Station Algorithm

[Pallas_Athena]

Not sure what happened, whether the algorithm has changed or if they have fewer licensed artists, but it seems to repeat a LOT.  I thought the entire point of the service was that it took your cumulative activity on the station (Seeds, thumbs up, thumbs down) rather than just the MOST RECENT to determine your station.

In the past, it seemed like it was much more varied.  The reason I THUMB UP things I like is because, well, I LIKE them.  But I'd think that would be balanced out by say, me thumbs-upping 10 songs for some artist 10 years ago, or those that I have used to seed my stations throughout the years.  But it seems like it just likes to play what I JUST thumbed up.  So, within a 2 hour period, I might hear the same artist like, 4 or 5 times when I KNOW that I have a good variety on that station.  And this happens with a few artists, so I'm hearing the same 5 or 6 artists over and over again.  Don't get me wrong, I LIKE those artists and enjoy hearing them, but I seem to remember getting more variety.  And this isn't one listening session (which used to happen before) but every time I log onto that station.

Is there a way for the algorithm to be put back to look at the cumulative history of our activities on that station?  Thank you and Happy Holidays!

[AdamPandora]

@Pallas_Athena Sorry to hear that your stations aren't playing the way you want them to.

Pandora stations adapt with every song to try to find the right music for you. It does this by using a combination of the detailed information in the Music Genome Project, the station seeds and Thumbs feedback you have given along with feedback given by other listeners under similar conditions.

There are a number of variables that come into play when selecting the next song:

• The complete range of musical attributes for all of the songs we have by the artist you used to create the station. For example, for a station based on Brian Eno, you might hear rock songs and ambient music. You might try creating a station from one of the artist's songs instead (e.g. Lucky Star by Madonna). This should make the station much more specific.

• The type of feedback you've given on the station (all the Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down ratings) and any additional artist or song seeds you've added to the station. Pandora lumps all this together and tries to determine what the best musical match is based on our musical analysis.

To improve your stations, here are a couple of things to try:

1. Thumb down tracks that do not fit. This will prevent that song from playing again, and Pandora will learn more about what you don't want to hear.
2. Make sure each of the thumbs-up you've given fits in with the type of station you are trying to create. If not, then remove that thumbs-up rating from the station page.
3. When listening from a computer, a mobile device or the Sonos app, you can access Pandora Modes to customize your station experience. You can pick different modes like Crowd Faves, Discovery and Deep Cuts.

If you need help editing your stations, let me know.

Of course, Pandora Premium subscribers can also create custom playlists in order to have complete control of what they hear on Pandora. If you want more information about that, let me know.

Thanks so much for listening!

[chrisrosica]

totally agree. with AI and algorithms, pandora should be able to find endless similar music that is NEW. And it doesn't...it repeats way too much. Not to mention the absurdity of just playing music from a female because i "liked" a female artist.

[DonkeyEngine]

Hi Pallas,  I have found that during the holidays, creating a holiday station can be difficult because there are so many versions of the same songs.

Niche genres stations also seem to play a lot of the same songs over and over.  I've had to overhaul my stations quite a few times over the years.

[Valkyrie607]

This is nonsense. I've had a Pandora account since 2006. I've had a Plus subscription since 2020. I've had a Premium subscription for the past year. I've tried everything you mention. The problem is YOUR algorithm. It was less repetitive before. Now it's more repetitive. If you keep denying this problem then you will continue losing customers. 

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