Pandora Launches 'Handpicked' Stations

Pandora has yet another discovery tool under its belt to help listeners be exposed to and find new music. The music streaming service announced on Wednesday the launch of new handpicked music stations that provide personalized recommendations curated by a team of the company's musicologists.

Pandora will handpick recently-released songs from both emerging and underground artists, as well as popular artists, and add them to its New Music Stations across various genres. These stations include: New Pop, New Country, New Hip Hop, New Dance, New Indie, New Electronic, New Alternative, New Regional Mexican and New Latin & Tropical. New music will be added to these stations weekly.

The New Music Stations feature new songs based on each specific user's preferences. The idea branches off from Pandora's core listening experience: tapping on the thumbs up to indicate that this is a song the user likes. Radio stations on the service are then tailored to types of artists and songs played based on personal taste.

Since Pandora already knows what its individual users love, the New Music Stations include songs they haven't yet discovered that they will probably also love.

Discover our New Music Stations: handpicked week by week, covering all your favorite genres. https://t.co/nmiShiLv8L pic.twitter.com/DKeamkYiRC

— Pandora (@pandora_radio) June 15, 2016

“Musical preferences are never one-size-fits-all. With the constant stream of newly released music and generalized recommendations that are made for the masses on mainstream radio formats, amazing talent gets lost in the fold,” said Ron Nenni, director of music programming, Pandora. “Our goal with these stations is to connect new music made by artists of all shapes and sizes to Pandora’s massive audience in a way that’s targeted and personal. We are pushing the boundaries of discovery and serving up an experience that listeners can’t find anywhere else.”