One of the best sites on the web for music is Allmusic.com. It is a huge website with information on just about any artist and album that you can think of. Now, this can actually be a rather intimidating thing if you do not know where to start, but once you get going you’ll find it hard to stop.
I most often use Allmusic to read about bands I like, and to learn about their backgrounds and discography. To find an artist, simply use the search bar at the top of the website. If it is a very uniquely-named band like “The Boy Least Likely To,” you will be brought straight to the correct page. Otherwise it will list possible bands to choose from out of a list. The overview page for most artists has a lot of useful information on it, and you can go a lot of places from there: read the bio of a band, see the group members, explore similar bands, or look into the band’s style, mood, or genre. The great thing about Allmusic is that each of these subsequent links will take you to the applicable page with other artists and bands for you to explore. Its a fantastic way to find new music! The discography section shows all the band’s albums and the year of release. The reviews are generally informative, but I usually take the ratings with a grain of salt. (I’ll make a post in the near future about reviews and my views on them.)
As you explore Allmusic, allow yourself to click through various links. You’ll be surprised at the cool things you can find, the new bands you’ll uncover and the musical genres that you didn’t know you liked. Check out their extensive genre section at the top of the page to learn about the subgenres within pop/rock, jazz, classical, and more. For instance, do you know the differences between shoegaze and twee-pop? 
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Hi, cool post. I have been wondering about this topic,so thanks for writing.