Pandora’s Music Box
by Jim on Jan.09, 2006, under METAL News
So have you heard about Pandora yet?
This is seriously cool stuff.
Just go to the site, enter a band name, and it will dynamically create a streaming radio station based on the style of that band. In other words, it recommends music to you based on the style of music you provide. In the image above, I went easy on it and just entered ‘Slayer’. Of course, it starts by playing “The Final Command” off Show No Mercy, followed by Immortal and Sepultura. All in 128k stereo mp3 format. Oh yeah, did I mention it’s free?
Not too fucking shabby if you ask me.
In theory, you can create an account on the site, login, create as many “stations” as you want, custom tailored to your preferences (you can rate the songs it plays), and access them from any computer in the world! Even email the stations you create to friends!
This puts my old beMETAL station to shame, to say the least.
Now, of course, they’re a bit lacking in the underground metal areas. Don’t expect to hear any Ensiferum or Arsis, at least not yet.
I think it’s pretty damn impressive. I can see this becoming an extremely powerful tool with which to find new music.
If you want to check out the “station” I just threw together, click here.
Check it out, and feel free to post stations you create in the comments!
Oh yeah, if you feel like hearing how the site came to be, and everything that goes into it (believe me, there’s a lot), check out this interview.
January 10th, 2006 on 8:27 pm
Oh, man, I love Pandora! I’ve been listening to my custom-made station all week! It’s fantastic.
January 11th, 2006 on 3:03 pm
People are talking alot about this pandora , i guess i have to check it now after Jim posted about it!
Is it also playing the music or only streaming it to your player?
becouse i love this amaroK so much i don’t think i can ever leave it.. ho and in this occasion i’ll say that i have moved to Linux at last, Ubuntu Breezy Badger (5.10) if it’s interesting you.
January 12th, 2006 on 9:45 am
UBUNTU!!! That’s what I’m running, at home and at work! I used to run Debian exclusively, but Ubuntu is just so much easier to setup.
I demand that everyone who hasn’t used Linux download, burn, and run an Ubuntu live CD!
January 12th, 2006 on 4:25 pm
I’ve tryed Pandora, but from all Folk Metal it has only Korpiklaani, so it’s a bit dull.
And all other metal it has that i like i already have on my comp, so easier to listen directly to mp3s. Haven’t yet discovered a single new band from Pandora…
But they say they etend their list of artists/albums all the time, so maybe one day it will be usefull.
January 12th, 2006 on 8:06 pm
I agree, they don’t have the biggest variety yet.
I remain hopeful that with more time, and with me “training” my stations better, I’ll be able to find some stuff I haven’t heard before.