Pandora

Based upon the Music Genome Project, Wetergren’s taxonomical approach to identifying the fundamental attributes of each song, this Internet radio service recommends songs based upon whether listeners respond with a thumbs up or thumbs down to a specific song. The site was “completely rebuilt on a faster platform with a sleek, modern look and feel” and re-launched on Sept. 21 according to a Pandora press release.

Number of songs available: More than 900,000 by more than 90,000 artists.

Advantages

• The revamped site was built on an HTML5 platform and is significantly faster.
• Browsing for new songs, selecting new stations, reading lyrics and looking up artist information has all been integrated onto the same webpage. “All of the activity that surrounds the listening experience has become much more elegant.”
• Personalized comedy stations and music specifically for workouts.
• A social media feed that allows users to share what they like in real time and connect with like-minded listeners.
• The Music Genome Project delivers the most highly individualized listening experience.
• The restriction on the number of hours of music you can listen to per month has been lifted.

Disadvantages

• The music library users can pull from is a fraction of that offered by other music websites.
• Very few international song titles available.
• The music feed is not integrated with other social media utilities.

Future features

    Currently available on computers, mobile devices and web-enabled televisions, Pandora hopes to soon be found in cars.

“Because of the Genome Project, we can deliver a personalized listening experience really quickly, very easily for someone. That is a problem that most listeners need solving. They love music but they don’t have a lot of time and they need something that can do that work for them. Pandora is the best in the world at this.” –Tim Westergren