might help her. Where would she land? Play our game.
75½ Bedford Street: The narrow building has been home to Margaret Mead, Cary Grant and other celebrities. It’s for sale for nearly $4.2 million.
Flat Iron’s condo era: The famously triangular tower gets a new lease on life, but don’t expect cookie-cutter layouts.
LIVING
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Vicky Szuflita filled an empty house with clothing.Credit...Audra Melton for The New York Times
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Credit...Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter; illustration by Con McHugh for NYT Wirecutter
A sweater is a classic gift
A really, really good sweater? Well, it’s sartorial magic — the stuff dreams and rom-coms are made of. But get a shoddy, poorly made one, and you might be subjecting your giftee (or yourself) to shrunken armpit holes, lifeless fabric, a stretched fit and pilling galore. There are two ways to avoid this fate. First, invest in an heirloom-quality sweater. The best ones are pricey, yes, but they should last for life. Second, treat them with care. The right laundry aids, like a good drying rack and a de-pilling comb, can help clothes look better and last longer. — Sofia Sokolove
GAME OF THE WEEK
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Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield.Credit...Ella Hall/Associated Press
New England Patriots vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, N.F.L.: Halfway through the N.F.L. season, there are a few familiar names at the top of the M.V.P. race: Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford. But two other quarterbacks in the Top 5 stand out: Baker Mayfield of the Buccaneers and Drake Maye of the Patriots.
Mayfield, who made the Pro Bowl in the past two seasons, has taken a step forward. Maye, in just his second year in the league, has made a giant leap. Behind Maye’s breakout, Chad Graff of The Athletic wrote recently, a Patriots season that began as a rebuilding year has swiftly turned into a race for the No. 1 seed in the A.F.C.
Tomorrow at 1 p.m. Eastern on CBS
NOW TIME TO PLAY
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Melissa Kirsch covers wellness and lifestyle and writes The Morning newsletter on Saturdays.
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