LSPoorEeyorick
02-05-2006, 11:24 AM
Rank the Swank - Live Music and Albums
http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gifhttp://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gifhttp://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gifhttp://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gifhttp://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gif Overall Swank Rank
Pandora music generator
2/5/06 [/COLOR]
Pandora (http://www.pandora.com/)
The Lowdown
A new website that, through the Music Genome project, plays streaming audio based around your music preferences
__________________________________________________
The Scene
If you haven't explored Pandora yet, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Tom came across a news article about it and I had the chance to explore it this morning.
To start a channel for yourself, all you have to do is type in an artist or a song that you like. The extremely extensive collection will then stream similar songs by similar artists as defined by their very specific and scientific "Music Genome Project," which judges songs on many variables. As the songs play, you can rate them and further narrow down the genre and style of your station. You can also add other songs to the station, and widen the span (say, a slow acoustic song and another with a thumping hip-hop base.)
In only an hour of playing around with it, I can say that the coolest thing about all of this is that it brings artists you may not know into your scope. Pandora has everything from the Beatles to tiny indie artists you'd never have heard of (and they're seeking more of that, too.) If there's anything you like, you can add it to favorites, make a channel around it, or click a link to buy it on iTunes or Amazon.
There is a free version, which has advertisements (mostly for iTunes) in the borders (and will likely add some to the streaming as it becomes more popular.) There is a membership that will keep ads away ($36 for a year sounds very reasonable.)
I love it! It's quite amazing and I'm already finding new artists and songs. I started a station around "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds-- and it brought some artists I sort of knew but not well enough (i.e. Rufu Wainwright) and some artists I didn't know at all (i.e. Papas Fritas and Alejandro Escovedo and Edie Carey.)
Swank abounds-- and the ability to define your own personal swank is a welcome option.
http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gifhttp://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gifhttp://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gifhttp://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gifhttp://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/images/rts/bongosO.gif Overall Swank Rank
Pandora music generator
2/5/06 [/COLOR]
Pandora (http://www.pandora.com/)
The Lowdown
A new website that, through the Music Genome project, plays streaming audio based around your music preferences
__________________________________________________
The Scene
If you haven't explored Pandora yet, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Tom came across a news article about it and I had the chance to explore it this morning.
To start a channel for yourself, all you have to do is type in an artist or a song that you like. The extremely extensive collection will then stream similar songs by similar artists as defined by their very specific and scientific "Music Genome Project," which judges songs on many variables. As the songs play, you can rate them and further narrow down the genre and style of your station. You can also add other songs to the station, and widen the span (say, a slow acoustic song and another with a thumping hip-hop base.)
In only an hour of playing around with it, I can say that the coolest thing about all of this is that it brings artists you may not know into your scope. Pandora has everything from the Beatles to tiny indie artists you'd never have heard of (and they're seeking more of that, too.) If there's anything you like, you can add it to favorites, make a channel around it, or click a link to buy it on iTunes or Amazon.
There is a free version, which has advertisements (mostly for iTunes) in the borders (and will likely add some to the streaming as it becomes more popular.) There is a membership that will keep ads away ($36 for a year sounds very reasonable.)
I love it! It's quite amazing and I'm already finding new artists and songs. I started a station around "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds-- and it brought some artists I sort of knew but not well enough (i.e. Rufu Wainwright) and some artists I didn't know at all (i.e. Papas Fritas and Alejandro Escovedo and Edie Carey.)
Swank abounds-- and the ability to define your own personal swank is a welcome option.