I, or course, only just recently discovered it a month or two ago. I'm not what you'd call an early adopter. I don't like to jump on the bandwagon until there's only one seat left. I'm still watching my 17 year old non-HD TV and I only just got a cell phone three years ago (a flip phone, which I'm still using). I'm just not interested in being on the cutting edge of technology, lest I slice my fingers.
Chalk it up to having parents who grew up in the depression and passed down their philosophy of "If it still works, it's good enough."
Normally I don't like to listen to music while I work. I know a lot of people do, but I've always found it too distracting. When I'm supposed to be typing out the features of the latest Nike running shoe for an ad, I don't like it when I instead type out lyrics boasting of how my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. That doesn't do the company nor me any good.
That said, I started listening to Pandora not out of want but of necessity. There are a disproportionate number of women in my office and there are times when their constant and unceasing chatter becomes overwhelming. To say it sounds like a hen house, while no doubt unkind, is undeniably only too apt. Call me a chauvinist if you will, ladies, but I'm only speaking what is true.
I don't mind when the talk is work related, as that's why we're all there. But when the blib blab veers toward subjects like who was unjustly sent packing on the latest singing or dance show, or how many times they've read Fifty Shades of Grey that week, it's more than I can take. That's when I pop in the earbuds and escape to my own little aural sanctuary.
If you've not yet tried Pandora, I heartily recommend it. What's not to love? You type in the name of a band you like and it immediately starts playing entire songs from said band, along with music from similar groups. For free! Can't beat that with a stick. Well, you could I guess, but there would be no advantage in it.
If they play a song you don't like, simply click the "thumbs down" button and they'll yank it and offer up another song for your approval. Eventually you'll have a channel that plays music tailored to your own eclectic personal tastes. I'd like to see you do that, Over-The-Air-Ad-Supported-Radio!
Once in a while when you give a song the thumbs down, a box will pop up that says, "Sorry. We didn't mean to play this. As soon as this song is over, we'll never play it again." Neurotic that I am, I always feel like apologizing to them and saying, "Hey, that's OK. I didn't mean it. Go ahead and play the Pina Coloda song if you want.
Honestly I don't understand how the creators of the site make any money. They do have the occasional commercial, but they're few and far between. Certainly not enough to seemingly keep such a venture afloat. Sometimes I have this uneasy feeling that a few months from now I'm going to get a bill for several thousand dollars for all the songs I've listened to on the site.
They have a huge catalog of music too, not just a list of well-known hits. I've got some pretty obscure tastes in music, and so far every song or band name I've typed in is on their list. It's pretty amazing.
I'm still trying to figure out all the rules of the site and hack them for my benefit. If you want to hear a specific song from a group, you type in the title and the site says, "OK, we'll play a list of songs similar to the one you want." Um, no, how about you play the one I just said? It's not a perfect arrangement, but then what is in this sorry world?
Pandora therefore receives my highest rating, which I'm sure will be cause for celebration at their headquarters. I highly recommend it. And if you've been using it for years, just pat me on the head and chuckle, "Aren't you the cutest little thing."
I never even heard of it. What does that say about me? lol. Looking in to it now though :) Sounds like my kind of thing....free lol
ReplyDelete