Users can build their own stations/playlists based on their favorite music, use friends' shared playlists, or take advantage of one of many public Pandora stations that are based on genre. On Pandora, radio stations are really just playlists (and vice versa) and come with the same limitations that all Pandora stations come with.

In theory, users should be able to create an account on Spotify, search for any song or artist that they like, and begin streaming that music with Spotify's online player. Spotify depends on a large catalogue of roughly 20 million songs to accomplish this-a sticking point in some countries when major record labels have not wanted to make deals with the company. Spotify is less about new music discovery than it is about replacing traditional music players, like iTunes or Windows Media Player, with streamable music. They can also share their stations with friends however, linking to specific songs directly is impossible due to licensing restrictions. Pandora users can further customize their personal radio stations by giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to songs that are recommended to them. Most songs have hundreds of attributes that help Pandora determine the similarities and differences between one song and another. A musician then analyzes every song for up to 30 minutes at a time, finding unique characteristics with which to further categorize the music by (e.g., types of instruments used, gender of lead vocalist, rhythm, tonality, etc.). The Music Genome Project compiles information on songs, first categorizing each one by genre.

When a user visits Pandora and creates a radio station based on, for example, his or her favorite artist, Pandora searches for similar artists and songs using the complex algorithms of the Music Genome Project, a music database that Pandora has patented. Yes, but only if Spotify Premium members.Īvailable in dozens of countries and territories.Ħ4kbps for free users 192kbps for Pandora One users.ġ60kbps for free users 320kbps for some Spotify Premium songs. Yes, but with limitations: 6 skips / hr, per station limited to 30 skips in 24 hours. Individual membership is $9.99/month and each additional family member gets a 50% discount. Offers free version with ads and limitations.įree version with ads and some limitations. Pandora's premium service, Pandora One, is $4.99/mo. This service is better suited to stream and share music that users already know and love. Spotify listeners can choose the songs they want to play, when they want to play them. This service does not let users choose the specific songs they want to listen to, but rather finds songs that are 'musically similar' to their favorites. Pandora is a way for users to discover new music that matches their tastes.

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