DJ Max Power
DJ Max Power
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Pandora's Box - Humans Triumph Over Technology

Posted almost 6 years ago
I recently started using "Pandora's online music service":http://pandora.com and I have to say, it rocks my world - literally and figuratively. Unlike Netflix and other content filter sites, Pandora's music selection is programmed by actual humans. It's all part of their music genome project, which should be appreciated by music geeks everywhere.Anyway, in case you don't know about it, here's how it works: Pandora allows you to program up to 100 "radio stations" by picking an artist or song you like. Pandora then recommends new artists to you according to things like major chord chorus structure, gritty urban beats, or analogue guitar sounds. And their suggestions are really good at least 70% of the time. You get to give each song a thumbs up or down, and you can add more artists/songs whenever you want. Each step further refines the station until it becomes your personal ideal.And the best part? It's free!Rocktacular!
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Comments (4)

  1. david hyman
    david hyman says maybe i need to play with it again. i put radiohead in, got a bunch of derivitive bands that sounded like radiohead knock-offs.
    Permalink posted 08/09/2006
  2. Bawston Sean
    Bawston Sean says I haven't had much success finding new stuff on Pandora. I think if you're a super-obsessive music fiend like, say, myself or Mr. Hyman, the tracks Pandora chooses come across as either "knock offs" or just plain obvious. Pandora definitely doesn't have the surprise factor that this little community has...On the other hand, all of my non-industry/super-geek friends love it to death.
    Permalink posted 08/09/2006
  3. RobP
    RobP says I use Pandora as a radio station at work and have found a few bands/songs this way. Of course, I don't usually have time to check the pc when I hear a new song I like, and plugging in certain bands works a lot better than others (apparently The Decemberists, who I love, play a style that absolutely sucks when anyone else plays it, whereas bands somehow or other related to the styles of Syd Barrett are generally pretty good). It's a great concept but I wouldn't use it as a replacement for references from real people. Because it's just a little tricky to put together a computer-generated Coltrane-Captain Beefheart-MC5-Rolling Stones etc. station; it's why I also listen to college radio, cuz I just might hear Billie Holliday in the middle of a rock program, and amongst my people this is a good thing. In the words of Russell Hoban, "Meaning is a limit and there are no limits."
    Permalink posted 08/09/2006
  4. DJ Max Power
    DJ Max Power says You definitely have to be selective about how you use it. While the music genome project does have a human element to it that a lot of other net filters lack, it is still a computer program. So if, for example, you try to program a station that mixes UK garage with old skool hip hop and Miami ghetto-tech, it probably won't work. The computer doesn't understand the concept of the "mix." And I think I can safely say no computer ever will. However, if you keep things simple and start with a few semi-obscure hip hop artists for example, Pandora does a pretty good job of picking other artists in that vein. Like a lot of other web programs, you have to adapt to it, instead of trying to make it adapt to you. I've found that if you start with a mainstream band, like Radiohead or Pearl Jam (to use two of David's faves), Pandora assumes that your tastes are more to the mainstream. But if you start with, say, Mother Love Bone, then the program works backwards, suggesting bands that are a little more obscure and eventually ending up at the big names like Pearl Jam or Soundgarden.
    Permalink posted 08/15/2006

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