I write about random things a lot. I write a lot about random things. Did you know the Koopalings — that is, the seven eldest children of King Bowser Koopa and heirs to the Koopa Kingdom — were all named after singers and musicians?

With the exception of Larry (actually named after TV talk show host Larry King), the Koopalings are named after icons like Iggy Pop, Lemmy, Roy Orbison and Beethoven. Those artists may all seem somewhat dated, but keep in mind that the Koopalings made their debut in Super Mario Bros. 3 in the late 1980s.

The distance between artists and fans has all but disappeared now when you compare it to the amount of privacy celebrities enjoyed in generations past. Nowadays, oldworld celebrities and rock stars seek out coaches into this world of social media and Internet connectivity, eager to engage their fans and ensure their own relevance into the future.

This isn't some other article about how valuable social media can be, but rather a personal testimony to the sorts of rewards you can have by participating. Three years ago, Twitter was still that thing that everyone heard of but no one used except for weirdos and people who take pictures of their food. Now, radio stations like FM96 and More 103.9 FM use it on a daily basis to share concert announcements, local news and more.

Last year, the John Labatt Centre in London began a Twitter campaign that selected local fans and concert-goers to attend concerts for free in exchange for their reviews — the #JLCReviewer campaign has given a unique concert experience to some high-profile events to some lucky people who connect with them online.

If you're a real music fan, someone who values that rhythm and energy enough to go to the effort of changing the channel on your car radio, you've got the effort it takes to make yourself aware of new music and news happening near you. Concert venues and promoters go to great lengths to work across networks to ensure that their events get noticed; the only trick is in not closing your eyes to it.

Last week brought us the first day of spring, and the end of the semester is only a few weeks away. Music is sure to play a huge role in all the adventures this coming summer, and now that SXSW in Austin and CMW in Toronto have officially kicked off the music festival season, there is no better time than right now to start discovering new artists and sounds to carry you through the warm nights ahead.

Go at your own pace, but don't be afraid to try something new. In fact, here are three websites you could visit right now to get a start in discovering new music:

Twitter: Obvious, I know, but chances are your favourite artists have accounts and are posting photos and anecdotes that may interest you a lot. Unlike in the 1980s, many artists today have embraced social media and the kind of close bond they can form with their fans. Plus, they stand to benefit from the interaction even more than you, when you think about it.

Spinner.ca: AOL's online music blog here in Canada, Spinner provides the latest in artist news and perspectives, and they feature daily free song downloads and an online listening section with new albums streaming in their entirety every week.

Hypem.com: If you're the type of music fan that just wants something new in the background, the Hype Machine is for you. A music blog aggregator above many others, it seeks out and tracks what is popular on music blogs and sites around the world. You can discover and stream new songs from new artists easily and in a newsfeedstyle environment that always delivers something fresh.

If you've already taken your first steps into social media or visit those sites and you're ready to explore a little further, consider looking into Twitter hashtags. Hashtags are unpunctuated words that begin with a # and mark a tweet as pertaining to a specific topic or conversation. I only bring this up because now that festival season is beginning, more artists, promoters, venues and websites are going to be tweeting than you can imagine — searching and exploring a hashtag like #NXNE will reveal to you what people are saying about the festival, even months before it begins.

For even more advanced ways of unlocking the power of social media as it pertains to the music industry, check out Brian Thompson's site at thornybleeder.com. Between his podcasts and daily newsletters, he's become a leading voice in ways to integrate music and media like Facebook, Tumblr and more, particularly for artists and entrepreneurs.

Let's face it, the warmth and sunshine outside is making everyone eager to celebrate, so open yourself up to new sounds soon — music sounds better in the summer anyway.

And if you're considering Twitter, you should follow this column @fsu_bobbyisms for the latest in music news, album streams, concert reviews and more. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I'm out of words.