# Do you like Pandora? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452 "2012-04-30T22:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/41 "2012-05-02T01:36:16Z")
> [@Invisible\_Chimp](#): > > If I wanted to stay within a genre, I’d pick one of their pre-fab genre stations, I wouldn’t even bother creating my own! Case in point, the artist seeds to just one of my stations are Adele, Tune-Yards, Fucked Up, Cults, Wye Oak, Middle Brother, Foster The People, TV on the Radio, Megafaun, and the War on Drugs. Didn’t know they had pre-fab stations; there was no suggestion of it through the whole sign up process, and nothing on the station page that looks like it links to some kind of list. How can I find them? ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/42 "2012-05-02T01:48:45Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Didn’t know they had pre-fab stations; there was no suggestion of it through the whole sign up process, and nothing on the station page that looks like it links to some kind of list. How can I find them? I’m on my smart device. When I opened the app, I selected “New Station.” there were two tabs up top, Artist and Genre. I don’t remember how it is on the regular site, but that might head you in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/43 "2012-05-02T01:54:31Z")
> [@Invisible\_Chimp](#): > > I’m on my smart device. When I opened the app, I selected “New Station.” there were two tabs up top, Artist and Genre. I don’t remember how it is on the regular site, but that might head you in the right direction. Ah, that works! Thanks, I hadn’t clicked on that title yet, just on the field to type in names of artists or tunes. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/44 "2012-05-02T02:11:43Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Unless your affection for that genre is new and unexplored, like when I created my LCD Soundsystem station and got to hear other dance-punk bands, I think it performs poorly in that regard. If I make a Rolling Stones station, Pandora gives me a thoroughly predictable mix of classic rock radio staples. No surprises or discoveries, and certainly no inspired picks or recommendations. Yeah, it’s not good for “deep cuts” or anything like that. Like you say, as an introduction to a genre you’re not already fairly intimate with, it does pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/45 "2012-05-02T14:28:21Z")
I like Pandora because I listen to music mostly through FM radio, and Pandora feels a lot like an FM radio station that I can rate songs on without commercials. I imagine that if I were a true connoisseur, or even if I bought music on a regular basis, I wouldn’t be nearly as impressed with it. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/46 "2012-05-02T15:06:58Z")
I primarily use Pandora as my background listening for when I’m working or writing. I have an instrumentals-only station with a mix of techno, bluegrass, classical…all kinds of stuff, but no vocals, and all upbeat. (It took a while of tuning it, but now I rarely have to mess with it at all.) I do hear the same songs pop up a fair amount, but I’m OK with it since it’s just background listening anyway. I sometimes will open up a station for an artist I’m not that familiar with, just to see what else it gives me. Sometimes it’s interesting, sometimes not. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/47 "2012-05-02T17:04:46Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > I get A LOT of hours out of their stand up comedian tracks. Louis CK, Patton Oswalt, John Mulaney – it’s awesome. > [@davidm](#): > > They have comedian tracks? I had no idea. I’ll have to add them to my mix. Holy hell this just made my day. I have a 14 hour drive coming up in two days and this is what I’m gonna have the whole time. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/48 "2012-05-02T17:19:58Z")
That little up arrow between thumbs down and thumbs up has a “I’m Tired of This Track” option; they’ll put it on a shelf for 30 days. LOVE Pandora. If you subscribe, you don’t get commercials. And they welcome feedback from listeners; they claim they are constantly working to finesse what it does. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452/49 "2012-05-02T17:47:53Z")
I use the free version through my phone. Often times ill get 90 seconds of a song then it will stop and next one starts. Any advice on what I’m doing wrong. I like it but I don’t want to upgrade to pay version if I’m still going to have same issues. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-pandora/620452.md?page=2)