Interesting WSJ article about Pandora ...

... a website that makes musical recommendations. Most such sites use a social networking approach, recommending music based on the choices of people who like the same music that you do. Pandora uses a different approach, trying to break music down into it's constituent components (how complex the rhythm or harmonies are, for example), and then figuring that you'd like music that was "similar" in this sense.

The Journal article is subscription-only, so here's a brief excerpt.

Visitors to Pandora's Web site are greeted with an invitation to enter the names of a few songs or artists they like. Pandora then generates a customized "radio station" that plays other songs it believes users will like, based on its scientific analysis. A recent search for songs like the Beatles' early hit "I Want to Hold Your Hand" brought up a steady stream of songs like the Shaggs' "Little Girl" and Del Shannon's "Sue's Gotta Be Mine." A search for "Come Together," which the Beatles recorded in a later, more rock-influenced phase, delivered Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In the Wall, Pt. 2."

Users can click a tab to find out why Pandora has recommended a particular song -- in the case of the Pink Floyd tune, Pandora says it is similar to "Come Together" in that it has "mild rhythmic syncopation, minor key tonality, repetitive melodic phrasing, extensive vamping and vocal harmonies."

Interesting approach, and I wonder how valid it is. I like the approach, but it's not clear to me how valid it is. Do people really who like some songs that are in minor keys really tend to like songs in minor keys?

It's worth some tests. Any feedback welcome.

-s