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Tech Savvy in Plain English
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Internet Radio Your Way: Pandora.com 1/11/2006 5:50:12 PM Link | | Add comment If you are a big music fan like me, you probably already know about Internet radio. I've been listening online for years now, first to Spinner, which became Netscape Radio, and then through iTunes radio. I'm such a big fan of music that both my cars have satellite, and I often log onto Sirius radio online. This is great, because you can definitely find stations playing what you want. Big fan of 80s music? No problem! Like Rebel country? It's there! Lovesongs only? Yep, they've got that too.
The problem is that while you are more likely to get the sort of programming you want, you can't always get the exact MOOD of music. If you like a song, say it's Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do", and you find that while you might not like all Sheryl Crow songs, you tend to like songs that sound like this. Or, you are right now in the mood for songs with this particular feeling. Having Internet radio isn't going to help you. And even if you download music, how are you going to find truly similar songs? (Have you ever noticed that most recommendations or "if you like this, you'll like this" don't really seem to cut it?)
Enter Pandora, aka Music Genome Project, and it founder, Tim Westergren. Westergren has come up with a solution to this problem. He has found a way to "map" or catalog individual songs so you can find tunes that match the songs you like. Each song is broken down by music experts into vocals, rhythm, harmony, etc., and then each category is further broken down to find similar songs. All in all, each song in Pandora's catalog is broken down into over 400 attributes.
When you visit the site, you don't have to register. You simply enter a song you like and a radio station featuring similar songs is created. You can give feedback whether you like the new song, or whether this song should be deleted from the station. If you delete it, it will never be played again on your station.
Now your station might get too bland, so you can add additional songs. You can also create new stations. Another really cool feature is that you share your station with others by emailing it to friends. A page is created where they can log onto your music. Or, you can browse existing radio stations.
It's a great to try and play with. Today I did have some issues with the station not playing properly. Also, you cannot create, for example, a Christian station, as all the songs are added based on what they sound like, not what they say. Still Pandora is a really neat tool and I plan on continuing to use it. I recommend you check it out if you are a big fan of music, and interested in finding new and original bands playing the type of music you enjoy. | Welcome to the Art By Tech Blog! 1/10/2006 12:16:48 AM Link | | Add comment This is our first posting. We will be dropping in bits of news not only about our company, but the latest in technology - a tiny sampling of what our upcoming newsletter will be like. Join us every week as we pick what's hot and what's not in technology today! | |
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Tech Savvy in Plain English