Internet Radio

Pandora Radio Quick Tip by GlassIsland

Thu, 26 May 2011 19:27:16 +0000

I'm in love...again. All I need is a WiFi connection and my Android tablet and there it is - from music I've loved for years to gems I've never heard. The Pandora mobile app ties in with my online Pandora account, takes my choices and tailors "radio" stations to suit my every mood. It's easy to use and almost always spot on. With the mobile app, I'm loving it all over again.

Pandora Radio- The shepard to all us sheep

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:29:36 +0000

Pandora Radio is a blessing to the ears. In a time where music is centered around worn out singles, there are few ways to introduce fresh songs and artists to the brain.

As of late my music library has grown stale. The solution was to fire back up my Pandora account. I use channels such as: Nirvana Radio(gotta have the grunge fix), City and Colour(relaxation at its best), Blink182(nostalgia), the Cool Kids(little hip-hop now and then), Girl Talk(hurray sampling), and Sufjan Stevens, among many others. I really like the thumbs up and thumbs down rating system. With a thumbs down the song is banned from your channel and with thumbs up, well you get it.

I decided a few weeks ago to start jotting down artists that I enjoyed, and here I am with more than twenty new(to me) artists from City and Colour Radio, alone. Another aspect I really enjoy is that singles don't fill your playlists. Just now, for instance, Coldplay came on. Rather than listening to Yellow for the 100th time, Sparks is gracing the airwaves. I have also found myself plugging the headphones into my droid phone instead of my Zune. Pandora's free app is great, and for the time being, will replace my MP3. As a side note, the app has a built in bookmarking system for both songs and artists for referencing later on.

The Ads can be annoying and you are only allowed six skips per hour per station, however this is a small price to pay. I was always the stereo control freak, picking every song, and it kept me from hearing many great songs off many great albums. Not to mention my productivity was way lower from sifting through my several thousand song library looking for a mood pleas-er every five minutes.

All in all Pandora leads to a horizon broadening and more satisfactory music experience. Even if your a pirator, I'd suggest you look into it for some stuff you wouldn't normally find yourself listening to.

Pandora Radio -- the paid version

Tue, 5 Oct 2010 17:13:59 +0000

All reviews, so far, for Pandora Radio have been positive and all have covered the free version. I used the service for a week before deciding to upgrade to the paid version. Was it money well spent? Mostly yes.

How it works: Pandora uses a fairly simplistic standard AI (artificial intelligence) engine. Create a seedbed of artists and songs and Pandora will augment that list with songs that fit your genres or songs that others with similar lists also like. Free version or paid version, you can create as many radio stations as you have the patience to build. To hone the station to become truly personal you have the option to give a song a thumbs up or down. It also has a feature that will explain why it recommends a song, in case you’re curious.

The other reviews cover three complaints (two of which also exist for the paid version).

First, even in the paid version, you are limited to the number of times you can use the thumbs down or the skip feature (6 times per hour per station for the paid version). This isn’t a fatal problem but is annoying. For instance, I usually cannot stand live versions of songs, even of songs I love. And I have run into the problem of using all 6 thumbs down in 10 minutes because I kept getting live songs. Unless the policy changes, this annoyance will remain.
Second, Pandora pays for each time each song is played. This leads to the, probably correct, idea that the song base is limited enough to hear repeat more often than seems reasonable. This problem is likely being resolved constantly but this resolution likely leads to the...
third problem: advertisements. Pandora pays royalties, so more listeners of the free version, the more it costs and without enough paid subscribers, ads will have to be part of the equation.

For just the week I used the free service, Pandora played music by a dozen singers and bands I’d never heard of and who are now among my favorites. That was the main reason I decided it was worth $36 for a year’s subscription. I paid that in August and still discover someone new every few days, not always for the best, but that is a constant reminder that Pandora’s inventory is not static.

Also, at first I thought the simplistic thumbs up or down rating system a serious failing. Then I considered that it took yahoo radio about three months to introduce me to a dozen artists I’d not heard previously. At first blush, this would indicate that yahoo’s song and artist inventory is tiny—simply not true. The issue is that yahoo’s AI is so fine tuned that it takes a relatively short amount of time to create a radio station so personalized that it almost never adds anything new. Being a picky person, it took me a while to realize that Pandora’s binary like/dislike method is more beneficial than not.

Unless the quality of the application declines or it becomes obvious that the song library is not increasing at a reasonable pace, I will pay again next year without a second thought.

Pandora Radio Quick Tip by EcoMama

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:58:54 +0000

I don't love Pandora, but I like it. I just don't like how it limits skipping songs or it stops playing if you let it be. Regardless though it is great for discovering new artists that might have something you'll love! Because of the cons I haven't been a very loyal user though...

Internet Radio Portals

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:04:11 +0000

Links to portals I have tried and have been worth creating accounts at.

Snowtape iPhone App Quick Tip by lansingit

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:49:24 +0000

Upcoming SnowTape iPhone App Video on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1150549582792&ref=nf

Interviews, keynote videos from RAIN Summit North

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:34:38 +0000

RAIN Summit Conf Presenters
http://rttnews.com/media/rainsummit.aspx

Kurt Hanson, Publisher Of RAIN Publications: Smartphones Will Be A Game Changer In Radio
(3:22) In an interview with RTT News, Kurt Hanson, publisher of RAIN Publications says the future of internet radio is very bright. “This is the first time in history that everyone is walking around with a radio in their pocket,” according to Hanson. “Every Smartphone is a radio that picks up every station that streams, and that’s going to be a game changer,”.

David Oxenford, Partner At Davis Wright: Copyright Gets Complicated
(2:29) In an interview with RTT News, David Oxenford, a partner at Davis Wright law firm, discusses the complications of copyright law for internet broadcasting.

Paul Maloney, Editor At RAIN Publications: “With Internet, Radio…Is Very Much A Two Way Thing”
(3:06) In an interview with RTT News, Paul Maloney, editor at RAIN Publications says that the internet is allowing for radio to become more personalized. “With internet, radio does not have to be a broadcast, one to many, one way communication. It’s very much a two way thing and can be one to one. So you can make a radio station…just for you,” states Maloney.

Daniel Anstanding, President & Co-Founder Of Listener Driven Radio: “Crowdcasting, Not Broadcasting”
(1:29) In an interview with RTT News, Daniel Anstanding, president & co-founder of Listener Driven Radio says that LDR allows for a totally interactive radio experience for listeners. The listener essentially becomes the program director, he explains. According to Anstanding, it is now “crowdcasting, not broadcasting.”

Snowtape Quick Tip by lansingit

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:24:02 +0000

I use this app everyday, here is a link to a review http://tinyurl.com/yhqj6we

Squeezebox Radio Quick Tip by lansingit

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:13:25 +0000

Nice sound and great color screen.

OXX Digital Classic Quick Tip by lansingit

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:10:32 +0000

Great sound

Macintosh Internet Radio Software

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:01:22 +0000

Music Safari

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:15:22 +0000

I first heard about Pandora two years ago in my English composition class that I was teaching. A music fanatic wanted to write the majority of his essays on music topics. When I assigned a persuasive research paper, he was at a lost for a topic. During a brainstorming session in my office, he decided that he would tackle the case of online radio streaming programs versus traditional radio stations found on stereos and inside cars. Next thing I knew, he was talking on and on about this new radio streaming site called Pandora and the Music Genome Project. I had never heard of the site, but I was fascinated by his enthusiasm and persuasive argument. I attribute my "finding" of Pandora to my student Colin Wagner even though it took another year before I actually created an account.

I don't recall why I was suddenly inspired to create my Pandora account, but I am so glad I finally did. Even though, I haven't explored enough of the music options on the site, I am happy with all the radio stations I have created. My stations include (sample songs are the indented bullet points):

Kris Allen Radio
- "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain
- "Written all over My Face" by Kris Allen
It's All Coming Back Now Radio
- "Close to You" by the Carpenters
- "You're the One that I Want" by The Beautiful South
Owl City Radio
- "Saltwater Room" by Owl City
- "Hit the Lights" by Skip School Start Fights
Joe Hisaishi Radio
- "Mission Impossible," Film Score by Danny Elfman
- "The Hours," Film Score by Philip Glass
Clair De Lune Radio
- "Castle of Wonders" by Greg Maroney
- "The Vigil" by David Nevue
Disney (Holiday) Radio
- "White Christmas" by Taylor Swift
- "Here We Come A-Caroling" by Alvin and the Chipmunks
Disturbed Radio
- "Intoxication" by Disturbed
- "Always" by Saliva
New Kids on the Block Radio
- "Didn't I" by New Kids on the Block
- "I've Had the Time of My Life" by Bill Medley
Beauty and the Beast Radio
- "A New Day Has Come" by Celine Dion
- "Somewhere out there" by James Ingram
Mellow/Indie
- "Pictures of You" by The Cure
- "Fix You" by Coldplay
Mellow/Indie (friend's version)
- "Anyone Else but You" by The Moldy Peaches
- "Nobody Knows Me at All" by The Weepies
Shadow of the Day Radio
- "Leave out all the Rest" by Linkin Park
- "Human" by The Killers
Viva lad Vida Radio
- "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins
- "Signal Fire" by Snow Patrol
Bleeding Love Radio
- "Yesterday" by Leona Lewis
- "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey

One of the neatest aspects of Pandora, other than having music that caters to your every whim, is being able to add your friends' radio stations to your own list. Unfortunately, I signed up with an account that is not readily identified by my friends. Currently, I have two friends. If anyone here uses Pandora and would like a new friend on the site, view my profile and add me. Don't forget to leave a comment on my page, too, so I know you visited.

Even though I find the site fun, innovative, and easy to use, there are some major downsides to consider before signing up for an account. First, some of your radio stations can get redundant. You have a lot of control by giving songs up and down thumbs, but the stations still tend to recycle a lot of the same music over and over again. This usually doesn't bother me, though, because I don't log on often enough to get bored. In fact, I find it comforting to listen to music that I really enjoy again and again. Another downside to the site is that you can only "skip" or give thumbs down to so many songs before the site forces you to keep listening to the station/music (I believe it's 10 songs). This can be really frustrating for a listener because we are supposed to control the music at Pandora. How dare they force me to listen to songs I just don't like! Not even switching to a new station will reset the "timer" on the thumbs down/skipping portion of the site. Finally, the most annoying and recently changed part to the site, are the ads. When I first started listening, there were no ads! It was amazing to listen to music without having an annoying announcer trying to sell me something. Now, there are all sorts of ads, such as between songs or when changing stations. Some are subtle, the size of the album cover in your list of music. Others pop up and take half the screen! Alas, Internet ads are often the price you pay for "free" sites.

A final problem you might run into is a limitation to the amount of hours you can listen to on the site for free. You are alloted 40 hours of free music before you are cut off for the rest of the month. Your only other option is to pay a premium fee or listen to music on another web streamer. I haven't run into this problem yet because I divide my time between Pandora and Playlist.

Despite these faults, I still enjoy Pandora and highly recommend it to those looking for a slightly different listening experience on the web. It's easy to use and often leads you to new artists and songs that you might not have heard of or considered in the past. It's like a music safari! You never know what might jump out of the bushes and surprise you!

What do DJs listen to while they're paying the bills?

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:50:58 +0000

Oh, how I love Pandora, let me count the ways.

First, you can create your own radio station. At first, I had toyed around with their "genre stations". Their R&B station is not my type of R&B, a little too much JoJo and Beyonce for my taste. So, I decided to type in "Jill Scott", you just can't go wrong with her. They matched her style of neo-soul with some R&B artists that match that style and voila- I LOVE IT! I listen to it as I wind down the day at work or with my boyfriend over a glass of wine.

Secondly, I have a great variety in my tastes in music. Pandora allows you to line up the different stations either you create or they create so you can just click on whichever one strikes your mood. To give you an idea, my station list includes: Jill Scott Radio, Billie Holiday Radio, Dancehall, Sam Cooke Radio, Underground Hip Hop, Oldies Soul, Funk, Classic Hip Hop, Pharcyde Radio, Latin and Classic Rock. They even have a QuickMix choice so that all your stations will be mixed randomly for those times when you just can't make up your mind.

Third, it goes quite a while without an ad interrupting it. So that you can have a chance to enjoy music the way it should be played!

Finally, as a DJ, I'm really picky on programming. I try not to be, really I do but, I can't help it. When I listen to Pandora, it's rare that I want to skip a song. They do a great job of stringing hits with very little misses, especially when you create a station with an artist's name.

Now, there are a two things that I DON'T LIKE. One, you can't go backwards. So, if you happen to take off your headphones (if at work like myself) or walk away for a bit and come back to hear the last part of the song that you LOVE and haven't heard in FOREVER, you're screwed. You can't rewind the song or even select the prior song to replay.

Two, as others have said there is a set number of times you can skip songs. When I shop the genre stations and am looking for a song I like, it would be helpful to skip more songs. However, I've learned that after five songs, I may just not like that genre station.

Overall, it's definitely worth checking out! Be sure to create stations with your favorite artists to skip a lot of ads (mostly found on genre stations) and to find wonderful gems that you may have forgotten.

Ditch FM radio - listen to a station that plays only what you like.

Tue, 3 Feb 2009 23:31:06 +0000

UPDATE: 1/25/11

Since writing this review, I've upgraded my membership at Pandora to the paid subscription. And so, I'm going to put in some thoughts on how that's been after using it now for about a month. If you're looking for thoughts on Pandora a free service, read towards the bottom, where you'll find my original review.

Pandora One is $36/year and offers some perks as a paid members. To sum it all up: no ads, unlimited skipping, desktop app, changeable themes. Those are your biggest buys from big to small. I'll go through each of them, and how life has been since I dropped the $36.

No Ads: I love this. I haven't heard an ad for Living Social, the Ford Fiesta or some online college book store that I could care less about. The ads on Pandora never applied to me, and I'm glad I got rid of them. Listening to Pandora is like a sigh of relief in the car, when I want to drive home or to work with ZERO interruptions. This is even MORE perfect for parties and get togethers, no more awkward 30 second clips of mood stopping ads that could kill the atmosphere. This is the biggest advantage of the upgrade. You'll also notice that the music plays longer before asking if you're still there. I believe it'll now play up to 5 hours before prompting you to click on something.

Unlimited Skips: You have the opportunity now to skip as many as you like all day, but you still have to follow the rule of skipping a maximum of 6 times in an hour. Still, this comes in pretty handy as you are pretty much guaranteed the ability to skip past songs. So if you listen in the morning, on the way to work, at the gym or in the evening at home - you'll be able to skip, skip, skip! How better can radio get?

Desktop App: Nothing too fancy, but one less browser tab to have open. With the desktop app, you get Pandora placed into your system tray, where you have controls. And a subtle popup in the top right corner of the screen telling you what new song is beginning to play. The app is pretty minimal, but it's a nice soft touch to being part of the paid subscription. You also get to change the themes on the browser.

Conclusion: For $36, it's not bad if you plan to use it alot. Now, I use Pandora everywhere. Car, work. Everything. Highly recommend.

---
Although I've been a Pandora user now for two years, I was moved to write a review on it last night when I realized just how good it has been to me. Pandora is a personal music jukebox that plays songs based on your preferences along with your favorite artists and genres. If you enjoy a particular artist, you can search for them on Pandora, and begin listening to a station that is tailored to not only playing songs from that particular artist but best of all, songs from other artists that are similar to the one you've chosen. This was the start to my curious exploration of new and unheard of artists that I would have never listened to if not for the innovative sense of Pandora's match making capability.

The Good – Pandora is extremely easy to use. You simply log on, choose your station and it begins to play songs. Plus, the quality of music coming out from Pandora's interface is great. Stations are played on streaming media, but sound clear as if the song is on your hard drive. If you hear a song that you don't like, you can rate it "thumbs down" – and the database will remember not to play it again on that particular station. Of course, if you like it, you can rate the song a "thumbs up," and Pandora will increase its frequency of play as you continue to listen in the future. With this simple rating system, you can build out a station that will eventually play music that you love – and nothing else. Along with the rating system, you can add more than one artist and genre to a station, allowing you to listen to more than one type of music at a time, without changing channels like you would on a radio.

The Bad – Pandora pays for each song it plays on its stations that users create and listen to. As a result, skipping a song on a station becomes limited after a certain number of times you do so. Although you can freely skip songs once you rate them a "thumbs down," at times it becomes difficult if you don't want to entirely ban the song from the station, but aren't necessarily in the mood to hear it either. Also, Pandora stops playing after about 30 or 40 minutes after signing on and choosing a station, at which point requires you to press play again to assure them that somebody is actually listening to the music that is being played. This could be inconvenient especially if you use Pandora to play music at gatherings or parties, which I've done in the past. Lastly, if you're a curious listener like me – Pandora brings great opportunities for discoveries and new favorites. But as you keep rating what you like and don't like when listening to your stations, I've noticed that the system eventually narrows your exposure to new music artists and songs to the kind of music that you already listen to. And as much as it is to have a station playing only the music you like, I started my Pandora experience to find stations that would play music that I possibly would like. This is important to keep in mind when forming your "perfect" stations, but I guess it's a trade off.

I've also heard people tell me that Pandora still has a short list of agreements with record labels, producers and artists to play their music, resulting in noticing songs being looped and replayed over and over again, and an overall variety which is limited to only music acknowledged by mainstream media.

Overall – As a young website that remains to keep its service and features free, I highly enjoy using Pandora. I plug my computer into speakers and play music at parties and dinners, listen to consistently soothing music when I study and read, and count on using it when I want to listen to a certain genre or artist. Because it saves profiles through user signups, I can find my stations anywhere I go, without carrying my iPod or CDs. Pandora truly appeals to me the most when I want that "radio" experience – listening to songs without a playlist, without knowing what's about to played next. (I find myself listening with a bit of anxiety when listening to an album or playlist on my iPod because I always know what is going to be played, and when the music will eventually expire.)

Although there are some things about Pandora that may keep it from being perfect, I consider it worth a listen at if you haven't tried it already. Check it out! I'm sure you'll find something you like to hear!