I do not own a radio. Gasp. It's true.
In my world, my iPod is king. I never leave home without it and/or headphones for my iPhone. I have a dock that blasts my tunes in my room. I choose what I listen to. And every day has its own soundtrack.
So how then do I manage to keep up with the latest hits? This is quite the dilemma. No top 40 station plays the newest singles every time I get in my car. I don't hear Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow" every hour like those of you normal people who listen to the radio regularly. So really, how can I possibly know what the songs of the summer are?
My main solution to this dilemma is iTunes of course. Where I (a) check for top downloaded songs and albums by genre (b) find new releases and (c) get a whole :20 second preview of said songs. I have found that if I check in often enough to see the top downloads, I can generally figure out what's popular and decide if I like it. Country music is a little harder, sometimes the top downloads aren't the best songs and I feel like I'm missing out on some secret gem that I would normally hear on the radio. It's also tricky to find the not-super-popular-yet-but-on-its-way songs. But for the most part, iTunes to the rescue!
This weekend I went on an iTunes buying spree. Because I go through these phases. Where I require not only the top downloaded song, but also the entire album. So I completed my DMB and Kings of Leon albums, decided against purchasing all of Katy Perry and Jordin Sparks, opting for just a few songs instead and decided that I couldn't possibly have a successful work-out without the JayZ, Rhianna and Kayne single on my Gym playlist.
It's mostly an impulsive process. It also tends to get a bit pricey. And is not without it's flaws. Last week a friend told me his go-to strategy: movie soundtracks. He figures they only use popular songs in movies. So if he pays attention to a soundtrack, he'll naturally be caught up with new music.
Good point. In fact, there are a variety of methods that I've decided indirectly assist me with this musical dilemma --
1. iTunes -- I stand by my anaylsis of this tactic. Sales numbers don't lie.
2. Movies / TV shows -- Lifehouse, where would you be without "Time Travelers Wife?" Same for Kate Voegele and One Tree Hill.
3. Commercials -- Apple has all kinds of undeniable influence.
4. Blogs -- Yes, blogs. NY Mag has been trying to identify the ultimate 'song of the summer.' Last week they declared Drake's "Best I Ever Had" as the winner. Followed closely by Black Eyed Peas and Taylor Swift of course.
5. Bar music -- This is when iPhone app Shazam really comes in handy.
6. Talk -- Good thing my friends (and fam) all really like music too. So we discuss.
Perhaps it's about time for MTV and CMT to start playing music videos again. That would be a most helpful solution to this problem.
For now, I spend ridiculous amounts of time (and $$) on iTunes. So far, it's working for me.
In my world, my iPod is king. I never leave home without it and/or headphones for my iPhone. I have a dock that blasts my tunes in my room. I choose what I listen to. And every day has its own soundtrack.
So how then do I manage to keep up with the latest hits? This is quite the dilemma. No top 40 station plays the newest singles every time I get in my car. I don't hear Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow" every hour like those of you normal people who listen to the radio regularly. So really, how can I possibly know what the songs of the summer are?
My main solution to this dilemma is iTunes of course. Where I (a) check for top downloaded songs and albums by genre (b) find new releases and (c) get a whole :20 second preview of said songs. I have found that if I check in often enough to see the top downloads, I can generally figure out what's popular and decide if I like it. Country music is a little harder, sometimes the top downloads aren't the best songs and I feel like I'm missing out on some secret gem that I would normally hear on the radio. It's also tricky to find the not-super-popular-yet-but-on-its-way songs. But for the most part, iTunes to the rescue!
This weekend I went on an iTunes buying spree. Because I go through these phases. Where I require not only the top downloaded song, but also the entire album. So I completed my DMB and Kings of Leon albums, decided against purchasing all of Katy Perry and Jordin Sparks, opting for just a few songs instead and decided that I couldn't possibly have a successful work-out without the JayZ, Rhianna and Kayne single on my Gym playlist.
It's mostly an impulsive process. It also tends to get a bit pricey. And is not without it's flaws. Last week a friend told me his go-to strategy: movie soundtracks. He figures they only use popular songs in movies. So if he pays attention to a soundtrack, he'll naturally be caught up with new music.
Good point. In fact, there are a variety of methods that I've decided indirectly assist me with this musical dilemma --
1. iTunes -- I stand by my anaylsis of this tactic. Sales numbers don't lie.
2. Movies / TV shows -- Lifehouse, where would you be without "Time Travelers Wife?" Same for Kate Voegele and One Tree Hill.
3. Commercials -- Apple has all kinds of undeniable influence.
4. Blogs -- Yes, blogs. NY Mag has been trying to identify the ultimate 'song of the summer.' Last week they declared Drake's "Best I Ever Had" as the winner. Followed closely by Black Eyed Peas and Taylor Swift of course.
5. Bar music -- This is when iPhone app Shazam really comes in handy.
6. Talk -- Good thing my friends (and fam) all really like music too. So we discuss.
Perhaps it's about time for MTV and CMT to start playing music videos again. That would be a most helpful solution to this problem.
For now, I spend ridiculous amounts of time (and $$) on iTunes. So far, it's working for me.
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