Pandora, redux

[joshwriting]

www.pandora.com

I enjoy being able to make my own 'radio' stations.

I have a few quibbles. A given song cannot belong to more than one station. This means that my Yes station and my Enya station cannot both have some of Wakeman's music or Jon Anderson's collaborations with Vangelis.

One of my quibbles comes from one of my surprises. I had not known until recently that Mannheim Steamroller's real name is Chip. Yes, Chip. He is and was a solo performer, but used a band name as it was likelier to get his work recognized.

Well, at one point, he and a friend got together and made a few recordings under a different name. C. W. McCall, I believe, was the name. One piece that popped out when I added Mannheim Steamroller to my Enya station was Convoy by CW McCall!

I kept it, because it amuses me for many reasons. (9 long haired friends of Jesus in a chartreuse microbus, indeed!) But by keeping it, it adds a certain flavor to the station that is hard to cull.

I want to have an "exception" option that allows me to throw in ringers that don't fit the general theme I am after, but which add a flavor I want.

Comments

[whatbox.livejournal.com]

If I haven't mentioned this before, I think Pandora has changed my life, or at least my level of writing productivity.

For my part, I'd like a sort feature on song "subject" matter. Specifically, I want to customize a station that plays all kick-ass female lyrics. I tried starting with particular female country/folk singers, but even Wynona and Aretha have their poor pitiful moments, and for a person as easily influenced by surroundings as I am, this leds to, at best, inconsistency in the mood of my writing. Most of my female main characters are neurotic, but I try to not let them be outright schizoids so I still have to weed out the strong female vocals with victim lyrics songs.

I've also found that if you put in Patti Griffin as your artist, you will get so much sensitive singwriter angst that you will want to kill yourself.

What you should do

[(Anonymous)]

If you want only "kick ass female lyrics" you should first enter artists that have many songs like that. When they play a song you want them to keep playing, say you like it. When they play a song by artists like those that doesn't have the "kick ass female" music you want, go to Guide Us and say you don't like it, and they will stop playing that song and other songs like it. After working on approving and disapproving songs for awhile, pandora will get to know your musical tastes well and will only play songs that fit them.

Just some advice,
An Experienced Pandora User

What you should do

[(Anonymous)]

If you want only "kick ass female lyrics" you should first enter artists that have many songs like that. When they play a song you want them to keep playing, say you like it. When they play a song by artists like those that doesn't have the "kick ass female" music you want, go to Guide Us and say you don't like it, and they will stop playing that song and other songs like it. After working on approving and disapproving songs for awhile, pandora will get to know your musical tastes well and will only play songs that fit them.

Just some advice,
An Experienced Pandora User