Finding new music is one of my favorite things to do—there’s nothing better than discovering an artist or song you instantly love. As with so many things these days, YouTube has become one of my go-to places for finding new tunes. Sure, it’s easy to lose a few hours browsing an endless stream of videos, but YouTube Music also provides some handy features for active music discovery.

So, here are my favorite methods for finding fresh jams on YouTube Music.

Samples

The Samples feature on YouTube Music has really changed the game for me when it comes to finding fresh tunes. It’s basically like scrolling through TikTok, with short 30-second clips from different songs. What’s cool about it is how it starts each clip partway through instead of just from the beginning. This lets you quickly see if a song catches your ear and seems worth checking out.

Now, it’s not perfect, of course. One issue I’ve noticed is repetitive songs in the feed. While getting repeats can reinforce recommendations, it gets annoying when you want fresh finds throughout. Then there’s the minor annoyance related to playback. When I hit Play on a song sample I like, it often defaults to the music video instead of the normal studio recording. You can fix this by switching the video tab to the song tab, but it’d be neat if YouTube Music could automatically give me the version you want without extra steps.

Recommended Radios

The Recommended Radios feature is probably one of the coolest features of YouTube Music. Not only does it give you constantly updating music libraries based on what you like already, but it also introduces you to new artists and songs you may have missed otherwise.

To find it, scroll about halfway down the home tab. There, you’ll see a carousel of ten radio stations, each with a unique waveform design featuring the YouTube Music logo. The stations are all different, named after single bands, genres with decades (like 2000s, 2020s), or descriptions like Deep cuts. Click on anyone that catches your fancy, and jam to the goodies in store for you.

What makes the recommended radios different from YouTube Music playlists, though, is that they are always changing. Every time you refresh, a new set of stations pops up, so you get a fresh, unpredictable musical adventure.

Charts

The Charts category within the YouTube Music home tab allows me to discover new popular music from different countries easily. Accessing the Charts is simple — just open the YouTube Music app, scroll down, and then select Charts when you find it.

Once on the Charts page, you are presented with top songs, music videos, artists, genres, and trending songs for your country’s charts. But what’s really cool is the drop-down menu that lets you pick any other country out there to see what’s on their charts. This gives me a great way to check out what kinds of music different places are vibing to. So, one minute, I’m browsing the top songs in France, and the next, I’m checking out what South Africans are listening to. It’s a fun way to travel the world through sound virtually.

Moods and Genres

The Moods and Genres, which you will find at the end of the Home page or Explore tab on YouTube Music, is a categorization system that understands your changing needs. The Moods & moments section truly shines when you’re feeling indecisive about what to listen to. Based on your selection, whether you pick Party or Feel Good, YouTube Music will serve up new, likable songs, albums, playlists, and artists suited to how you feel without endless scrolling.

However, when I have a clear idea of the vibe I want to hear, I dive straight into the Genres section. I’ve stumbled upon hidden music gems there, like in the Folk & Acoustic genre, that I never would have found otherwise.

Fans Might Also Like

The Fans Might Also Like is a goldmine for discovering new artists who have released similar songs to my favorite artists. What I love most about this feature is its objectivity—human editors do not curate it with their own biases but rather by an algorithm that analyzes listening patterns across the platform.

Here’s how I use it: I like to start with an artist I love, then scroll down to the Fans Might Also Like section on their page. This opens up a whole new world of similar artists I might never have encountered otherwise. I’ll sample their top tracks, and if something catches my ear, I’ll dive deeper into their discography.

To round out my discovery process, I also browse the From the community playlists on the Home tab for songs or artists I’m into. These user-made lists usually mix familiar tracks with new finds, giving me another layer of musical exploration. The algorithm and playlists together help me expand my music taste in a fun, low-pressure way.