Tuning into Pandora Radio

In 1999 a little start-up, by the name of Savage Beast Technologies, entered the Web scene to sell music recommendation services. And from this idea, Pandora, an Internet radio station, was born.
 
No idle chatter, no long commercial breaks and a radio that learns your taste preferences--Pandora has a lot going for it. Yet, the Internet station, also known as the music genome project, has danced with death on several occasions, at one point having 50 employees and zero dollars in the bank. But these days, after years of pitching to investors and a close call with the federal royalty board, the company is finally turning heads, and a profit. It may even go public, reports The New York Times.
 
Pandora’s success can be credited to old-fashioned perseverance, its ability to harness intense loyalty from users and a willingness to shift directions — from business to consumer, from subscription to free, from computer to mobile — when its fortunes flagged.
 
The ultimate vision: to be as ubiquitous as AM/FM radio. And as Pandora becomes integrated into more and more platforms--from iPhones to Blu-ray players, it just may be possible.
 
Do you have a Pandora account? Tell us what you think.
 
(Photo credit: Knipsermann; C.C. 2.0)