iTunes + Pandora
Hi, I've been a user of a service called "Pandora" for a few months now.
The purpose of Pandora, simply put, is to find music that you will like based on songs or artists that you give it.
If Apple added a feature like this to the radio section of iTunes, and allowed users to purchase songs being played I think a lot of people would use it.
Pandora already links users to iTunes and Amazon to buy currently playing songs, so a deal with apple wouldnt significantly change what they're already doing.
At this point, many of you who havn't tried pandora are probably getting pretty skeptical (I know I was when I first heard about it), but it really works. I highly reccomend it and wish Apple could work it's UI wizardry on the boring and complicated flash based interface that Pandora currently uses.
Any thoughts?
The purpose of Pandora, simply put, is to find music that you will like based on songs or artists that you give it.
If Apple added a feature like this to the radio section of iTunes, and allowed users to purchase songs being played I think a lot of people would use it.
Pandora already links users to iTunes and Amazon to buy currently playing songs, so a deal with apple wouldnt significantly change what they're already doing.
At this point, many of you who havn't tried pandora are probably getting pretty skeptical (I know I was when I first heard about it), but it really works. I highly reccomend it and wish Apple could work it's UI wizardry on the boring and complicated flash based interface that Pandora currently uses.
Any thoughts?
Comments
My prediction/speculation for Mwsf or a special event soon after...
iTunes will add iTunes Radio. This will be custom streamed radio stations and podcasts based on Pandora (which I'm also predicting Apple will buy). It will play new songs based on your previous purchases or artists and songs that interest you. The catch will be that somewhere during the songs the sound will fade and an announcer will say "You are listening to <artist> performing <song>" and maybe even "on iTunes Radio". The real focus will be on introducing you to new artists and music. Click to buy. When listening to custom podcasts on the iPod, you can mark a song for later purchase. If you hate the current song, you can hit forward and skip to the next one. With this system, iTunes will also allow full song previews.
From a later post...
As a follow up to my idea, the voice-over system could be used to allow websites to offer song previews. A music review site could allow you to listen to the song it is reviewing with an occasional voice-over that mentions buying the song at iTunes and a link. Maybe this could even be part of the rumored Google deal.
I suppose this service could be a subscription, but since it is meant to push sales, it might be free. Another way of doing it might be to give so much radio time for each song purchased during a month. If they really want to fire a shot across the bow of commercial radio, they could even sell ads that play during the stream/podcast.
Pandora has exposed me to so much new music, it's amazing. I love to just let it run for hours in the background and if I hear something that I really like, I'll download it.
If Apple offered something like this, it should be free because it is a tool (not too much unlike reccomending what other users have bought) to push the sale of their music.
I think if pandora had more mainstream exposure it would really take off. Just my thoughts though...
CoverFlow, on the other hand...