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Bajaj Auto have had a long and proud history which does have a lot of ups and downs over the years. The company was first founded in 1945 and started its earlier years trying to enhance their knowledge in the field of automotive engineering. The big breakthrough finally came in 1959 as Bajaj Auto earned a license from the Government of India to manufacture two and three wheelers.Further on, Bajaj Auto went on to be classified as a public sector company in 1960 and was later renamed as Bajaj Auto private limited. The company first started to manufacture three wheelers or autorickshaws as we Indians fondly call it. Their first autorickshaw christened the RE rolled out in the 1961 model year and became an instant hit across the country.Firstly, it changed the way millions of Indians travel and is amongst the longest selling automotives on sale. It was no surprise that the RE went on to register sales of 1 million units within its first six years in production. It still stands strong in the face of adversity and has received numerous updates over the years.One such update is the addition of a CNG filter in the 1998 model year and facelifts coming regularly during the 21st century. The RE was the perfect introduction for Bajaj Auto in the Indian automotive market and within the same time Bajaj also entered into a partnership with Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio. It was obviously for the development of a new scooter that would actually shape up the way we Indians travel.This was because there were four wheelers available from so many international brands. However, they were quite expensive at that time for many middle class buyers and autorickshaws could not be purchased for personal uses back then. Thus, it was in 1960 that both Piaggio and Bajaj Auto entered into a partnership to explore a new segment here called the two wheeler one.Due to engineering techniques and facilities being much inferior to the ones seen today, development of an automobile took years back then. Piaggio did lend its helping hand until Government restrictions in 1969 forced foreign automakers to exit the country. Bajaj gained a lot of knowledge from Piaggio and worked on a new scoter named the Chetak.The Chetak was eventually launched in 1972 and till today remains the most important products to be ever launched in the Indian market. It turned out to be a masterstroke from the company which catapulted them to the top of the two wheeler charts as well. Even today, the picture of a middle class family travelling in the Chetak remains fresh in the minds of many Indians even today.Well Bajaj have introduced many scooters over the years such as the Sunny, Legend, Saffire, Wave, Kristal etc., but none of them match the presence or success of the Chetak. It turned to be the highest selling two wheeler in the country for 12 straight years before the tag was taken away by the Yamaha RX100. In fact, the Chetak had a waiting period for about 8 years during that time, which was astonishing.The Chetak was discontinued in the 2005 model year, but it was sold in rural markets up until 2009. The Chetak did make a comeback as an electric scooter this year but that is a different story altogether. Two-wheelers made during the late 70’s had a few quality issues that bothered customers.Frequent complaints led to Bajaj Auto and other brands requesting the Government to reconsider their decision of not allowing international brands to operate. Other than that, scooters were also quite heavy in size and the best possible way for them was to roll out lighter motorcycles. But that would mean that the homegrown manufacturers present in the market will almost take a lifetime to develop a motorcycle owing to lack of knowledge regarding it back then.The Government did take a massive step by allowing homegrown two-wheeler makers to find an international partner to move forward.This led to many high profile partnerships like TVS-Suzuki, Escorts-Yamaha and Hero-Honda to name a few. Bajaj Auto then entered into an agreement with Kawasaki Motors of Japan to jointly develop motorcycles for our market in 1983.The first product from the collaboration came in the form of the KB 100 in 1986. The KB 100 was launched alongside the KB 125 at around the same time and both took the fight to the Yamaha RX 100 and RX 135 along with the Ind Suzuki AX 100. The Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100 did manage to establish itself in a class of its own although the RX series completely ran away with accolades and market share.The KB series motorcycles had a great run here before being replaced by the Boxer in 1996. The Boxer had majority of its sales coming from rural areas, but on the urban scale it didn't quite do that bad. During that time, scooters were fast losing popularity and market share, with motorcycles on the other hand going upscale.Manufacturers such as Hero Honda and TVS cashed in on the buzz with products such as the Splendor and Samurai respectively. Kawasaki had introduced the 4S Champion, which was their first ever four-stroke motorcycle for the Indian market. The 4S Champion started off well by selling almost 1 lakh units in the 1995 model units before sales tumbling a couple of years later.Kawasaki Bajaj needed an answer and that came in the form of the Caliber in the 1998 model year. The Caliber was launched looking at the Boxer, with Bajaj selling the former more in urban areas and the latter more in rural areas. The move paid dividends back then as both Caliber and Boxer turned out to be strong sellers for the companies as a whole.The Caliber was a memorable motorcycle from Kawasaki Bajaj, with the product having a lot of memories attached with it. The Caliber was launched in a Croma variant in 2001 and received a major revamp in 2003 to go with the flow. The 115cc motor was one of the smoothest ones around and from my personal experience, it gave great mileage numbers other than that.Towards the end of the millennium, Hero Honda released the CBZ, which was in many ways the first affordable premium motorcycle available here. The CBZ with its 150cc engine turned out to be a roaring success, especially amongst youngsters and Bajaj knew it had to come up with something different to leapfrog its main rival. In came the Pulsar in the 2001 model year, which went a step further in establishing itself as a household brand.The Pulsar completely changed the game of the premium segment as it clocked sales of 1 lakh units sold within a year of its launch. That is not bad for a premium motorcycle at that time and Bajaj fully capitalised on the opportunity that is the Pulsar. The company regularly updated the motorcycle and also offered something new at that time, which was an 180cc engine on it.The engine, precisely of 175cc went on to be stuffed on their cruiser motorcycle, which was the Kawasaki Bajaj Eliminator. Now coming to the Pulsar, the fun fact was that Bajaj did not allow Kawasaki to put their badge on it, meaning how confident they were of the motorcycle to be a success. Bajaj introduced so many variants of the Pulsar over the years and it still goes strong even today, but mentioning them would require a completely different article.Bajaj also launched its first 125cc motorcycle, the Wind in 2003. Unfortunately, the Wind could not live up to the expectations placed on it and was phased out in two years time. The replacement for the Wind came in the form of the Discover, which was sharper and more importantly fuel efficient as compared to the former.The Discover was launched during the 2005 model year and soon established itself as a strong selling 125cc motorcycle. Bajaj also launched it in a 112cc and a 150cc motor shortly which also contributed to its growing sales till the end of the decade. The Discover was launched in many such variants but it has also experienced inconsistent sales numbers the previous decade.Models were launched and soon discontinued, consumers found a few faults in it and there was uncertainty of the Discover remaining here for the long term. Bajaj still sell the Discover today, but the motorcycle fails to create the magic it once used to in terms of sales. Regardless of that, the Discover still remains one of the most prominent Bajaj motorcycles to have ever been launched here.The launch of the Discover also sidelined the role of Kawasaki in the operations to some extent. Bajaj in turn allowed Kawasaki to operate in the premium space which they did starting from 2008. Keeping that aside, Bajaj also launched its much-awaited Eliminator replacement, christened the Avenger in 2006.The Avenger corrected the wrongdoings of the Eliminator by being less expensive and more refined than its predecessor. It had a new 220cc motor which Bajaj had developed for the Pulsar 220 and later even got a 200cc motor in addition to the existing 180cc one. It was priced lower than motorcycles coming from Royal Enfield, which made it the most affordable tourer motorcycle available at that time.That was a major selling point for the Avenger and it retained and still retains its charm till today. In 2015, Bajaj gave the Avenger a very attractive upgrade which kept it in the radar of buyers. In fact, sales of the Avenger also maintained Bajaj’s positive month-on-month growth, which was a big thing in the middle of last decade. While the Avenger is another one of Bajaj’s once successful products, there is no doubting the popularity it enjoys today.One major spanner in the works came from Bajaj towards the end of 2008, with the company displaced from its second slot in the Indian two-wheeler market. Honda and TVS saw demand good enough to finish above Bajaj, which placed them in fourth. Even today the standings remain the same with both Honda and TVS going from strength to strength from there onwards.Bajaj took a gamble by launching as many as 6 products during the first six months of the 2009 model year. Did it pay off? Well yes and no. Yes because it did give many required changes coming from customer feedback in the form of updates. No because sales only saw a slight increase with Bajaj eventually not regaining its second position.Bajaj earlier launched the Platina in the 2006 model year, with its speciality being the 109 kmpl it claimed to have in terms of efficiency. The Platina was a good seller and most of its sales came from the rural areas rather than the urban ones. Bajaj discontinued the model from their line-up in 2011 and also re-introduced it in 2015.Well the Platina is marketed today as the mileage champion and it surely does live up to the tag. Bajaj had a few failed attempts in making commuters like the XCD 125, XCD 135 and the CT 100, but the new Platina outdid them and emerged as a major selling motorcycle from the company. In the meantime, Bajaj also struck a deal with KTM Motors of Austria which was in order to allow the latter to operate in our market.The deal was struck during the 2010 model year and KTM came here during the end of 2012, totally outwiting the rest in the premium space. According to me, KTM was the best thing to have happened to Bajaj since the launch of the Pulsar. Both companies have a long term vision and the future also seems bright.Bajaj had also recently acquired stake in Triumph motorcycles from the UK as well as Husqvarna, which is one for the future. With that Bajaj can establish itself as a force to reckon with not only in Indian but also in global conditions. All of them will work together to ensure better quality product offerings and better mobility for the future.While there was one's gain, there was another's loss as well. With the strengthening of ties between KTM and Bajaj, Kawasaki opted to pull out of their joint venture in 2018. This marked an end to a 35 year old collaboration which yielded many good products and was present with the changing landscape of the country over the years. This was a bitter pill to swallow, but nevertheless one which will do more benefit than harm for both companies.How can I speak about Bajaj Auto without mentioning a product that is currently their flagship? Yes that is the Dominar 400 which got launched here during the 2016 model year. The Dominar has done quite a decent job in terms of its class. In fact, it's 373cc engine is one of the most refined high capacity engines available today.That itself is a reason for buying the tourer motorcycle, which despite experiencung a sharp dip in sales doesn't lose its appeal and charm. There is news that Bajaj will be bringing the Dominar with a 250cc engine soon, which will give it a more wider audience once it gets launched here. With that the future of both the Dominar and Bajaj Auto as a whole is safe and also interesting to see.Bajaj Auto have had quite a journey over the years in the Indian market. Now it remains to be seen how will the future turn out to be for a brand which is amongst the most popular amongst the homegrown ones. With that I would like to conclude about the company history, sure I did miss out on a few models but with the launches being so many I decided to highlight their achievements more than their failures, which are almost in equal measure.Picture Credits: Google.Thank you.

The Indian Social Security Scheme and its legal frame work is laid down by the following acts-1. The Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act- 19522. Employees Provident Fund Scheme- 19523. Employees Pension Scheme-1995 And5. Employees Deposit-Linked Insurance Scheme-1976.(Together, “Acts” or “Indian Social Security Regulations”)It is mandatory for all the Covered Establishments to comply with this legal framework. The above mentioned acts which form the part and parcel of India’s Social Security legislation have been amended by the Ministry of Labour and Employment with effect from September 1, 2014. The amendments are applicable to only for those employees as defined under Section 2(f) of the EPF Act- 1952 (“Covered Employee”) and is not applicable to International Workers.A. The Indian Social Security Regulations: What’s it for?• Employees Provident Fund (“EPF”)provides a one-time payment on retirement, resignation or death of a Covered Employee.• Employees Pension Scheme (“EPS”)provides the Covered Employee with a monthly pension post retirement.• Employees Deposit Linked InsuranceScheme (“EDLI”) provides life insurance for the Covered Employee.B. How does it work?The Indian social security system provides retirement and insurance benefits to employees working in the Covered Establishments in India. The system is governed by the above mentioned Indian Social Security Regulations. The Employees Provident Fund Organization (“EPFO”), a statutory body, administers these social security regulations.Every establishment in India, employing 20 or more persons is required to register with the EPFO unless they are exempted (“Covered Establishments”; more clearly defined in Definitions).ContributionEvery Covered Employee is required to contribute 12% of his or her Basic Salary per month to the social security system. Employers are required to deduct the social security contribution from these Employees and, after making a matching contribution of 12%, to deposit the sum with the Indian social security authorities/fund by the 20th day of the following month. A five day grace period is also included within this time limit.Allocation of Contributions.From the Employer’s 12% contribution, an amount equal to 8.33% of the salary is allocated to the EPS and the remaining amount is allocated to EPF, EDLI and administration charges (See the flow chart below).The employee’s entire contribution of 12% is allocated to the provident fund.The Central Government also makes a contribution of 1.16%of the Basic Salary of the Covered Employee to his or her corpus of the pension fund.*The accumulated balance in the provident fund earns interest at a specified rate, which is announced by the EPFO from time to time. The EPFO has announced a interest rate of 8.75% for the F.Y 2014-15.The Interest that accrues on the accumulated contributions (employer’s as well as employees) is exempt from income tax.* EPFO has recommended for an increased contribution of 1.79% of the Basic Salary of the Covered Employee, to ensure that a minimum monthly pension of INR 1000 is paid to all the Covered Employees. The matter is now under the consideration of Ministry of Finance.Cash Flow and SplitEmployer's Contribution:------> 12% of Basic Salary per month.Which is splitted as follows:3.67% to Provident Fund8.33% to Pension Fund*0.5% to Deposit Linked Insurance*Rest- Admin charges.*New members joining on or after September 1, 2014 are not eligible for benefits of EPS and EDLI and accordingly the entire contribution of 24% (Employer’s- 12% and Employees- 12%) will go to the Provident Fund Account of the Employee; after deducting administration charges, if any.BenefitsProvident Fund:A Member can withdraw their accumulated balance in the following circumstances:· Retirement from service in the establishment or after attaining 58 years of age, whichever is later.· Retirement on account of permanent and total incapacity to work due to bodily or mental infirmity as certified by a prescribed medical officer or registered practitioner.· When suffering from certain diseases detailed in the terms of the scheme.Any lump sum withdrawn by the Member from their provident fund account on retirement or otherwise, after completing five years of continuous service in a Covered Establishment in India is exempt from income tax.Pension Scheme:Accumulated sums in the pension fund are used to pay a pension to Members upon retirement or under certain circumstances as specified in the EPS. A minimum service of 10 years is required to be eligible for pension.The monthly pension received from the pension fund on retirement is taxable as employment income. However, commutations of pension payments are exempt from tax, subject to the following conditions.· In cases of receipt of gratuity, the commuted value of one- third of the pension is exempt from the income tax.· In other cases, commuted value of one half of the pension is exempt from the income tax.Key Amendment Provisions (w.e.f. September 1, 2014)A. Provident Fund Scheme-1952· The monthly Basic Salary for being eligible to the benefits under the Employees Provident Fund has been increased to INR 15000/- from INR 6500.· If an employee’s monthly Basic Salary is less than or equal to INR 15000/-, the employee is mandatorily required to become a member of the P.F Scheme.· For all the Covered Employees, Employer’s Contribution is to be calculated on the employee’s monthly Basic Salary; i.e. an amount which is less than or equal to INR 15000.· If an employee’s monthly Basic Salary exceeds INR 15000, (“Excluded Employee”) the employee may opt for voluntarymembership (unless already a member). For an Excluded Employee, the Employer’s Contribution is to be made on INR 15000 per month unless an option to contribute on a higher salary is exercised.· For an Excluded Employee i) To be enrolled as a member of the Employees Provident Fund; ii) Or contribute on more than INR 15000 (If he is already a member of the Employees Provident Fund), both the Employer and Excluded Employee shall make a joint request (in writing) to an officer not below the rank of an Assistant Provident Fund Commissionerwho have the authority to permit the same.B. Employees Pension Scheme-1995· The wage threshold for determining the maximum pensionable salary has been increased from INR 6500 to INR 15000.· New members joining on or after September 1, 2014 who is drawing a Basic Salary above INR 15000 per month shall not be permitted to join and voluntarily contribute to the Employees Pension Scheme. New members are thus not eligible for the pension benefits under the scheme.· The amendment provides for an exception for members who have already been contributing to the Pension Scheme above INR 6500 per month (as on September 1, 2014), by enabling them to exercise a fresh option within six months to contribute to the Pension Scheme above the statutory ceiling of INR 15000 per month.· In the event that a member exercises his option to contribute over the statutory wage ceiling, he is also required to contribute at the rate of 1.16%of the monthly salary exceeding INR 15000 as an additional contribution to the Pension Fund each month. This is instead of the Central Government’s share of contribution to the Pension Fund.· In the event that any member fails to exercise the option within the prescribed period (September 1, 2014 – February 28, 2015), it shall be deemed that the member has not opted to contribute over the wage ceiling and any contributions to the EPS over the wage ceiling will be diverted to the Employees Provident Fund account of the member.· In cases where the wages of the member exceeds INR 15000 per month, the contribution payable by Employer is limited to the amount payable on his Basic Salary of INR 15000.· The Pensionable Salary on or after September 1, 2014 shall now be computed as the average of the monthly basic salary drawn during the contributory period of service in the span of 60 months preceding the date of exit from the membership of the Employees Pension Fund (Earlier, 12 months).· The Pensionable Salary shall be determined on a pro-rata basis for the pensionable service up to August31, 2014, subject to a maximum of INR 6500 per month and for the period thereafter (starting from September1, 2014) at the maximum of INR 15000 per month.· The minimum pension for members of the EPS and widow (er)/nominee/dependent parent has been fixed at INR 1000/month for the F.Y 2014-15.C. Employees Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme.· The limit on the contributions payable by the Employer has been increased from the amounts payable on monthly Basic Salary of INR 6500 to INR 15000.· In case of a Member’s death, the maximum sum assured (Lump sum payment on the event of death) has been increased by 20%.· In all cases of EDLI claims, where the death of the Member occurs on or after September 1, 2014, the benefit shall be calculated on the enhanced wage limit of INR 15000/month.· Enrolling in the scheme is mandatory for all the Covered Employees.· An Excluded Employee can enrrol for the EDLI only if he is a member of the EPF.D. Implications of the Amendments:· More Employees are now covered.The change from INR 6500 to INR 15000 of the statutory wage ceiling implies that the Employer is now obliged to make contributions to a larger workforce. Earlier, the employers had the discretion to cover employees who earn up to INR 6500 per month (and who are not already members of the EPF). However, now all employees who have a monthly Basic Salary up to INR 15000 are to be covered.· Lower Take Home Pay.The obligation on the employees to contribute 12% of the Basic Salary up to INR 15000 per month is likely to result in reduction of employees take home pay.· Increased cost for the Employer (s)The amendments had bought in greater monetary impact on the Employers. Prior to the amendments, many Employers used to limit their contributions to amounts payable on a monthly pay of INR 6500 (i.e. the then existing legal threshold) and accordingly, the employer contribution was about INR 780 per month (12% of 6500). Now that the legal threshold has increased, the limit on the monthly contribution will increase to INR 1800 per month (12% of INR 15000).· Increased benefits to the Employees:As the threshold for contribution has also been increased from INR 6500 to INR 15000 per month, the benefits accruing to employees shall stand increased. Also the amendments made in EDLI are favourable to Employees.Definitions:(The definitions should only be used for the purpose of interpretation of this document only; the Acts may have used different definitions. Where the definitions from any of the Acts have been used, it is expressly said so)· Basic Salary- Basic Wages (All emoluments paid or payable in cash while on duty or on leave/holiday) + Dearness Allowance+ Retainer Allowance+ Cash value of any Food Concessions. But does not include, House rent allowance, any bonus, overtime allowance, commission or any other similar allowance or presents.· Covered Employee-Any employee whose monthly Basic Pay is less than or equal to the statutory wage ceiling or as defined under Section 2 (f) of the EPF Act-1952. (w.e.f. September 1 ,2014- INR 15000)· Members: Covered Employees and Excluded Employees who have voluntarily opted to become a member of EPF.· Excluded Employee- Any employee whose monthly Basic Pay is over and above the statutory wage ceiling (w.e.f. September 1 ,2014- INR 15000)· Employer- As defined in Section 2(e) of the EPF Act-1952.· Covered Establishment- Covered establishment is an establishment belonging to the class of industries / other establishments, which has been listed in the schedule appended to the Employees' Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952 and where 20 or more persons are employed.· International Workers- A foreign national qualifies who comes to work for an establishment in India to which the Indian Social Security Regulations apply.

Here are some ways that I discover new music:1) Scope out tour dates of your favorite bands. Even if you don't plan on going out to see a show anytime soon, you can look up the tour dates for your favorite artists and see who they're playing with. Whether they have an opening act who complements their sound, or they're playing with an artist totally out of their genre, it's a great way to stumble across up-and-coming or under-the-radar performers.2) Get the most out of Spotify. Spotify is an incredible tool for music discovery. I use a few different methods to uncover interesting material, which I've listed below. When I come across something that I like, I make sure to add it to a playlist, either my "starred" playlist, or a custom one based on the artist, genre, time period, or mood. Every couple of days, I'll come back to my starred playlist and just listen through to see which artists warrant further research.2A) Spotify’s curated Playlists. If you go to Spotify's "browse" section, you'll come across a list of playlists. Everything from "Rise & Shine," "Workout," or "New Music Tuesday" to "Wild Country," "Commuter Flow," and "Today's Top Hits." There's a nearly endless pile of curated playlists that will help you keep on top of what's new or trending. Granted, I do a lot of skipping when I'm in these lists, but there's definitely some good stuff in every list.2B) Spotify Friends. We all have those taste-maker friends who seem to know what's new and amazing before anyone else. Follow those people on Spotify, and keep a close eye on their public playlists, or their "recently played artists" section of their profile. And hey, even if you don't have those friends, chances are your friends do. I have no shame in seeing who my friends follow, or who follows them, and scoping out their public lists.2C) Spotify Radio. This feature isn't a guaranteed homerun, but every now and again, it really comes through for me. Look up one of your favorite songs, click on the ellipses icon to the right of the track, and hit "Start Radio." Spotify will then create an auto-generated playlist based on "similar artists."The app gives you the option of skipping each song or artist. Spotify claims that it improves the radio station based on those votes, but if that is the case, the algorithm or invisible hamster that's making those adjustments... well, it just kinda sucks at its job. It typically plays a very small group of artists, and even if you downvote Matchbox 20 six times in a row, you can say with 100% certainty that "Push" will be back on your station 2 tracks later.2D) Spotify Charts. If you would like to know what's popular in the world, you can go to "Browse," and then click on "Charts." You'll get a list of what's trending globally, in the US, and among your friends.2E) Spotify Discover. Click on "Browse," then on "Discover." There, you will find a list of suggested tracks and artists based on your listening activity. This can be a great way to find new material, and it can also be pretty embarrassing when you see all of your guilty pleasures compiled in a single space.3) Pandora. Pandora is what "Spotify Radio" and a dozen other apps are trying to be. You pick an artist, get an auto-generated playlist, up- or downvote what it plays for you, and the system learns what you like and don't like. Is it perfect? Not even close. You will get some truly random suggestions that in no way match up to what you like, the app will try to ram a given artist down your throat no matter how many times you downvote, and you only get so many skips per day. (It’s been a while since I’ve used it, so this may have changed.) But, those minor annoyances are heavily outweighed by the benefits of having a sophisticated algorithm throw new music at you at the push of a button.4) Get inspiration from movie soundtracks. For those of you who are so young that you think the internet has always been around, allow me to explain that movie soundtracks served as playlists for music fans in the dark days before the internet was born. There are many other resources out there in the modern world, but soundtracks are still a great way to find a curated list of artists and tracks from people with good taste.5) Ask your smartphone for advice. You're walking through a grocery store, mall, or theme park, and you hear a song you like, but you don't know what it's called, or who sings it. No problem. Ask Siri (I only have iphone so I’m not sure how this works on Android…but I’m sure there’s an equivalent) to identify the song and artist for you.It doesn't work every time, especially if there's competing noise, but it works often enough to be useful, and really, if you stop and think for a moment that your magic portable computer-phone is listening to a radio wave and identifying a single song from a library of billions of songs with no context clues, it's a miracle that it works at all.6) Search for covers of your favorite songs. Think of one of your favorite songs. The more well-known the song, the better. Go on YouTube or Spotify and search for that song. The original artist will most likely come up, as will 1, 2, ? other artists who have covered that song. Take a listen to their version, see if you like it, then check out other songs in that artist's catalogue. You'll come across mainstream artists you've never heard of, but you'll also come across guys making music in their garage who no one's ever heard of. Then you can be the cool-tastemaker-guy who introduces this unknown artist to your friends.7) See what you can find on YouTube. YouTube is sort of a mixed bag when it comes to the world of music. It has a ton of music videos, artist interviews, live performances, and covers, but many of the files are illegal or questionable uploads, so they may or may not be there when you go looking for them a second time. Other times, you're excited to see live concert footage of a certain band, but it turns out it was shot with someone's smartphone, and all you hear is crowd noise. That being said, if you're willing to go digging through the mire, you can find some great material.8) Read, listen to, or watch interviews with your favorite artists. Whether in magazines, on blogs, on television, YouTube, podcasts, or a hundred other outlets, interviews with your heroes are a great way to find out what they're listening to, who influenced them, and what they find interesting about the music they're into.9) Dive into Reddit/r/music. I'm guessing that everyone these days knows what Reddit is. (Just in case you don't, Reddit is an aggregator site, or a "forum" if you're really old. It allows users to submit content, and other users vote on it.) Reddit's music thread (r/Music) features new music, old music, great music, crappy stuff, you name it. You don't have to register to view the posts (that's called lurking), but if you want to comment or communicate with other users, you have to sign up for a free account.Like any other Reddit forum, /r/music isn't always the most welcoming place to newcomers, but there is a lot of good content, and it's a great way to see what's on the minds of people from around the world.10) Do your homework on AllMusic | Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands. I haven’t used this resource in a while, but back in the day, when I interned at a radio station, AllMusic | Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands was an indispensable resource for finding out info on genres, artists, who sounds like your favorite bands, and who influenced them.In the days since my internship, the site has become a little weighed down with ads and a slightly unwieldy user interface, but the quality content is still there. For example, if you like Country music, go to allmusic, click on "discover," then "Country." You'll find an explanation of the genre's basic elements, its history, founding artists, and recent releases in the genre.Click on a given artist, and you'll see their bio, discography, and (the best part of all) "related" which is short for related artists. That's where you'll find who influenced them, and who sounds like them.11) Talk to humans. (Almost) everyone likes music. Everyone is into some artist you've never heard of, and almost everyone is happy to tell you what they like about their favorite music. If you see someone listening to earbuds, ask them what they're listening to. If you're at a party, tell a stranger that you've been looking for new music, and you need their help. Ask them what they've been into lately.Protip: As time goes by and you listen to more artists, it's easy to think that you've just been listening to the same-old, same-old, and haven't heard anything new in a while. The best way to combat this type of defeatist thinking and encourage further research is to keep some form of music journal (which is what my Spotify playlists essentially are). It doesn't have to contain any feelings (unless you want it to), but you could quickly jot down what you're listening to and the date in Evernote, Google Docs, or on your smartphone, or believe it or not, you could use actual paper. Go back and read it on January 1st of next year, and see what sticks out to you.Thanks for reading!