Pandora - My Personal Struggle

I have personal issues with Pandora that I am trying to get over. I can’t help it — it’s just the way that I am. I am all about discovering new music, but I’m not sure if I need an algorithm telling me what I might enjoy. I love technology and my iPod. There’s a certain joy and pleasure in discovering music through analog means that I can’t describe. The discovery phase is most of the work, but half of the pleasure. I guess it’s all about where you draw the line. Some people still refuse anything but vinyl.

It’s just too easy. There’s no work involved in discovering new music. In some ways, I don’t want to hear recommendations based upon a certain band. Who’s to say that I want to hear something that sounds just like what I already listen to? Pandora is a great service for people who want to discover new music, but don’t necessarily have the appetite that I have.

September 29, 2005 · Filed under Entertainment, General, Music, Technology

Comments »

Tom Conrad Said,

September 29, 2005 @ 10:44 pm

Well, maybe this will make you feel a bit better about your struggle: Pandora isn’t so much an algorithm as it is a “project” put together by a really passionate bunch of music lovers. Unlike some systems out there that focus on statistical analysis of listening and purchasing trends to make inferences about what music you might like, we’ve taken a really different approach: one that’s entirely about the music itself. All day every day we listen to music one song at a time and document all of the musical elements (about 400 per song). It’s really a labor of love — if I was a marketer I’d say something cheesy like “we do the work so you don’t have to”. Ugh. Ok, so I confess if the problem is that we’ve made it too easy, than I think I can live with that.

Having said that, I too love to go and wander the isles at a great indie record store. I’ll never give that up. But sometimes I just want to be entertained with a minimum of effort… I think Pandora is a great fit for that scenario in my life.

Anyway, thanks for listening and for taking the time to write about it. I love stumbling upon posts like this.

Tom
CTO @ Pandora

Pandora - My Personal Struggle

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