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Sep 14, 05:09 am: What's in Pandora's Box?

Fifty music majors as it turns out. The most interesting thing about the Pandora/Logitech event that BB and I attended on Tuesday was that.

Founder Tim Westergren talked about the Music Genome Project and the way they developed 400 attributes to classify music. Music majors listen to that music to apply the attributes. Pandora uses that, and one group or song that you know you like, and finds other things like it. By attribute.

They’ve got your wisdom of crowds.

Tim joked about the fact that it’s not scalable. It’s not. But do you listen to Pandora. It’s good.

Too good. That’s the dark underbelly of things that match you up with those similar. How does it expand your taste and your perspective? What does it mean that we are losing the crazy midnight DJ? The guy that plays something because he likes it. I mean, he’s practically gone without Pandora, I know. But I remember him. A version of him is how I found the Firesign Theater. How would Pandora have gotten from Cake to Firesign Theater?

And what’s all this mean to diversity?

And what’s all this mean to nonprofits?

There can be a role in this, I think, for nonprofits to bring diversity into these channels. Maybe there’s a way to open these ad support sites up to the PSAs. What else? Not to interrupt the experience. Maybe YouthNoise can be there and the links to lead to their site.

But more than a place for action. I think the answer is sometimes you need experts. That’s what you all are right. Sometimes, there’s just no substitute for someone who spent four years deep in theory listening to a song over and over. Headphones held tight. Not a volunteer. Not a Facebook app. Not a blog. Not an algorithm.

Figure out what that is and throw yourself at it.

Everything else? Find the algorithm.

tagged: pandora, logitech, wisdomcrowds, experts