Finding great new music can be difficult. A lot of people's day-to-day experience with music comes from the radio and other mainstream outlets, and the truth is that there just isn't a lot of variety on the radio. Most of the time, you hear the hits that get played everywhere as opposed to something truly new and innovative, and sometimes it's enough to make people want to write pop music off entirely.

Still, there are ways of discovering new music if you know where to look. It's a lot easier than you might think it is, too. You may have to venture outside of the mainstream, but if you look long enough you are sure to find something that interests you.
That being said, here are a few good ways to find great new music.

Talk to your friends. Word of mouth can be a far more effective way to spread the word about something than a sleek, professional advertising campaign could ever hope to be. Chances are that you have at least a couple of friends who know about music that you've never heard of. If that isn't the case, they probably know someone else who might know something about a great unsigned local band. Ask around; you're guaranteed to find something that you like.
Put your education to good use. You may know somebody who has told you about how they discovered their favorite band while they were in college. Perhaps you wrote it off as a coincidence and tell yourself they would've discovered this band no matter what they chose to do with their life, but the truth is that college can be a great place to discover new music whether you are attending a four-year university or you are taking classes online. If you are studying humanities and especially if you are studying music, you will most likely hear about at least some music that you've never heard before.
Search the Internet. Google has become a stand-by when it comes to learning about anything. If you have a question, you can just Google it. New music is not an exception, but using the Internet to find a new band goes much further than that. Thee are plenty of programs and websites that are all but guaranteed to introduce you to some great new music. Check out some programs such as Pandora, Last.fm and Musicovery. These are all Internet radio programs that integrate social media into your listening experience, and what really makes them special is that they will provide you with music that matches your personal preferences and even your mood. Of course, you can find out more about these programs and others like them with a quick Google search.

You may tell yourself that you don't know anything about new music or how to find it, but the truth is that it is much easier to discover a new band or song than it has ever been. Not only can your friends tell you about their favorite independent bands, but modern technology makes it possible to hear great music that would never receive radio play in the past.
If you want to know more about receiving an education in music or humanities, there are plenty of options available to you. Education is a powerful thing, and you can even make or help discover some great new music yourself.