Other: mp3 blogs and forums. I like to discover new music by reading something about it first, preferably from writers whose taste I like. When a description sounds intriguing, then I'll download and listen. That also fills me in on cultural and musical knowledge along the way, since they usually provide some context on how the album being discussed fits into its genre, predecessors/successors, etc. (basically, why they posted it, and why I should care about it).
I've discovered some interesting stuff via Last.fm as well, but somehow the streaming-tracks approach doesn't do it for me. It might be in part that I prefer albums to singles, and in part that the cultural context is interesting to me. So algorithmic recommendation feels disembodied on both counts: random songs separated from their album, streamed at me in a jumble with no explanation.
I've discovered some interesting stuff via Last.fm as well, but somehow the streaming-tracks approach doesn't do it for me. It might be in part that I prefer albums to singles, and in part that the cultural context is interesting to me. So algorithmic recommendation feels disembodied on both counts: random songs separated from their album, streamed at me in a jumble with no explanation.