Discovering music online is not as easy as it sounds. You can’t just go to Google and type out ‘amazing jazz music’ and expect to find the best. The search results will turn up, of course, but the question is whether or not you’ll actually like any of it.

Thankfully, there’s an app for that. In fact, there are tons of apps for discovering music that could help you figure out if you prefer a certain new genre or help you discover a new band from the other side of the planet.

Here is a list of the best online platforms and mobile apps for discovering new music:

Music from friends

What better way to see if you like some sort music than to compare your playlist to that of your friends. The internet has made experiments like these completely possible and now your network can help you find the best new bands.

Statistically speaking, you are more likely to like a certain type of music simply because your friends are into it. So with the big data capabilities of social media, we can now try out a sample of a buddy’s playlist.

Apps such as Spotify, Deezer and Rdio have, of course, set the benchmark in this sphere. They’ve established platforms that are used by more people and this makes it more likely that your friends are on the same platform as you.

There is a problem with this – your social media may seem over crowded. Having a list of every single track every single friend is playing was a horrible idea for your facebook homepage and now some major labels have started to rein it in.

But there are platforms like SoudTracking and Soundwave Music Discovery that will allow you to sneak a peek at what people are listening to anyway.

Read more: The Coolest Places You Can Discover Music Online

It may not be news to most people, but the music industry is faced with some tough challenges. This has been the case for more than a decade now. CD sales have been, obviously tumbling and internet piracy since the days of Napster have all but ruined the entire industry.

But many experts, including industry veteran Edgar Bronfman, believe the reality is a little different than most people believe. It comes down to perception, it seems. The live music industry is growing, according to him. It is the record business which is declining.Social media is playing an important role in boosting the music industry.

Many years ago, CDs and cassettes made up two-thirds of the income of a good or great artist. Record labels like MCA, Sony, Universal and RCA all controlled the market with a firm grip on profits and revenues. These were simpler times, with most people buying their CDs from the local store and calling into the local radio station to play their favourite track.

The companies were pouring in millions of dollars into the music videos to get some promotion on the TV channels and gain more sales worldwide. Now, the scenario has changed completely and the musicians are often left to pay for music videos out of their own pockets.

Record stores are also long gone now and we have CDs in the rare Starbucks or Barnes and Noble stores in the country.

The question has now shifted focus to streaming, which many consider to be the savior of the music industry.

Read more: The Ever Changing Face of the Music Industry