While using a laptop during a work or study session, I sometimes find myself in a dispute over whether or not I want to manually find some good tunes through Spotify or let Pandora radio do the work for me. Both radio platforms have some wonderful features as well as some not so attractive ones.
Spotify radio and Pandora are both available for a free download on a desktop or laptop computer for anyone but one difference is that the iPhone iOS app for each radio is free for Pandora but costs a monthly fee to use Spotify after a short free trial. Commercials unfortunately occur while using both radio forms due to the generous free download, but if you decide to pay for the Spotify app on a smartphone, then commercials no longer interrupt the music.
When it comes to creating a music station personally through either radio, both are generally successful. The newest version of Spotify automatically creates various stations for you based upon your most-played artists as well as a few suggested stations. Pandora on the other hand is a little simpler in that you search as many artist’s or songs imaginable, have the ability to choose which ones you prefer in a shuffle playlist and you can even choose the thumbs up or down symbol to reflect your feelings on the present song. Pandora also provides the luxury of a song’s lyrics, artist bio, and a list of similar artists. Spotify releases just about the same information as well.
Spotify gives listeners the advantage of unlimited access to any song, station and artist daily whereas Pandora allows six song skips per hour and a total of twelve for the day. Pandora One however is a costly upgrade that will remove the daily skip limit.
In the end, it all depends on the type of music listener you are. If you’re a shuffler and don’t mind what tunes play then Pandora is your best bet. Spotify is better for listeners that are more so interactive with their music and are more particular about what song they would like to hear. Spotify radio is most certainly evolving in order to dominate any possible competition on all fronts. As for me, I am learning to enjoy Spotify more and more with the access of unlimited playlists that fit my moods perfectly.
What medium do you enjoy more?