The recent pod discussion of the "dodgy metal past" thread made me consider HOW we get into music - in the past and present.

Nowadays you can have instant access to the music, photos, lyrics, history etc. of an act by going online.

Previously the process was more gradual and you gathered the information from various sources - radio, TV, print, word of mouth, other people's record collections, live gig etc. (any others?).

You allowed your imagination to work its magic on this material over a longer period of time.
The Internet is a great bountiful resource we barely predicted but hasn't it changed utterly HOW we discover music?

Or is just another medium?

I'd like to hear other readers' views - Think about your favourite acts - HOW did you discover them and how does that compare to your current methods?