Each year, people set goals for the new year. Some aim to break habits while others seek adventure by trying new things. Many, however, continued listening to the same music they had replayed for years, raising the question of whether listeners explored new genres at all.
Streaming algorithms largely drove music consumption by keeping listeners in familiar patterns. As a result, musical tastes often stayed confined to a narrow range of genres that proved difficult to escape. Rather than relying on the same playlists, listeners benefited from intentionally exploring unfamiliar sounds.
Stevo Evans, program director of Commercial Music, said he understood the comfort of repeated playlists. While streaming services offered convenience, Evans said they could also limit creativity.
“Algorithms make us efficient because they’re systems-oriented, but they make us narrow as well,” Evans said.
Before the rise of “Made For You” playlists, music discovery required active effort. Evans recalled searching through CDs and vinyl, where one discovery often led down a “rabbit hole” of artistry. He said intentionally breaking habitual listening patterns became one of the most creative acts modern students could perform.
“The creatives are the ones who hunt for sounds that aren’t being served to them,” Evans said.
Exploring new music extended beyond being eclectic and encouraged mental flexibility. Evans, who taught a multicultural student body, said fluency across genres such as country, jazz and urban music prepared students for real-world creative work.
He compared the moment a student grasped a complex genre to a physical reflex.
“I think about it like going to the doctor’s office and when they take the gavel and hit your knee your reflex kicks in,” Evans said. “Your ears do that with certain music flavors.”
Evans said once the “light bulb” switched on, students discovered confidence and identity beyond a single genre.
“Their voice doesn’t have to live in one box,” Evans said.
For Logan Ohara-Wilson, freshman history major, music discovery focused more on connection than academics. While exploring “Dad Rock” and folk, he viewed music as a bridge between people.
“Some of my best friends to this day were made bonding over similar music tastes,” Ohara-Wilson said.
Ohara-Wilson encouraged fellow students to take risks with their listening habits. Be adventurous.
“Get out of your comfort zone. You might find something that will literally change your life,” Ohara-Wilson said.
He said switching genres reshaped how listeners understood the world, as different sounds reflected different human experiences. Often, the journey into new music began with a single “anchor” artist.
Kate Beld, who worked at Penrose Record Room in Riverside, Calif., described the process as a domino effect. Raised in a musical family and drawn to goth and alternative styles, Beld said genres constantly influenced one another.
“You find one band, you listen to someone similar, and it just goes from there,” Beld said.
Beld encouraged students to explore subgenres, noting that even within one category, listeners could discover a wide range of artists and communities.
As the spring semester began, students were encouraged to use the search bar as a tool for exploration rather than a shortcut to familiar sounds.
Whether sparked by a jazz chord or a record store discovery, trying new music became about more than expanding a playlist. It reflected a refusal to remain defined by habit.
“Equipping yourselves with tools of fluidity adds feathers to your cap,” Evans said.
Rather than pressing shuffle, listeners were encouraged to seek out sounds that challenged what they already knew.
