Do you know that wonderful feeling you get when you find a new piece of music while randomly scrolling on the net? Over the next week or two, you and that song become seemingly inseparable. You can’t stop hearing it even when you’re not playing because it’s on a constant loop in your head.
And then, a strange thing happens. Something we can’t explain but somehow inevitably know will happen. We get bored and start looking for something new. But not always all that different, am I right?
Sometimes you find more than just a song or artist that you wish to explore, but an entire sound. Something about a certain group of tunes grabs you and makes you wonder if there are more out there? Basically,
How to Find Similar Songs Based on Ones You Like?
Well, by using the internet, and the tools it puts at your disposal, it has become easier than ever. The internet is an ever-growing, digital ecosystem of content sharing. It puts you in control of what you hear, when you hear it, and how much of it you will continue to hear based on your preferences.
If you use a few simple tools and principles in your browsing and content selections, you can very easily find songs or artists similar to the ones that you like. Before you know it, you’ll have playlists building up faster than you can listen to them.
So, I decided to take an in-depth look at the best way to find similar songs based on the ones you like.
Spotalike
One of the most popular music services to find content similar to what you’ve already liked and listened to a lot on Spotify. Spotalike is an app that saves the user a lot of hassle since it works by generating playlists, not just suggesting individual songs.
How does that work?
The principle is quite simple. You enter the name of a song that you enjoy, and Spotalike will suggest an entire playlist of similar songs. This saves you the trouble of having to group all the songs you source one by one into a single playlist.
Furthermore, you don’t have to be a Spotify user to make use of Spotalike. The software will display the entire playlist for you, and you can then search for the songs on other streaming services of your choice.
To use the software, simply type the name of the song and artist that you like into the search bar and press search. If you have Spotify and you wish to add the content to your account, just click on the green “add to Spotify” button.
Tunebat
Primarily intended as a tool for music producers and artists to discover vital information about a piece of music, like the BPM or the key. However, since it also has a matching algorithm and built-in library, you can easily use it to find content similar to that which you like.
Since this is not the primary function of the software, there is a slight trick to getting the result you want. But, once you’ve got it, it’ll be easy to start sourcing new material for your listening pleasure.
So, how do you use it?
Start by typing in the name of the song and artist in the search bar. You’ll be rewarded with a long list of titles. The first few results will likely be the very song you’ve searched for, along with the most similar sounding remixes, covers, and versions featuring other artists or samples (mashups).
Once you start scrolling down, you’ll start seeing other songs, but with varying levels of similarities to the one you like. The top result is most similar and gets less and less so in various aspects as you scroll down.
MusicMatch
This is sort of an integration of Shazam and a lyric app into one. The software can integrate with Facebook, Instagram, Tidal, Spotify, and almost any other streaming service.
Use MusicMatch to enrich your listening experience by watching synced lyric vids as you listen to a tune. Or by posting small lyric snips from what you’re listening to directly onto your Instagram or Facebook pages.
Find music based on lyrics…
MusicMatch can also be used to listen to and identify a piece of music you’re listening to on the radio or speakers. Likewise, it can search for and suggest the best fit for a song based on the lyrics you remember and input into a text box.
When the software produces results, you can simply scroll down the list to find other suggestions. These are likely not the song you’re listening to, but the ones that the software’s algorithms matches are similar in rhythm, lyrical content, tempo, and dynamics.
Google Search
This one might seem a bit redundant, but Google still is the basis of all your information highways and portals to handy tools hidden in obscure corners of the internet.
Simply search the phrase “songs similar to” or try “if you like,” followed by the name of the song. Google’s algorithms will display several titles that are similar or liked by other users who liked the same song you do.
Always up-to-date…
Along with similar song suggestions, Google will provide you with a list of relevant online platforms and information sites to help you find music content similar to the stuff you like.
Doing the same search two weeks later might provide five new tools that weren’t there a week ago. That is how fast things can change. So, don’t ever neglect good old Google.
SoundHound
Soundhound is similar to Musicmatch, but it uses a different set of databases. Therefore, it can suggest unique content. The algorithm allows you to listen to a piece of music and identify the lyrics and sonic information to come back with an exact match.
Simply look at the other suggestions made by the software, which is an excellent way of how to find similar songs based on ones you like.
A nice feature…
If you happen to miss the playback of the song you’re trying to identify, you are encouraged to try and whistle or hum the melody and see if you get lucky. While this is handy for finding the song you want, it is also a very creative way of trying to find new music.
Try humming a catchy melody of your own and see how close someone famous has come to making a hit out of it. Or, try slightly altering the melody of the song that’s stuck in your head at the moment and see what Soundhound spits out. You never know.
YouTube
It doesn’t matter whether you have gone through the trouble of paying for a YouTube music subscription or not. Just like Google, YouTube can be one of your most powerful tools for finding new songs.
YouTube has become a huge platform across the world. So, almost any artist or label worth their salt has created a dedicated channel to that artist or sound, which you can use to find similar sounding content.
When you listen to the tracks you like…
YouTube’s algorithms will automatically generate suggestions of tracks that you might like based on your preferences. Another way to get exposed to more new things is to go and look at the artists and labels which are mentioned in the descriptions of the videos that you like.
You’ll almost always find yourself clicking on something that’s going to engross you for another hour. And add at least five or six new songs to your jamming list.
Chosic
Chosic is, in my opinion, one of the best tools to find new music. The reason is that you can “cast a wider net,” so to speak. Let me explain what I mean.
The search tool in the software works as you’d expect. You type in the name of whatever you’re hooked on at the moment and click on search. It’s what comes after that makes Chosic, in my mind at least, just that little bit more useful than some other avenues.
How so?
You can find songs that are similar by typing in the artist and the name of the song. Likewise, if you type in just an artist’s name, you can explore other artists that the algorithms deem similar.
On top of that, you can apply it to entire genres as well. Just look at the genre descriptions given to the songs or artists that you are enjoying and apply those tags in your searches to discover new sounds.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud has been around for almost 15 years. It is still one of the most powerful, versatile, easy to use, and above all, totally free online tools to discover new music at an incredible pace.
Here’s how…
Once you’ve created an account, you can start listening to playlists and songs. By simply doing this, the software will make weekly suggestions based on what you’ve been listening to. There’s a “More of what you like” playlist that changes daily. So, if your taste evolves, so too will the suggestions.
Next, there is “The Upload.” This is a personalized playlist of tracks generated just for you every week based on what you’ve been listening to. And how much you’ve been listening to it. Already you’ve got two feeds for new tunes that work without you even being there.
It gets even better…
Once you start realizing that a lot of the tunes you like share a similar artist, label, or even hashtag, you can go ahead and follow that artist. Even better, you can go and look at all the other artists and labels that they follow on their SoundCloud profile.
This inevitably leads to hours and hours of clicking and adding to your listening list. Before you know it, you’ll be almost overwhelmed. Luckily, everything can be saved and organized neatly on your profile. And, I repeat, this is all free.
Enjoy Finding and Listening to New Music?
If so, take a look at our handy articles on How To Find New Music, Free Spotify vs Spotify Premium, YouTube Music vs Spotify, Spotify vs Pandora, Amazon Music HD vs Spotify Premium, and Apple Music vs Spotify for more information about music online.
Once you find new tracks, you need to hear them. So, check out our in-depth reviews of the Best Headphones For Rock & Metal Music, the Best Headphones for Music, the Most Comfortable Headphones, and the Best Headphones Under $200 you can buy in 2023.
And, don’t miss our comprehensive reviews of the Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $100, the Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $200, the Best Sound Quality Earbuds, the Best True Wireless Earbuds, and the Best iPhone Earbuds currently on the market.
How to Find Similar Songs Based on Ones You Like – Conclusion
It doesn’t matter if you’re more of an old-school, look-them-up-manually kind of person, or a one-stop-shop person. There are endless avenues available online to discover new music and artists based on what you like and listen to a lot.
You can use Google and YouTube to find songs one at a time and make playlists yourself. Likewise, you can use Chosic and SoundCloud to cast a wider net into entire genres that you find intriguing. Or, you can be a true music guru and use all of them at once. The choices are endless.
Until next time, let the music play.