Question 1

What is Hear The New?

Accepted Answer

Hear The New is a central hub for discovering new music releases. We aggregate releases from Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud into one place. We don't host music—we help you find new releases and listen on your preferred streaming service.

Question 2

How is this different from Spotify or Apple Music?

Accepted Answer

Streaming services only show you releases available on their platform. Hear The New aggregates from 6+ platforms, so you'll discover releases that might be exclusive to Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or other services. We're platform-agnostic—find the music, then listen wherever you prefer.

Question 3

How do I filter by my region?

Accepted Answer

Use the country filter in the filter bar to see releases available in your region. Note that release timing varies by timezone—New Zealand gets new music first (midnight local time), while the US gets it last. If you're not seeing a release yet, it may not have dropped in your region.

Question 4

Do I need an account to use Hear The New?

Accepted Answer

No account is required to browse and discover music. However, creating a free account unlocks features like following artists, saving releases to collections, and receiving notifications when your favorite artists drop new music.

Question 5

Why doesn't the play button work on some tracks?

Accepted Answer

We aggregate from 5+ streaming platforms, each with different preview availability. Audio previews work approximately 70-90% of the time. When Spotify or Apple Music previews aren't available, we automatically fall back to YouTube. If no preview source is available, you'll see a message explaining why.

Question 6

Why don't I see the Bandcamp or SoundCloud link?

Accepted Answer

Releases appear on Hear The New instantly when they're detected on any platform. Links to other streaming services are backfilled via Odesli enrichment, which runs 30 minutes after initial ingestion. If you don't see a link yet, check back in an hour—it's likely being processed.

Question 7

Why is the release date different from what I expected?

Accepted Answer

Release dates can vary by region and platform. A release might drop on Friday in New Zealand while it's still Thursday in the US. We display the earliest detected release date, which may differ from your local release date.

Question 8

Some releases seem to be missing. Why?

Accepted Answer

We track major platforms but can't catch everything. Very small independent releases, region-locked content, or releases that aren't properly distributed may not appear. If you notice a missing release from a major artist, it's likely still being processed or was released on a platform we don't yet track.

Question 9

What does the match percentage (e.g., '63% Match') mean?

Accepted Answer

The match badge shows text relevance between your search query and the release metadata (artist name, album title, track names). A higher percentage means a closer match to your search terms. This helps you quickly identify the most relevant results when searching.

Question 10

How do I get notified when my favorite artists release new music?

Accepted Answer

Click the heart icon on any artist to follow them. Once you're following an artist, you'll receive email and/or push notifications whenever they release new music. You can manage your notification preferences in Settings > Notifications.

Question 11

What are Advanced Filters?

Accepted Answer

Advanced Filters are a Pro feature that lets you search by label (e.g., 'Warp Records'), producer (e.g., 'Jack Antonoff'), or other metadata. This is perfect for discovering releases from your favorite labels or tracking prolific producers. Upgrade to Pro to unlock this feature.

Question 12

Can I export my saved releases or collections?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Pro and Power users can export their collections and saved releases in various formats. This is useful for creating playlists on your streaming service or keeping a personal archive of your discoveries.

Question 13

The audio preview isn't the right song. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Our algorithm matches releases to audio previews automatically, but occasionally it gets it wrong—especially for common song titles or artists with similar names. To report an incorrect match: 1) Click the flag icon on the release card. 2) Select 'Wrong audio preview' from the options. 3) Submit the report. We review reports regularly and fix mismatches.

Question 14

A release is showing incorrect information. How do I report it?

Accepted Answer

If you notice wrong artist names, album titles, or other metadata: 1) Click the flag icon on the release card. 2) Select the type of issue. 3) Add any helpful details in the comments. Our team reviews reports and corrects data as quickly as possible.

Question 15

I'm not receiving notifications. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

First, check your notification settings in Settings > Notifications to ensure they're enabled. For push notifications, make sure you've granted browser notification permissions. For email notifications, check your spam folder and add our email to your contacts. If issues persist, try logging out and back in.

Question 16

The site is loading slowly or not working properly.

Accepted Answer

Try these steps: 1) Refresh the page. 2) Clear your browser cache. 3) Try a different browser. 4) Check if the issue persists in incognito/private mode. If problems continue, it may be a temporary server issue—wait a few minutes and try again.

Hear the New

Hear the New

How it Works

Getting Started

Managing Expectations

Power Features

Troubleshooting

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