For someone who listens to a lot of music, recommendation engines from streaming services do not cut it. I just pay attention to release schedules
like this. Also, magazines are not dead. Many still cover music that social trends and algorithms ignore. Sadly, being able to flip through the reviews section at a bookstore has become mostly a thing of the past, though Barnes & Noble still carry a few. But digital subscriptions are available like at
PocketMags, and some put reviews on their sites for free. I still follow Iron Fist, Vive Le Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, Decibel, Terrorizer, Shindig, Louder Than War, Uncut, MOJO, Classic Rock, even Rolling Stone. NME is garbage but it's available free on PocketMags right now and has maybe one useful bit of info every couple issues. I used to follow a bunch of sites and blogs but they're far too inconsistent, and I only read them when they pop up on google searches when I want varied opinions on specific albums. My cronies at
Doom Charts always have interesting recommendations.
I do use Spotify to sample albums and keep
an ongoing playlist of new releases each week. Yes, it takes some time investment to sift what you like out of the clutter, but I still think it's fun. The way I see it, the only reason to stop listening to new music is lack of passion and energy, because there is never a lack of new good music, or even unexplored old music.