[ad_1]
Do you remember Pandora? It was one of the first music streaming services, but it worked very differently than what we are used to today. Well, Pandora is still alive and has remained unique in this crowded space. Maybe you like it.
Catching up with an old friend
Pandora was officially launched in 2005. The concept of streaming music over the Internet was still very new. Spotify wouldn’t launch for another five years. Pandora was an exciting new service at an exciting time on the Internet.
Pandora’s big selling point was a recommendation engine based on the “Music Genome Project”. Essentially, it classifies songs by a series of musical traits. He then uses those traits to adjust the “Seasons” based on his likes and dislikes.
The idea is that you choose a song, an artist or a genre to start a new “Station”. The songs on the station are based on your original choice, but are not static. As you approve and reject songs, the station continues to evolve to suit your tastes.
That core idea is still what drives Pandora today, and the service has held up surprisingly well compared to other streaming services. I constantly wonder why no one has copied Pandora’s “I’m tired of this track” feature.
RELATED: How to better train your Pandora radio stations
Leanback music service
As I mentioned a couple of times already, Pandora still has something unique to offer. It really is a completely different experience than Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and many other services.
“Radio” has become a common term on music services, but Pandora makes radio much more like real radio than the others. Spotify’s “Radio” feature is essentially just a playlist of related songs and artists. Pandora Stations, on the other hand, is an endless stream of music that changes as you customize it.
This makes for a very casual listening experience. It reminds me of watching a live cable TV channel. Just pick a station and let it play until you finish listening to it. You don’t have to worry that it will end and you will have to look for something else. However, Pandora is better than TV because you help decide which show plays next.
Services like Spotify and Apple Music are more like Netflix. It is very likely that you have something specific in mind when you open them. Pandora isn’t that great when it comes to wanting to listen to a specific song or album, so it’s great for casual listening.
Is Pandora still free?
Has all this talk about Pandora made you feel nostalgic? Maybe you missed the boat and are looking to try it out for the first time. Being free was another thing that helped Pandora explode in popularity, but is it still free?
Yes, Pandora is still free! There are some limitations with that, just like there were at launch. First, you have a limited number of jumps per day (Pandora doesn’t specify how many). Skips includes thumbs-down songs.
The main thing you will notice with a free account is the ads. They play every few songs, but sometimes you can listen to longer commercials for longer breaks without commercials. Free users can also trade listening to ads for playing specific songs and albums.
If you like Pandora enough to want to get rid of ads and get unlimited skips, there are two paid plans to choose from. The $5 per month “Plus” plan has ad-free listening, unlimited skips, offline listening, and more. The $10 per month “Premium” plan includes the same things, plus you can make and share playlists.
Music streaming made easy
See, there’s a reason that Pandora has essentially been forgotten about by a huge chunk of people. Services like Spotify and Apple Music have larger song libraries, include more features, and probably align with the way most people like to experience music.
I still think Pandora has its place, and there’s plenty to like if you’re a casual music listener. You might be surprised if you give it a try.
[ad_2]
