I love music. But I’m slightly picky about what I listen to, and I have a strong dislike for commercials.
So when a coworker suggested I check out a website called Pandora, it was like a dream come true.
Pandora is an automated free Internet radio service that plays selections based on users’ ratings of previous songs played. To begin, the user enters a particular artist or song he or she enjoys, and the service plays something musically similar. The user rates that song as “I like it” or “I don’t like it”, and then Pandora plays the next based on the user’s selection. There are also a few other choices, such as simply skipping the song (only six times per hour), moving it to another station, or shelving it for a month if it’s been played too often.
I absolutely love it! I’ve created 5 stations just for myself: Christian and Gospel, Instrumentality, Kickin’ Country, Mellow Out, and Randomness (the names should be self-explanatory). Instrumentality is my favorite for work … I can focus better on writing when there’s no lyrics. I use Kickin’ Country and Christian and Gospel all the time at home, when I’m cleaning my room and such. And then Mellow Out is my relaxation station … for reading, naptime, that sort of thing. Oh, and Randomness … well, that’s a mix of stuff that doesn’t fit anywhere else, and songs that randomly pop up on other stations that I like that I want to remember but don’t want to hear right then, etc.
Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend Pandora to anyone .. because who doesn’t love free music? The only downfalls are that you can’t rewind/replay songs. But with all the other pros, I think I can handle that 
Here are a few other links to info and reviews for your perusal:
* The RubeTube: PoW! #2: Pandora Internet Radio
* The Pinoy Geek: Pandora Internet Radio
* Business Model Design and Innovation: The eternal Beta: Pandora’s Business Model Design
* Revelations from Pandora’s music box
