Problem
Pandora is great, if you don't know what it is you should really go check it out. However; the problem I have noticed from users over time is that everyone seeds their individual stations with a specific song or artist. They end up with quite a few stations but as they listen to the stations over time, by use of the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons, the stations all start to blend together. The same songs will carry over and play in other stations.
The idea of stations then isn't that useful in the long run when a user wants to tune in for something and ends up hearing basically the same old stuff again no matter which station is selected at the time.
The idea of stations then isn't that useful in the long run when a user wants to tune in for something and ends up hearing basically the same old stuff again no matter which station is selected at the time.
Solution
I think Pandora should learn the taste of the user over time as a whole, and not per station. Once Pandora begins to understand a user it can build a stream of music for the moment by allowing the user to choose a mood. Of course we can predict user moods based on things like if they are at work, the gym or hanging out on a Friday night. Moving from station selection to mood selection would be a pivotal change for Pandora and a step in the right direction I believe to keep them relevant and ahead of user needs in a market which now has many growing competitors.
