Just in case you aren’t yet initiated, Pandora is a free internet radio station that has categorizes millions of songs on many different factors, so that it plays music that is similar in sound to your favorite songs.

It’s a wonderful vehicle for lesser known recording artists because it gives them more exposure. Even if you put in “My Humps”, Pandora would give you songs that you like from artists I guarantee you’ve never heard of before (haven’t tried it with that specific song because I hate it, but I’ll admit to putting in a couple Britney Spears songs– egg is on my face, people). I have already purchased several albums by recording artists I never would have found out about otherwise, including the East Village Opera Company and Deb Talan.

To date my best stations are each based on the following songs (and by the way, you usually get better results if you base it on a single song rather than a whole artist’s oevre, though I have one exception to this):

  • Viola by Girlyman– gives you nice, chill, peaceful folk pop stuff
  • Take On Me by A-Ha– gives you THE best dancy songs from the ’80s
  • Manu Chao– reggae-y, islandy, fun stuff

What’s your favorite Pandora station? As a dancer, I’m always looking for new music and new artists to inspire me.

About these ads