“Hey, what’s that song you’re listening to? I’ve never heard it before, but it’s really good,” said that eclectic kid you never got to know.

Music tastes are highly personal, but there are too many people who miss out on great artists that end up getting buried underneath mainstream’s popularity tombstone of mediocrity.

People should attempt to discover new music through ways other than the radio and television media, branching outside these options to discover more than just the next trending track.

Whether it’s how most people were brought up with music or something entirely different, simply way too many haven’t openly sought to discover beyond the more famous artists.

While I believe plenty will agree there are a fair amount of genuinely good mainstream artists, the consensus is probably doubled in comparison to the bad musicians. Keep in mind that following the crowd might make you feel better about your social status, but it takes away the unique upbringing and appreciation for those hidden gems that you may have never heard.

Radio and television media, like anything, will have it’s decent findings you may come to enjoy, the problem is that most people aren’t willing to search around to find them. Most stations will continuously outplay popular tracks in a set playlist, which not only disregards any sense of customization or preference, but rewards those who aren’t really concerned about lyrical value.

Music videos seen on television are no slouch to this issue either, where certain genres of music, in particular hip hop, often contain negative stigmas seen in mainstream songs.

It’s no wonder that today’s youth struggle to identify with themselves when more than half of the songs they are exposed to are disrespecting women and obsessed with cars or money.

Even though problems like this do exist, at least nowadays there are also many ways to get around and explore new options for our music. Custom radio stations and recommendation gathering sites allow for people to truly discover new music they didn’t know about before.

Not only does this create a chance to listen to exactly what you like based off your own musical preferences, but it even gives you an opportunity to become more knowledgeable.

One of the most enjoyable feelings I have been able to experience comes from informing a friend about a fresh new artistic sound and being able to share my own discoveries.

A very important aspect of my background for music choices came from when I was able to self-discover new music after voluntarily discontinuing to listen to the radio after eighth grade.

This opened up many different perspectives and gave me the opportunity to figure out what truly was important in music.

I was able to obtain a real appreciation for music, uncovering many diverse perspectives through the artists I listened to while opening my eyes to something that seemed invisible before.

Discovering new music shouldn’t be as difficult as it is for most people, but one of the most important things is to remain open-minded. You cannot fall under the thought that just because an artist or song lacks popularity means that it is somehow not good music.

Customized radio applications and music players such as Spotify, Pandora and Last.fm are all great ways to start exploring new artists and songs that you might really enjoy.

The best thing about the three of these is that you can take your time listing off your favorite musicians and tracks to make your recommendations even more precise; not to mention they’re free.

I can easily say nowadays my music tastes and preferences have become increasingly eclectic.

While my favorite genres would include independent and alternative hip hop as well as progressive rock, I enjoy almost anything with a positive or meaningful message and uniquely stylized sound.