Radio is too afraid to open Pandora's Box

It is obvious that radio is losing momentum. Fewer and fewer listeners are tuning in to discover new music, and, instead, turning to the internet. One website that has embraced the discovery of music on the internet is Pandora.com. (Article about internet music discovery)

The creators of Pandora went to great lengths to figure out the “DNA” of the music and songs, and figured out a way to match them up with songs and artists with similar qualities. Just type in an artist and Pandora will play songs by artists that sound alike (more about it here. I have even found it a fun and interesting way to discover new bands that I would have not necessarily have heard of. If you don’t like a song, you can tell Pandora to stop playing it. Or you can encourage it to play more songs like the ones that you enjoy.

So, what does this mean for the future of music? Pandora certainly hasn’t gotten enough popularity to change the face of music. Or has it? If radio wants listeners back, they need to do something innovative and drastic to lure people in. If radio would embrace the idea that Pandora had originally, they might find that listeners are ready for a change.

Pandora is simple, easy and free. Exactly what a Gen Y-ers wants. However, the idea Pandora will become outdated if it doesn’t become mobile. There is already an item called “Squeezebox” that allows you to stream Pandora through your home speaker system, but that is not nearly enough to make a difference. Pandora or something similar on a mobile device? It could be the answer the radio is looking for. Only time will tell whether the face of terrestrial radio will form into something like Pandora. If only the radio stations were willing to give up their old ways, and try something new.