Pandora Radio

Pandora Radio is an interesting experiment that has broadened my music horizons since I discovered it.

The internet "radio station" gains that name not because it broadcasts over radio signals. It streams music just like any other internet based on-demand application. However, it does not allow the user to randomly select tracks from a playlist. This has facilitated a licensing strategy that fits within Pandora's business model, and actually encourages long term listening.

But what is perhaps most interesting about Pandora is not how the music is played, but how it is selected. With Pandora, you create your own channels, by selecting either a genre or an artist. Selecting an artist, the channel will start with a track by that artist. From there on out, the music is selected by a sophisticated software algorithm.

After the initial track, selections are drawn from the Music Genome Project, a database of music where songs are classified by up to 500 attributes, or genes. A hoard of musicians and critics have been enlisted in an ongoing effort to classify music using this criteria. The genes of each song can then be compared for similarity with other songs. This allows for an automated system of track selection with surprisingly fruitful results. Furthermore, the system is interactive, allowing a listener to indicate which tracks they like or dislike, and Pandora Radio will use these preferences to weight future track selection.

Pandora is available on most operating system platforms, as well as several mobile devices. I've been enjoying it on my iPhone lately. Through it, I've found more great music than just about any other source on the internet. And when a new artist or track is discovered, Pandora Radio features links to music retailers for instance purchase.