People who don’t go out of their way to discover new music tend to consider those who do with a sense of snobbery. While that might be a generalisation, there’s certainly a reason I, for one, actively seek out under-the-radar bands and artists and their tunes. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wanted to start Record Weekly to ship and promote those talents, too. Incredible music deserves to be heard, so it has to be shared. Simple.

So, it’s for the smaller bands and artists that I’m writing this. Of course, it should be celebrated when acts have climbed all the rungs of the ladder to reach the charts, but I don’t like knowing that most people are content with being spoon-fed ranked, rated songs. There are just oceans and oceans of other tracks available, and you don’t have to be some ‘connoisseur’ to unearth and enjoy them.

In fact, you aren’t just doing yourself a disservice if you don’t search and scour the musical platforms for new offerings, you’re also putting the rising bands and artists at a disadvantage. They’re grafting hard, honing their craft and supporting the bigger acts, and their growing catalogues of tunes might well house your new favourite sound. If that’s not one benefit to outweigh them all, I don’t know what is. And smaller bands and artists are so grateful to be championed as well.

So, next time you’re sifting through Spotify and find yourself going for a chart playlist, have a scroll for something more underground. You won’t regret it — and it’ll just be the tip of the all-encompassing iceberg.