One of the highlights in my time working at Pandora has been contributing to and enjoying the monthly Pandora Picks playlists. These are curated by Eric Shea, with single-song selections from some of our fellow Pandora music-heads. We listen to a lot of music here of course, and since we each know and love different sets of genres, the Pandora Picks playlists tend to be very eclectic. You'll have a classic jazz piece next to an experimental metal track, followed by an underground hip-hop gem, and so on. I have found these playlists to be music-discovery treasure troves, along with the engaging and informative spoken intros from the pandas who picked 'em. I haven't missed one opportunity to contribute a pick since I joined the team here, and I look forward to it each month. Yesterday I sent a few questions to Eric Shea, aforementioned Pandora Senior Operations Manager and the man behind these unique playlists, and he replied with these insights and fun recollections:  What first inspired you to start organizing these Pandora Picks playlists? Shea: I used to do something similar when I worked at a digital music startup in the late 1990s - my friend Jon and I had a weekly internal blog and before we could program playlists, we wrote a list of staff picks from our fellow employees. Shortly after I started working for Pandora, I got to know a lot of the wonderful folks here and of course, our common conversational topics always revolve around music. Before Pandora featured playlists, I did something similar on the company blog to what Jon and I did back then. And it just seemed like a natural fit to start the playable version of Pandora Picks once we were able to begin programming playlists. I imagine there are at least a few, but what is one artist who first came to your attention from a Pandora Pick, whom you have continued to follow and enjoy? Shea: That’s a great question, because there have been so many that it’s impossible to choose just one. But off the top of my head, during the summer of Covid, Noel picked “Letter To My Mind” by Ezra Feinberg. I had already been a fan of Ezra’s old band Citay, but I’d never heard this solo recording. And it’s one of those soft songs that hits you hard. And it’s always stayed with me. It’s just a sweet, slow-burning, instrumental that feels like a pocket soundtrack to a personal moment. I still play it when I’m riding my bike or sidewalk surfing to the grocery store or during my morning yoga. It’s also great to unwind to after a stressful day. What’s a memorable response from an artist you’ve tagged in socials with one of your Pandora Picks? Shea: Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman fame is an awesome singer/songwriter. Her solo stuff reminds me a bit of Dusty Springfield, but with that unmistakably smooth voice that I knew from growing up on TV and watching her fight crime on a weekly basis. Picking one of her songs inadvertently introduced me to the music of her similarly talented daughter, Jessica Carter Altman. But I was really touched when Lynda tagged me on her socials for adding one of her songs. She and Jessica have since been kind enough to grace us with some playlists, including an awesome Mother’s Day themed Pandora Story where they talk about their musical influences and their history in performing music together and separately. Is there a particular genre which you maybe were unaware of or uninterested in, which you came to know and love because of a Pandora Pick? Shea: I’m pretty aware of most genres, but a former Christian and Gospel programmer made me realize that you don’t have to be overtly religious to dig recordings from those genres of music and to experience moments when you can feel moved by artists playing and singing to their faith - maybe not in a similarly religious way, but definitely in an uplifting way that I wasn’t expecting. I think being a lifelong music fan/musician has gifted me with this experience where all genres of music can just tap into parts of my empathy so I can feel similar feelings to someone in a recording studio, pouring their heart into the act of playing an instrument or singing a song. What is the wildest, most unexpected, left field out of this world to you Pandora Pick that ever blew your mind? Shea: During the beginning of Covid, it was Andee’s pick “Hell’s Teeth” by the band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs that hit me right between the eyes. It’s just this sucker punch of hard, heavy, rock and for me, served to be a piece of catharsis during a frustrating time. I had been living in Athens, Georgia for just under a year, and going back regularly to play with my own hard rock band. And knowing that I wouldn’t be able to see or play with those dudes for a while just made me want to hear as much heavy, distorted, angry rock during my morning exercises or when skating a curb in the parking lot of an abandoned grocery store. -------------- And there you have it!  Ready for a leap down a grand musical rabbit hole?  Here is the latest Pandora Picks playlist  as of this writing, and this search link will bring up a bevy of others.  ... View more

Audio Journal Of A Music Curator   In 2017, I started working as a contractor for Pandora in Oakland. Pandora was creating their on-demand streaming service, integrating it with their classic radio service, and I joined a team optimizing music metadata for this launch. I took to it right away, loved the work and the people there, continued on, and SiriusXM eventually hired me full-time. After a year or so, I started adding little by little to what is now a 230+ song playlist. Most are songs I've come across while doing my work as a music metadata specialist and catalog curator here. Sometimes a track really stands out to me in some way, and I add it to this personal playlist, Din's Pandora Picks. In the last few weeks, I've been listening back to it anew, and frankly I'm blown away by the quality of so much of it. It's an extremely eclectic, genre- and era-agnostic listen, with the only common thread being that this is all stuff that rocks me in some way. It happened that The Specials, on my shortest short list of favorite bands, released their ENCORE album around that time.  Track 1 is their reprise of The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum, which I also had the pleasure of seeing them play live at the Fox Oakland on their final tour, just down the street from the Pandora office. No One Sleeps When I'm Awake by Canada's The Sounds is a stunning rocker with a unique mood, and brilliant vocals and guitar work. I found myself playing it on repeat just soaking up every detail in the car, and on my earbuds and home speeks. The set runs roughly chronologically from there. Songs I found recently are at the end, with my earlier discoveries nearer the beginning. A great majority of the selections are in the proverbial "long tail." Some started there and then got much more popular, and a few are old favorites I arbitrarily added along the way 'cos they compelled me. At this point, I'm pleased about the whole playlist and quite delighted to share it publicly. Tooooo many favorites to call out, but that's why it's a PLAYlist! And you may play it. Hop on in, tune in, turn up, rock out. I'll continue to add to this as time goes on, whenever the inspiration strikes.    Eric Din is a Music Metadata Specialist at SiriusXM/Pandora. This playlist represents his personal discoveries and preferences, not an official Pandora-endorsed selection. ... View more