Introduction
Pandora is one of the oldest popular music streaming services out there. Pandora tailors every user’s music experience with over 450 musical attributes, creating a customizable, unique experience for everyone.
This system is known as The Music Genome Project, a project dedicated to bringing a personalized listening experience to every listener on Pandora. But there are a few ways to use The Music Genome Project to further customize your Pandora experience.
Before that, just know that Pandora is only allowed in the United States at the time of writing. Fortunately, users can have Pandora unblocked by using a VPN.
Tips to Get the Most Out of Pandora
Take Advantage of Pandora’s Like/Dislike System
Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music allow listeners to “heart” or “like” songs, which will then build up a playlist of songs the listener has liked that they can revisit at any time. Pandora has a similar system, though due to the way Pandora’s station system works, it’s a lot more vital to the listening experience.
When listening to a station, the listener has two choices for each song: “thumbs up” and “thumbs down.” When a listener gives a thumbs up to a song, the station’s algorithm will play more songs that sound similar to that song. Adversely, when a listener gives a thumbs down to a song, the station will filter out songs that sound similar. Pandora can even create a playlist based on your thumbs-up songs.
Take Some Time to Explore Pandora’s Various Stations
What separates Pandora from other music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music is that Pandora models itself after radio stations. If you visit the station based on The Beatles, for instance, all the songs that play will either be from The Beatles or other songs that sound similar to their catalog.
Despite its inconsistency, Pandora’s station method is a great way for listeners to discover new songs and artists. For this reason, any Pandora listener should take some time out of their day and visit the various stations of artists they like.
This way, if they ever get tired of one station or find one lacking in the music they like, they always have a backup station. Why use Pandora if you’re not going to indulge in its redeeming qualities?
Base Your Stations Arounds Songs You Like
However, the method of basing an entire station around an artist you like can be very hit-or-miss. For example, David Bowie was an incredible artist who’s signature sound was always changing throughout his career. Base a station around him, and you’re going to be bombarded with tons of songs of varying genres, including those you may not like.
To remedy this, base stations around songs you like instead of artists you like. This makes it so that most songs that pop while listening to the station will have a similar sound to songs you like instead of being all over the place. Again, it’s not a perfect system, but it works well when you find that perfect song and station.
Subscribe to Pandora Plus or Pandora Premium if Used Regularly
If you find yourself opening up Pandora on a daily basis, it won’t hurt to subscribe to Pandora. Wait, a subscription?
Yes, while Pandora is free for anyone to use at any time, there is a subscription plan for more hardcore listeners. Think of Pandora’s Free plan like Spotify’s—you can definitely use it, but there are certain limitations that subscribers don’t have to deal with.
According to Pandora’s own subscription page, Pandora Plus subscribers get:
- Tailored, ad-free stations.
- The ability to search for specific songs and artists
- Access to podcasts
- Unlimited skips for songs they don’t like
- And offline listening.
Pandora Premium, the highest tier, get all of the same benefits, and the ability to make and share playlists.
If you don’t use Pandora often, you don’t need the subscription. However, if you use it daily or near-daily, you may want to grab a Plus subscription.
Explore What Other People are Listening To
Most streaming services nowadays have taken queues from social media platforms and allow listeners to connect with each other, add each other as friends, and share music. Pandora allows users to make their playlists public and let other Pandora users get a glimpse into your music tastes.
Like I mentioned earlier, you can only create and share playlists if you are subscribed to Pandora Premium. However, you do not need Pandora Premium to listen to other people’s playlists. If you want to use your friend’s playlist as a way to power through the work-day, you can! And it’s always possible you find a playlist that fits perfectly with your music tastes, saving you the trouble of a subscription!
Conclusion
Overall, Pandora is a fantastic tool for listeners that want to find new music. With these tips, you’ll be able to turn Pandora into your very own music haven!
About the author
Jack Warner is an accomplished cybersecurity expert with years of experience under his belt at TechWarn, a trusted digital agency to world-class cybersecurity companies. A passionate digital safety advocate himself, Jack frequently contributes to tech blogs and digital media sharing expert insights on cybersecurity and privacy tools.
Last Updated on February 14, 2022 8:22 pm CET by Markus Kasanmascheff
