Pandora vs Spotify; What's the difference?

Since the release of Spotify in the US last month, I have heard a lot of people trying to explain how it is "like pandora" or "like grooveshark".  I even heard one explanation that said it is like pandora, Grooveshark, and iTunes all rolled into one.  All of these comparisons don't seem to fit the bill.  I am not a fan of defining a platform in terms of existing platforms, it is lazy.  There can be similarities, but usually, each will have a unique set of features.

Therefore, I wanted to take some time to explain to my friends and family what I have found to be the differences between Spotify and Pandora and how I use each platform.  I will admit that I don't use Grooveshark or Rdio, so I won't bring those up.

Here is how each company defines themselves:


Pandora:

With Pandora you can explore this vast trove of music to your heart's content. Just drop the name of one of your favorite songs, artists or genres into Pandora and let the Music Genome Project go. It will quickly scan its entire world of analyzed music, almost a century of popular recordings - new and old, well known and completely obscure - to find songs with interesting musical similarities to your choice. Then sit back and enjoy as it creates a listening experience full of current and soon-to-be favorite songs for you.

Spotify:

Think of Spotify as your new music collection. Your library. Only this time your collection is vast: over 15 million tracks and counting. Spotify comes in all shapes and size, available for your PC, Mac, home audio system and cell phone. Wherever you go, your music follows you. And because the music plays live, there’s no need to wait for downloads and no big dent in your hard drive.

So, what does that mean in normal terms?

Pandora:

In Pandora you type in an artist or song and Pandora starts playing music.  It will continue to play music from multiple artists that are similar in style to the search terms you supplied.  You can also like and dislike the songs it chooses and Pandora will figure out your preferences and play more of the stuff you love.  They have some pre-built stations, but that isn't used as widely.  Most people build their own stations, you can save up to 100 of your own, that are constructed off of your search terms and then the following likes and dislikes of the music you hear.  You can control why type of music you hear, but can't control the artist and song that Pandora gives you.

How do I use Pandora? If I just want to have some music playing while I work, or clean around the house or mow the yard, I use Pandora.  Why?  Because I have established stations of styles of music I like and all I have to do is play it, then leave it alone.  It is like a playlist that is new each time I choose it.  I don't have to manually select artists or songs or build-out custom playlists. It is like the Deist view of God.  For those that don't get that, it is the clockmaker view, that God built the earth and put everything in place to be working, and then stepped back and it just goes.  Pandora is that way, you create it and tweak it, then just sit back and let it go, no more work.

Spotify:

I just started using Spotify, as did most people in the US.  Spotify was available in many foreign countries but had not worked out a deal with recording industry in the US.  They finally did and released their service in the US last month.  I got my invite and started using it, trying to figure out of it would replace my Pandora or not.  I went into this process thinking it had to be one or the other, but after using Spotify for a few weeks,  I have now decided that they each have a use and will both stay in my toolbox.

Spotify basically is a gigantic music library hosted in the cloud.  You search for music in it, and then get results and click on the song you want to listen to.  Once the song is done, you click to play a different one in the search results, or search again for a new song/artist/album.  You can listen to more than one song at a time, but it requires building out custom playlists or listening to playlists that your friends have built.

The benefit of Spotify to me is that you have granular control over the music you hear.  Search for what you want and then play it.  It is a great way to listen to an artist you heard on the radio and want to hear more of their stuff.  Pandora is a great way to find new artists that you will like, and Spotify is a great way to hear all that artist's music.  Wired magazine says this about Spotify and I think it sums it up, "Those who have used Spotify know that it is like a magical version of iTunes in which you have already bought every song in the world."

I use Spotify to find songs I want to listen to or hear more songs by an artist I like.  It will connect to Facebook and show you playlists that your friends have built, so that is cool.

Here is a high-level list of some other differences:

• Pandora is a website and Spotify is an application you download and install
• Pandora has a mobile app that you can use with your non-premium account, Spotify mobile app requires premium membership.
• You can access your iTunes library through Spotify app.
• Both allow you to share playlists/stations you have created, although it is easier in Spotify.
• Both free versions have ads in them.
• Pandora will only let you listen to 40 hours in a month with the free account, Spotify is 10 hours a month.

So, my suggestion, use them both, enjoy them both.  They aren't the same at all and should be used accordingly, based off what your needs are.