Pandora rocks, and We Didn't Light the Fire!
Chatty has a couple of great finds for you to check out!
First up, Pandora.
This is an internet radio station – but with a difference. A big difference. Chatty is getting no kudos or kick-backs from the site, but she cannot resist telling you about it, because Chatty is all about the fun, and not the profit. (Actually, like many bloggers honest enough to admit it, she would LOVE to be about the profit as well as the fun, because then she might be able to work from home - but that’s just not in the cards at the moment. *sigh* Because, let’s face it – it’s not like Chatty is Dooce, or the Pioneer Woman!)
In any case, you have to check this out if you haven’t already done so.
Chatty first heard about Pandora on Easter Sunday, while next door stuffing her face with Steeler Girl’s outrageous scalloped potatoes, among many other delights. One of the guests was explaining it to The Wiz, and Chatty’s ears started flapping when she heard words like “customizing”,“no commercials”, “free” and “excellent”.
Chatty has in the past enjoyed Accu-Radio, but it has a limit and a drawback: the limit is the slow-streaming audio with glitches in the buffer (at least on Chatty’s computer, and she has a great computer); the drawback is the commercials they insert every 3 songs or so – because even though they are only promoting their own station, it’s still annoying.
Pandora, on the other hand, streams virtually seamlessly, and has NO commercials at all. None. Chatty has been testing it out since Easter Sunday, and she had NO complaints! Plus, their approach is very interesting. You can choose a particular genre – in which case they play songs within your chosen genre – OR, you can enter a song or an artist, and they endeavor to find songs and artists that fit within the general category you have requested.
Apparently, they cannot JUST play songs by an artist/song-writer/group you request because of copyright laws, but they DO try to approximate the sound, the instrumentality, the voice, the genre, etc., that you have requested.
This makes things very interesting! Basically, they create a “radio station” that only plays songs that approximate the artist or song that you have asked them to play.
To make it even more satisfying, you have some control. If you don’t like a song they play, you give it a “thumbs down” – and they will never play that song on “your station” again. If you like a particular song, you give it a “thumbs up”. Best of all, you don’t have to do ANYTHING unless you want to – they will continue to stream songs based on the type of music or artist you selected until you exit their site.
All together now: Can we say “great background music with no commercials”?!
Yes.
You can create up to 30 stations on your private list – as long as you are willing to give them an email address and set a name and a password. They have a comprehensive privacy policy, so Chatty felt free to sign up. By creating a profile, the site remembers your preferences – i.e. the stations you have created – so that they are always there for you when you pull up the program.
However, if you prefer NOT to give them an email address and screen name, you can still enjoy their “genre” stations, which are quite comprehensive.
Why would Pandora provide this excellent free service, Chatty wondered.
Well, because every time a listener gives a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” – that “vote” is tabulated, and the numbers are passed on to the recording companies and distributors. There is no need for names – just numbers. If a bunch of people still love, say, The Monkees, or Joan Baez, or Don McLean, or Queen, or The Sex Pistols or Matchbox 20…well, the companies who own and/or distribute those artists get some feedback as to how many people listen to those artists.
And that’s it! You listen, and may choose whether or not to give a thumbs up or thumbs down. But, even if you do not choose to add your two-cent’s worth, the music continues to play.
Isn’t that cool?
Now, on to the other wonderful thing. It’s a one-off, but definitely worth your time. Chatty is apparently WAY behind on discovering this one, because it already has something like 8 million hits - but just in case you haven’t seen and heard it, it’s absolutely wonderful, and thought-provoking. Some talented computer guy decided to put pictures to all the words/phrases that Billy Joel included in his song We Didn't Light the Fire. Even if you don’t like Billy Joel, please trust Chatty – this is well worth three minutes of your time!
First up, Pandora.
This is an internet radio station – but with a difference. A big difference. Chatty is getting no kudos or kick-backs from the site, but she cannot resist telling you about it, because Chatty is all about the fun, and not the profit. (Actually, like many bloggers honest enough to admit it, she would LOVE to be about the profit as well as the fun, because then she might be able to work from home - but that’s just not in the cards at the moment. *sigh* Because, let’s face it – it’s not like Chatty is Dooce, or the Pioneer Woman!)
In any case, you have to check this out if you haven’t already done so.
Chatty first heard about Pandora on Easter Sunday, while next door stuffing her face with Steeler Girl’s outrageous scalloped potatoes, among many other delights. One of the guests was explaining it to The Wiz, and Chatty’s ears started flapping when she heard words like “customizing”,“no commercials”, “free” and “excellent”.
Chatty has in the past enjoyed Accu-Radio, but it has a limit and a drawback: the limit is the slow-streaming audio with glitches in the buffer (at least on Chatty’s computer, and she has a great computer); the drawback is the commercials they insert every 3 songs or so – because even though they are only promoting their own station, it’s still annoying.
Pandora, on the other hand, streams virtually seamlessly, and has NO commercials at all. None. Chatty has been testing it out since Easter Sunday, and she had NO complaints! Plus, their approach is very interesting. You can choose a particular genre – in which case they play songs within your chosen genre – OR, you can enter a song or an artist, and they endeavor to find songs and artists that fit within the general category you have requested.
Apparently, they cannot JUST play songs by an artist/song-writer/group you request because of copyright laws, but they DO try to approximate the sound, the instrumentality, the voice, the genre, etc., that you have requested.
This makes things very interesting! Basically, they create a “radio station” that only plays songs that approximate the artist or song that you have asked them to play.
To make it even more satisfying, you have some control. If you don’t like a song they play, you give it a “thumbs down” – and they will never play that song on “your station” again. If you like a particular song, you give it a “thumbs up”. Best of all, you don’t have to do ANYTHING unless you want to – they will continue to stream songs based on the type of music or artist you selected until you exit their site.
All together now: Can we say “great background music with no commercials”?!
Yes.
You can create up to 30 stations on your private list – as long as you are willing to give them an email address and set a name and a password. They have a comprehensive privacy policy, so Chatty felt free to sign up. By creating a profile, the site remembers your preferences – i.e. the stations you have created – so that they are always there for you when you pull up the program.
However, if you prefer NOT to give them an email address and screen name, you can still enjoy their “genre” stations, which are quite comprehensive.
Why would Pandora provide this excellent free service, Chatty wondered.
Well, because every time a listener gives a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” – that “vote” is tabulated, and the numbers are passed on to the recording companies and distributors. There is no need for names – just numbers. If a bunch of people still love, say, The Monkees, or Joan Baez, or Don McLean, or Queen, or The Sex Pistols or Matchbox 20…well, the companies who own and/or distribute those artists get some feedback as to how many people listen to those artists.
And that’s it! You listen, and may choose whether or not to give a thumbs up or thumbs down. But, even if you do not choose to add your two-cent’s worth, the music continues to play.
Isn’t that cool?
Now, on to the other wonderful thing. It’s a one-off, but definitely worth your time. Chatty is apparently WAY behind on discovering this one, because it already has something like 8 million hits - but just in case you haven’t seen and heard it, it’s absolutely wonderful, and thought-provoking. Some talented computer guy decided to put pictures to all the words/phrases that Billy Joel included in his song We Didn't Light the Fire. Even if you don’t like Billy Joel, please trust Chatty – this is well worth three minutes of your time!
Hi, I'm kinda new to this blogging world, and I don't blog, yet anyway. But I wanted to thank you for turning me on to "Pandora"! It DOES ROCK! Thanks again.
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Oooh, Pandora is fun! I'm afraid the Billy Joel images flash much too quickly for me, but I loved it anyway.
Thank you, Chatty!
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