Many of the newer artists I listen to are from threads like this. I’ll say I like Wilco or The Lumineers, and someone will say then you should try X. And quite often they are right.
So fun fact. The lead singer of Wilco son went to school with my son. They did a concert yearly to help support the school. I think the son plays drums with him when not in college also.
It’s a comfort to read that others of you sort of stopped listening to music for a while when parenting got intense and are now re-engaging. That’s exactly where I am. When I stopped, what seems like a zillion years ago, there were still radio stations that played stuff I loved, new and old. Now, not so much. I recently signed up for a free account on Spotify but it’s hard to make playlists just yet. It’s good to read this thread for suggestions!
I ducked out during grad school and child rearing years, too. H doesn’t listen to any music, so re-engaging is a solo pursuit.
I do listen to a lot of new music. My kids share their favorites a lot, and I use both WFUV and Spotify to find other stuff. Agree with others that the newer stuff I like isn’t necessarily popular. Like alternative and Americana mostly.
And also, everyone should listen to Lizzo because she is the queen of everything.
Next live performance I’ll be seeing this week is Darlingside. In keeping with the CC connection, the band met and formed at Williams College. 
If you don’t know them and enjoy folky music, check them out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWXKcddBA_U
I don’t really get the Lizzo love. And Darlingside is just not tuneful enough for me. More soporific than Coldplay.
@mathmom, I had never heard of Lizzo. (LOL, I guess I’ve been living under a rock.) I just watched her Tiny Desk concert, and WOW!
https://www.npr.org/2019/07/29/732097345/lizzo-tiny-desk-concert
Very vulgar to be sure. But I was definitely impressed!
Oh she has charisma and is very funny, I just don’t like the music. 
Daryl Hall isn’t as active on it but had a webcast where he’d play live from his house with an eclectric group. Lfdh.com introduced acts to yours truly such as Chromeo, Neon Trees, Fitz & the Tantrums, Train, Jason Mraz, Elle King, Mayer Hawthorne, and KT Tunstall.
Of course, he had John Oates on plus Cheap Trick, Todd Rundgren, and Smokey Robinson, too. True artists can’t hide behind over-produced meh.
I love Fitz & The Tantrums - happy music!
I’m almost exclusively a podcast listener. The only time I listen to music is when I am running and when I am cleaning the house on weekends. I am so out of it with new music that I have also never heard “Old Town Road” and don’t understand the fascination with Cardi B (outside of her crazy antics). The VMAs are on tonight I think (which was basically a national holiday when I was a teen). Maybe I should tape them lol? Interestingly, my kids are mainly into older stuff too - my 14 year old son’s playlist contains a lot of hair bands, grunge, Linkin Park, and Coldplay mixed with 21 Pilots and Imagine Dragons (both of whom I like as well so maybe that counts as semi-new). For me a new songs were when I was introduced to the Hamilton soundtrack a couple of years after it became a phenomenon.
And yes, I also feel old…
I don’t keep up with new music. I will sometimes ask my adult kids (early 20s) what they are listening to, or ask their opinion of a song or artist.
I will sometimes listen to WXRT in Chicago (alternative & classic rock) in the car, or hit the scan button in the car and see what I might stumble across.
My cousin is in an alt rock/cello rock band called Well-Known Strangers. (Changed their name to Betsy Ade and the Well-Known Strangers after their lead singer was on The Voice this year.) They play a lot around the Chicago/Milwaukee area. They support causes like the fight against human trafficking, LGBTQ rights, etc. I wonder if anyone on CC (especially in Great Lakes region) has heard/seen them?
I find new artists a couple vof different ways:
- hear them on XM
- hear them as a opener at other shows
- kid or friend recommendation.
If you like fairly traditional country mueic, I recommend Ashleigh Dallas. She is an Australian who released her 3rd album earlier this summer.
My next concert is a 3 night run of Billy Bragg. Night 1 is career spanning set, night 2 is just the 1st 3 albums and night 3 is albums 4-6
I mainly keep up with country and am all over the new music in that genre. My son is in the radio business and does a weekly segment on his IG about new music in all genres. That keeps me pretty abreast of what’s new, then I pick and choose from that.
Add me to the fans of Lizzo’s Tiny Desk concert. Listened to that over and over.