Pandora Music Player

by Hava Lyon | More from this Blogger

Several months ago, I was at work, and my radio sitting on my desk would not quit acting up. If I scooted up to my computer, the reception would go fuzzy. If I moved over to the radio to tune it, suddenly the reception would come in perfectly. I contemplated plans that involved large sledge hammers and other destructive devices but I finally just decided to give up and shut the radio off. I googled to find Internet radio websites--can't I listen to a particular type of music through websites? I was sure I had heard something like that before...

The list of results came up, and Pandora was at the top of that list. I idly clicked on it, and started to read the welcome page. Wow, this was exactly what I was looking for. I'm not usually that lucky. I started using it that day and haven't looked back.

Pandora is fantastic for many reasons:

* It's free. Yes, I'm cheap, why do you ask?

* You can log onto the same station from any computer--you simply have to use your e-mail address and password, and you're set to go. I haven't ever been spammed by this site, btw, so it's okay to use a "real" e-mail address for this registration, vs your "this is my spam" address we all have.

* The registration for the site is shockingly simple.

* You do not have to download anything to use the site--it's all streaming music without any special programs needed. This is great for you guys that cannot download programs on your work computer.

The site is unique in its design: You simply tell the computer what artist you like, or a song that you like, and the program finds songs by that artist to play, but it also finds songs by other comparable artists to play. I love country music (I know, I know, but I'm from Idaho. It's almost a law here,) and so the first group I put in as liking was "Rascal Flatts." Pandora played songs by Rascal Flatts, and then songs by other artists that have the same general style as them. As I got more comfortable with the program, I started adding more and more artists--my list now boasts 28 country singers.

You aren't stuck listening to whatever the program comes up with though. If the program brings up a song you can't stand, you simply give the song a thumbs down, and the program will never play that song for you again. If the program plays a song you love, you simply have to give it a thumbs up, and the program will put that on the list of favorites to play. What's even more amazing is that every time you rate a song, this changes the equations that the site is running, and will not only influence that song you just rated, but will also influence what songs the site will play next. In other words, the more you rate, the better the site "learns" your preferences, and the more likely it is to play the songs you like. If you like a song but are sick of listening to it, you can choose to not hear that song again for a month--the site will put that song on the shelf for you. The technology behind it is rather fascinating.

So if you're sitting at work, wishing you could listen to music but cannot load any programs onto your computer, well, you've just found your answer. I listened to it all the time at my old bricks and mortar job, but even now that I'm at home, I switch off between Pandora and my iTunes. It's fun to have a new set of music to listen to, other than the stuff I have in my personal collection. It is constantly playing new songs that have not been rated yet, giving you a chance to not only rediscover old favorites, but also find new music you may not have heard otherwise. I have several songs I found that I absolutely adore, that I have never heard on the local country stations. It's like having a personal DJ stuck inside of my computer.

If you love country music also, feel free to check my station out here. If you would rather bypass country but want to check the site out, here is the main start page. You do not have to register in order to try it out--you can simply input the artist or song name, hit start, and listen! After about 30 minutes or an hour (can't remember now, it's been too long) it tells you that you have to register in order to keep listening. Do the quick registration, and you're set to go.

Any other Pandora fans out there? I'd love to hear about it below!

Learn more about Hava Lyon

Hello, my name is Hava or Havs (depending on my mood and yours!) I am a freelance writer who writes for several blogs, both paid ones such as this one, and personal blogs.

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