Don't use Spotify, they actively try to put AI shit into your playlist so they have to pay less royalties. Not sure how scumbaggy other services are.

By not updating my music taste for the last 15 years

If your kick is new music than you should just switch languages and listen to stuff pre 2022.

Using Bandcamp

https://blog.bandcamp.com/2026/01/13/keeping-bandcamp-human/

I built up my own personal library through the years that I will probably still be working my way through in 10-15 years, when I find something I like in it I search out more. I realize that doesn't help anyone else, good luck out there

Piracy. Private trackers are genuinely better stewards and curators of their libraries because unlike the the slop factories, they're made by real humans, for real humans.

By getting old.

I don't purposely listen to anything made after 2015.

By streaming mp3s, which I have collected and updated for almost 25 years, from my personal server.

Buy real CDs from artists I see play in person. Or CDs of artists that are long dead.

CDs are key, streaming random tracks you have no clue what you will get.

Never stumbled upon AI generated music ever.

I have my local library with ripped CDs and pirated music mostly from the 2010s and below.

When I feel like discovering new music, I

• browse forums to find arists similar to those I already listen to
• I search for artists that have been featured in a collab in songs I already listen to
• Or, I use ListenBrainz's Weekly Exploration tab when I'm feeling bored.

No streaming bullshit, AI algorithms made to keep me hooked, and definetly no AI music to be seen or heard.

Are you using Spotify ?

Because they are mainly known for 2 things:

• they are nazi cunts who platform nazi cunts and play ads for nazi cunts
• they flood their library with slop as a way to funnel money to themselves rather than to legitimate artists.

I'm not aware of a streaming service completely free of slop, but I know some like Qobuz are actively detecting and removing it.

Related bands are less likely to be AI than cold searches. You can also check to see if they have any social media influence, AI bands are unlikely to have any live clips

The answer is stop using streaming services. The AI problem will only get worse as people keep paying for these services because what CEO is okay paying an artist a premium when they could instead generate slop and sell that for the same price? Buy your music on Bandcamp or sail the seas, just stop using Spotify.

Listen to artists I know are human, if the artist doesn't show up in a web search sorry but they gotta go its too risky

By not letting an AI choose what you hear.

Seems pretty obvious, really.

I don't stream music, I buy albums on Bandcamp pretty much exclusively for lack of better options. Then I play them to death, and buy another handful. Some piracy. Some vinyl purchases.

I haven't come across any AI slop in my favourite genres top of the month lists on Bandcamp yet.

Cancel Spotify if that's what you use. I've been happy with Tidal.

Certainly not a magic bullet tho. I tend to not listen to a lot of new music so I don't give the slop much of an opening.

Qobuz has seemed to stay on top of generated music for me so far even with recommendation playlists.

i only listen to music from bands that have existed since long before ai music became a thing

I listen to DJs on Twitch. I look up stuff on bandcamp.

I personally would never listen to a song recommended by a machine. Gave pandora a real good shot but it always seems to recommend things I hate, along with Spotify, Apple, etc. so I just let the music find me. You are very lucky it has worked for you! I’ll bet there is a service out there for you that works. I’m also super not picky when it comes to music- don’t care what the lyrics are, as long as it’s a bop I’ll listen to it. In that regard, I would definitely listen to an AI song if I couldn’t tell. Never heard one like that but is the fact that it’s ai the only hangup? I refuse ai at work, web search, almost every aspect of my life, but I don’t think I would care if music was ai.

My answer is - buy music. Not only because that way you'll get actual human works of art by real musicians who you like, but also because that way they stand a chance of actually being able to make a living so they can, y'know, make more music.

Try ,No AI DDG or https://radio.garden/ or. https://monochrome.tf/

The only time I hear AI music is when someone sends it to me. And since they usually tell me "they made it with AI," I don't actually listen to it. I haven't used Spotify's recommendation system for a while, since it became garbage long before AI was around, and I don't listen to random music like on a radio or live podcast type thing. Occasionally it might be in a meme video, but it's incredibly rare not least of which is because all the creators I tend to follow and watch also hate AI.

i think last.fm + soulseek kinda works. i haven't seen shitty ai tracks on both of them.

I listen to bands I trust and older music mostly

Spicetify has an anti AI extension for songs known to be AI, but I can't say how effective it is.

Listen to songs that are more then 10 years old. My autism doesn't like new music so I just have a playlist of over 4k. Although I did add a few from music creators from TikTok. Very little though. I'm quite strict

I find bands by going to shows. I buy vinyl there and add their music to my playlists.

Whenever I'm feeling a new genre I don't have a playlist for I find an already made one. Old blogs and forums and such have so many curated lists. Lots of music communities exist and are still updating lists with new artists. From there I either find lists recommending songs/artists similar to the ones I liked (again plenty of human curated lists) or get recommendations from friends.

I follow some of my absolute favorite artists and they post inspiration playlists when they're making new albums from time to time too that I'll often listen to.

Basically I just don't randomly search for songs.

What platform are you on? I haven’t experienced this in Apple Music but I often listen to the same stuff rather than going down discovery holes.

There is a local music festival to me and as part of their promo, they have a playlist with songs from every band on a Spotify playlist. I imagine it's something other music festivals do and could be good to build a library of music you know is made by real people

By checking out the Ukrainian metal band IGNEA.

By listening to music from before AI slop existed.