Pandora in Columbus, and Last.fm
I've been intending for a while to mention Last.fm and comparisons between that and Pandora for purposes of discovering new music and generally listening to music you like.
The short version is that with Pandora, you tell it what you like, and it uses musicological traits and mysterious algorithms to determine similar-sounding music. While with Last.fm, you tell it what you're listening to (automatically via a "scrobbler" plugin to your music player), and it compares your listening habits to other people, then can play you things that other people with similar listening habits also listen to. At least that's the theory; I haven't played much with the Last.fm playback mechanism, and the web site is extremely unresponsive. (But it does often know what I've been listening to.)
Anyway, the reason I mention this now is that Pandora is on tour, with an informal town-hall style gathering in Columbus scheduled for Monday, October 16. They want to discuss the following questions: -How is technology changing the nature of radio?
-How important are community and peers when it comes to discovering music online? What's the best way to foster community? [This one sounds directly related to Last.fm's community-networking nature.]
-Can services like Pandora help create a larger middle class of artists who aren't superstars, but have enough of an audience to support themselves through their music? Do music lovers want more music discovery?
The short version is that with Pandora, you tell it what you like, and it uses musicological traits and mysterious algorithms to determine similar-sounding music. While with Last.fm, you tell it what you're listening to (automatically via a "scrobbler" plugin to your music player), and it compares your listening habits to other people, then can play you things that other people with similar listening habits also listen to. At least that's the theory; I haven't played much with the Last.fm playback mechanism, and the web site is extremely unresponsive. (But it does often know what I've been listening to.)
Anyway, the reason I mention this now is that Pandora is on tour, with an informal town-hall style gathering in Columbus scheduled for Monday, October 16. They want to discuss the following questions: -How is technology changing the nature of radio?
-How important are community and peers when it comes to discovering music online? What's the best way to foster community? [This one sounds directly related to Last.fm's community-networking nature.]
-Can services like Pandora help create a larger middle class of artists who aren't superstars, but have enough of an audience to support themselves through their music? Do music lovers want more music discovery?