I find things i am interested in by listening to my local public radio station and checking their playlist on their website. then I will listen to song samples or entire songs on other websites to find music that I like. I also check cd's from many public libraries in my area.
How do you decide on new music to buy?
What prompts you to buy new music, especially music from artists you're not familiar with? One of my favorite ways is to pick up on a thread or a review of an artist or genre that sounds interesting, and then head over to www.allmusic.com to read about them and similar bands. I often then buy a CD from the ones that sound most interesting and have received high ratings at that site. It isn't bullet-proof by a long shot, but I've found a lot of good music I wouldn't otherwise necessarily have found.
What's your strategy?