I love discovering new music. As a web developer I spend a good amount of time with headphones on. I grew up with Napster and downloading, then YouTube became a ‘go to’ place for streaming, Pandora rocked my sock off but I disliked the eventual loop, Last.fm introduced me to so many great new artists. Finally, Spotify comes around and gels all of them together into the ultimate music machine.

If you’re not familiar, Spotify was developed by the guy that started Napster then went on to help Facebook take off. You might have seen his character portrayed in the movie The Social Network. Spotify uses Facebook by allowing friends to share playlists and tracks. Actually, there is a lot more to the platform. Here are some ways to rock it:

Share your Playlist

By now you probably know you can create custom playlists. I’ve shared a few like my Coachella playlists. You basically can search through the bazillion number of tracks and select individual or whole albums to add by clicking and dragging. Piece of cake.

By default, new playlists are made “public” which means your friends can see them and you can see theirs. You can also share these with the outside world. Just right click a track and you can get a link to the track

Listen to the Radio

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Spotify has added a radio function similar to Pandora and Last.fm. You can activate the radio by right clicking a single track or by navigating to the artists’ profile page. Selection is pretty good and I’ve been introduced to some great new artists.

Link your Last.fm Account

I still have lots of love for Last.fm. I love that I can listen to them through the Xbox 360, and I like their website and the way they lay out member profiles. Bravo. Now you can activate last.fm from within Spotify and still “Scrobble” the tracks you listen to and love.

Follow Playlists

Your friends have good taste. Follow their playlists and you’ll stay in the loop when they add new music. You can also follow public playlists. Spotify is working at making this element more prevalent in their system. To find public playlists, look for them when you use the search function. That’s a good way to find new music too.

Get the Premium Version

For $10 a month you can listen to Spotify anywhere through your mobile device. This day and age of the car stereo that talks to your phone, I highly suggest it. You can sync up your playlists so they go with you too, and you won’t have to hear ads on either your phone or your pc.

So there are a few cool ways to use Spotify. Pretty cool this thing, no? You might also consider checking out and subscribing to the Spotify Blog, they have some interesting playlists and updates going out through there. Party on Wayne.

Day 1: http://spoti.fi/wfZgMK
Day 2: http://spoti.fi/wurBoe
Day 3: http://spoti.fi/yhkhkV

Mayor Hawthorne

Well then my knees dropped to the ground
And I was really feeling down
Then baby you called me
You called me to tell me you love me
And everything was alright

My new found enjoyment of soul, which Amy Winehouse introduced me to, left me feeling a bit empty- who will fill the void of that classy new soul music sound? . . . And that’s about when I first heard Mayor Hawthorne.

Mayor Hawthorne not only has that classy sound and a great band, but he grew up listening to the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Barry White, and more legends of soul, and influences come through. I stumbled upon it one day when I opened up Spotify and it was one of the featured albums. And I usually never click on those.

Aka. Andrew Mayer Cohen, Mayor Hawthorne grew up listening to the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Barry White, and more legends of soul. Surely, he doesn’t disappoint his influences.

AWOLNATION

Blame it on my A.D.D. baby

Taking a left turn from soul, I checked out some local shows here in San Diego and noticed AWOLnation was playing a popular club called The Belly Up Tavern, in Solono Beach. Having never heard their music but interested in going to the show, I checked them out on Facebook and was instantly convinced I should go. At first I couldn’t put my finger on their style and it’s still hard to describe. It’s like indie rock, but also has influences of hip hop and who knows what else. One thing was for sure, I’m hooked.

While the track Sail probably has the most recognition, I found Wake Up on my playlist first. They put on a great live show.

Chromeo

She says I’m not romantic
I say she’s too dramatic

Your body tends to move while listening to Chromeo. “The only successful Arab/ Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture,” lol, features a fierce electrofunk beat that just makes you feel good. Currently playing with Mayor Hawthorne on their 2011 tour. I felt like I really needed to be at that show, but I was booked with AWOLnation that night. Next time gentlemen. Next time.

Gotta love the talk box on this track.

Montë Mar

Underground confession
broke through your best intentions
left you on your own.
Cash money crawling
out of the comfort of your pocket and down your thigh
I felt your hand in mine

The same aforementioned sound engineer guy turned me onto Montë Mar as well. He’s friends with some of the band members and I have a feeling it’s only a matter of time before these guys break through. I’ll let the music speak for itself.

The War on Drugs

I’ll be there, coming clean
Like a runner in the wind
Coming through the morning light

I had only heard that this band was going to be a good show and will probably sell out, so I went and got a ticket on a Friday night to check them out at a small club called Soda Bar. All of the bands that evening were great, but The War on Drugs knocked it out of the park in my opinion. Melodic guitar, lots of reverb, lazy lyrics, and drums and powerfully quiet vocals that reminded me of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. My only complaint is that at times the reverb losses me in echo.

Check it out…new stuff added regularly (Spotify)