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music? good.

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Musical Acts

Week Ending February 27th, 2017

Lana Del Rey +4

Beyoncé −1

Twenty One Pilots −1

Little Mix 

Rihanna −1

One Direction +12

Nicki Minaj 

Fifth Harmony +2

5 Seconds of Summer −1

Selena Gomez −3

Taylor Swift −2

Remy Ma 

Justin Bieber 

The 1975 

John Legend 

Shawn Mendes 

Ariana Grande

Janelle Monáe

Troye Sivan

Niall Horan

The number in italics indicates how many spots a name moved up or down from the previous week. Bolded names weren’t on the list last week.

[ahedis-ap]

Visit Original Link

I carefully edited Lin’s little prologue from the Oscars with the original song from the soundtrack! Enjoy!

Here’s the instrumental version that you can rap and sing along to!

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My Friends Make a Cool Podcast

Give them a listen on Chapman Radio every other Monday at 11! 

And listen to past episodes here!

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TOMORROW

Tune in for a special 60s edition of my radio show! 12 noon PST!

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Spotify Discoveries: February

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Hey funky followers! Here’s this month’s Spotify discoveries!

1. “Alone Sometimes” - The Mowgli’s

2. “Undercover Martyn” - Two Door Cinema Club

3. “The Girl” - City and Color

Let me know if you like these, and be sure to send me some of your Spotify faves!

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Radio Show Today @ Noon PST!

Be sure to tune in!

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What should my radio show theme be this week?

Send me suggestions!

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Music From Dad

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This dad’s got some funky tunes to share!

1. “Drive It Like You Stole It” - Sing Street soundtrack

Dad: “Ah, yeah, those were the days! The age of big hair and big dreams! The 80′s are making a comeback, y’know! Ya think I can still kick it with the cool kids?”

2. “Can’t Let Go, Juno” - Kishi Bashi

Dad: “I like the swirly bit on the album cover. Very avant-garde.” 

3. “Heathens” - twenty one pilots ft. MUTEMATH

Dad: “Oh, yeah, it’s one of those- those- remingles? Redos? Re... re........ REMIXES! That’s what they’re called!”

4. “Human” - Rag’n’Bone Man

Dad: “NIFTY!”

5. “You and I” - Colony House

Dad: “Nice garage band. Kinda like the one Kevin and I made in 7th grade. Man, we were going places.”

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Send me a Top 40 song you enjoy, and I’ll send you a new song you might like

Let me know what you like so I can make this blog better!

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NEW RADIO SHOW TIME! - Jokes and Jams

Hey funky followers!

If you’re in the mood for some smooth tunes, or if you like a good ol’ fashioned pun, be sure to tune in to my radio show, Jokes and Jams! This season I’ll be streaming on Tuesdays at 12pm, PST. You can listen live online here, or on the Chapman Radio app, available for iOS and Android!

I do a different theme for my puns every week, so if you have some theme suggestions, feel free to DM me! And be sure to check out the other shows on Chapman Radio, there are some pretty great ones!

[shellacrossmytongue]

reblog this and I’ll message you a song suggestion based on your blog

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I’ll do this for you guys, too. Reblog and get some music!

[speeeding]

Moment-to-Moment Music

For a soft-song-but-not-love-song-soft sort of mood—

The Careful Ones, “Paper Knees”

Local Natives, “Who Knows, Who Cares”

Bahamas, “Lost In the Light”

Walk Off the Earth, “Little Boxes”

Karl Culley, “Silver Set of Bones”

Iron and Wine, “Flightless Bird, American Mouth”

Fleet Foxes, “Mykonos”

Bon Iver, “Holocene”

For when you’re probably definitely in love—

Leagues, “Pass My Way”

Landon Pigg, “Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop”

Ben Howard, “Only Love”

Twenty One Pilots, “Oh, Ms Believer”

Christina Perri, “Penguin”

Laurena Segura, “À Un Autre Comme Moi”

Death Cab for Cutie, “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”

Get Well Soon, “Not Enough”

Passenger, “Patient Love”

We the Kings, “Say You Like Me”

The Nieghbourhood, “Sweater Weather”

To accompany that happy, upbeat mood—

The Cinema, “Picasso”

Echosmith, “Let’s Love”

Modest Mouse, “Float On”

Passion Pit, “Take a Walk”

Aaradhna, “Wake Up”

American Authors, “Best Day Of My Life”

American Authors, “Believer”

Truslow, “Vacation”

Walk the Moon, “Quesadilla”

Half Moon Run, “Call Me In the Afternoon”

VV Brown, “Shark In the Water”

Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”

The Vamp, “Wild Heart”

For when you’re sad—

Bon Iver, “Michicant”

Twenty One Pilots, “Truce”

Twenty One Pilots, “Before You Start Your Day”

Skylar Grey, “Invisible”

Regina Spektor, “Eet”

Passenger, “Let Her Go”

Ben Howard, “Black Flies”

Gotye, “Hearts a Mess”

For when you’re angry (but not screamy angry)—

The Neighbourhood, “How”

AWOLNATION, “Not Your Fault”

Capital Cities, “Kangaroo Court”

[I don’t listen to a lot of angry music actually, so anyone who has suggestions, please don’t refrain from adding some tunes]

Specific Situation Songs—

Feeling Neglected- Skylar Grey, “Invisible”

Long Distance Love Loneliness- Nolita Knights, “Distance Kills”

Feeling Worthless- Warron Zevon, “My Shit’s Fucked Up”

Feeling Against the SYSTEM, MAN- Thievery Corporation, “Culture of Fear”

Feeling Like a Badass Mother Fucker- La Roux, “In for the Kill”

Also Feeling Totally Hardcore- Michael Bublè, “Feeling Good”

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Some good music for Valentine's Day, no matter your outlook

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Artist of the Week - Starset

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The band Starset takes electronic music to a new level with their unique and creative lyrics. They got their start in Columbus, Ohio, and now have an online cult following. Recently, they released a new single, titled Monster. To read more about the narrative behind their lyrics and to discover some of their music, check out their official site here.

[bisexu-ellis]

So! You saw/listened to/had a dream about Hamilton and discovered how fucking glorious rap is. Maybe you already know some rap and hip-hop but not a lot. Maybe you’re looking for some great rap songs to memorize to use for your Hamilton auditions (you badass, you). The reason why you’re reading this doesn’t matter so much; the point is we’re here, and it’s time for some basic history and recommendations! 

By Genre

A nice and easy place to start! This will mostly be about education and covering all the bases, but I promise that you’ll like it. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all sub-genres (I’m skipping some of my favs like Crunk and Dirty South because I don’t think it applies to Hamilton), just ones that I think relate to the musical.

Old School You might like these artists if you enjoy the tracks that are more stripped down and simple, and more conversational. Notable examples: A Tribe Called Quest, The Sugarhill Gang, Eazy-E

Latin Rap You might like these artists if you want to throw some love at Lin in particular and give respect to his roots Notable examples: Calle 13, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar 

Pop Rap/Hip Hop You might like this if you loved the tracks that blended more classic musical style with the rap style. Notable examples: Kanye, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne…basically all of Young Money

Conscious Rap: You might like this if “I am just like my country/I’m young, scrappy and hungry” resonated with you on a deep level Notable examples: Kendrick Lamar, Common, Talib Kweli

Gangsta Rap: You might like this if you found yourself wanting more Hercules Mulligan in your life Notable examples: Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G.

Alternative/Nerdy: You might like this if you’re on Tumblr Notable example: N.E.R.D., Childish Gambino, Lupe Fiasco, The Roots

Queer Rap/Hip Hop: If you’re into that Hamilton slash thing and are LGBTQ Notable examples: Big Freedia, Zebra Katz, Mykki Blanco

By Character

In which I basically do fanmixes? Here is a general example of that I think they would have on their iPods/phones/etc.

Alexander Hamilton would like: Kendrick Lamar, Calle 13, 2Pac

Aaron Burr would like: Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Childish Gambino

George Washington would like: Common, Kendrick Lamar 

King George would like: N.E.R.D., Kanye West, Drake

Eliza Hamilton nee Schuyler would like: Eve, The Roots, Nicki Minaj

Philip Hamilton would like: Jurassic 5, A Tribe Called Quest, Eazy E

Lafayette would like: Nicki Minaj, Maitre Gims, Nino Ice

Thomas Jefferson would like: Kanye West, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg 

Angelica Schuyler would like: Nicki Minaj, Eve, N.W.A.

John Laurens would like: Common, Kendrick Lamar, Missy Elliot

By Song

Recommendations on a song-by-song basis! This is my approximation of songs that match in general tone or style

If you like Alexander Hamilton you’ll like Alright by Kendrick Lamar

If you like My Shot you’ll like Hustlin’ by Rick Ross

If you like The Schuyler Sisters you’ll like Va Va Voom by Nicki Minaj

If you like Right Hand Man you’ll like Boyz-N-The-Hood by Eazy-E

If you like Satisfied you’ll like Pink Toes by Childish Gambino and Jhene Aiko

If you like Wait For It you’ll like Pills N’ Potions by Nicki Minaj

If you like Guns and Ships you’ll like Break Ya Neck by Busta Rhymes

If you like Yorktown you’ll like B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad) by Outkast

If you like Non-Stop you’ll like High Fidelity by Jurassic 5

If you like What Did I Miss you’ll like Peaches N’ Cream by Snoop Dogg

If you like Cabinet Battle you’ll like Without Me by Eminem

If you like Say No To This you’ll like Young & Wild & Free by Wiz Khalifa

If you like The Room Where It Happens you’ll like Xxplosive by Dr. Dre

If you like The Adams Administration you’ll like Put You On Game by Lupe Fiasco

If you like Blow Us All Away you’ll like Champion by Kanye West

So Finally

Here are some links to explore more! What I’ve given is by no means exhaustive. 

History of hip hop/rap

The Definitive Guide to Hip-Hop Subgenres

My Top 50-ish Spotify Playlist

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A great starting place for all my Hamilton friends out there!

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Where can I get music if I’m poor???

I’m glad you asked, non-corporeal Tumblr entity! In the age of piracy, it can be frustrating to have to pay a whole two dollars for a song on iTunes. But don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to get cheap and free songs legally!

Let’s start with the basics:

Spotify

Good old Spotify. It’s wonderful, personal, and it’s free! That is, if you can suffer through the ads. See, advertisements are tolerable for personal listening, but if you’re DJ-ing for a party, plain old Spotify isn’t going to cut it. And maybe you’re fine listening to borrowed music, but there’s something special to me about owning my own copy of a song, not having to rely on wifi or data to listen to my music.

We could always upgrade to Spotify Premium, but we’re on a budget here.

Pandora

Pandora, or as I call it, “what you used before you discovered Spotify.” Not to trash anyone’s taste in music platforms, but really? Pandora creates stations for you, unlike Spotify, where you have the opportunity to make your own playlists. Pandora is far less personal than any other music-sharing platform, and acts much more like a radio station than anything else. And when you have all of the internet radio options listed below, why would you even consider Pandora?

Also, Pandora is only accessible in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, so if you’re from anywhere else, good luck.

iTunes

The real OG of the music platforms! Here you can find almost every song that’s available for purchase, with a huge variety of genres and artists. The iTunes store also has some helpful features that can show you what’s topping the charts. The only problem? You actually have to pay money for your music.

Or do you? Obviously, widely popular songs are going to cost you a bit more than you’d like. However, iTunes has a category of $0.69 songs, and many popular songs will drop their price down into this category after being release for a few months. Give the cheap category a browse around, and you might find something that catches your fancy!

Unfortunately, iTunes has discontinued my favorite program on their platform, the Single of the Week. Single of the Week was a free download for iTunes users that featured a new emerging artist each week, but alas, it is no more. This has been replaced with a new category called “Free on iTunes.” Here’s an article I found that explains more about this unfortunate development.

However, there are some other platforms where you can download or sample songs for free:

Hoopla

So, you know how great libraries are, right? Hoopla is essentially and electronic version of the library. As long as you have your own library card, you can log in for free and borrow all sorts of music, as well as a great selection of movies and audio books. There is a time limit on how long you can check out an album or movie, so it is like a library in that respect, too. However, it’s entirely free, and it’s a really good way to listen to new music and decide which songs you want to actually buy.

Freegal

Freegal is very similar to Hoopla, except you also have the opportunity to download music. It’s affiliated with Sony Music, so most of their selection is Sony-affiliated as well. All you need, again is a library card, and you can download music for free. Always check to see if a song is on Freegal before you buy it!

YouTube

Okay, this one may or may not be legal depending on how you approach it. Many emerging artists will have their own YouTube channels, where you can listen to samples of their songs and find lyric videos. However, you typically can’t download music off YouTube (legally). It’s still a god way to sample music, but not really a long-term solution.

And don’t forget, radio stations can be just as helpful for discovering new music as subscription-based sites!

Local Radio

Don’t fall into the habit of only listening to satellite radio! Although satellite is consistent between areas, its selection of music is typically very limited, and you’ll only be hearing a couple of emerging artists occasionally. Local radio stations tend to be much better about publicizing new music, and tend to be more focused within their genres. Be sure to try out a variety of stations before choosing a few you like! 

iHeart Radio

If local radio isn’t enough for you, iHeart Radio gives you access to almost every local radio station around the United States. I find this especially helpful for listening to my favorite radio stations from home while I’m away at college.

These are just a few of my favorite ways to access music, but obviously there are plenty of other platforms where you can listen to new music. Feel free to add some of your favorites!

Happy listening! 

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Artist of the Week - Andrew McMahon

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If you’re looking for a cool alternative feel, Andrew McMahon is the guy for you! I highly recommend starting by listening to his previous band, Jack’s Mannequin, particularly their album Everything In Transit. His current band, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, just released a new single called “Fire Escape.” Check out his official site here. Let me know what you think!

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Welcome to a musical wonderland!

Hi everyone! Welcome to Better Than Spotify Premium, the blog where I teach you how to find new music, without having to be a snob about it.

On this blog, I’ll be giving you suggestions for what new songs you might be interested in, and where you can find free music (legally!). My personal music taste is very alternative-pop, so obviously I’m going to talk more about that genre, but I will also be giving suggestions for other genres of music as well. Hopefully I’ll be able to learn just as much about music as you guys!

Thanks for checking out my blog; hope you find your new jam somewhere on this site! Happy Listening!