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Pandora adds comedy to its streaming service

Tess Vigeland May 4, 2011
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The Pandora Internet Radio logo. Image courtesy of Pandora.com

Pandora adds comedy to its streaming service

Tess Vigeland May 4, 2011
The Pandora Internet Radio logo. Image courtesy of Pandora.com
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Tess Vigeland: Comedy gold is what every would-be humorist strives for. And it’s what we pan for as an audience member at a stand-up club. It can also be as elusive as actual gold.

So today the streaming music service Pandora — the folks who allow you to basically design your own radio station — announced a way to create your own comedy club. Type in a comedian you like, a style, even a specific joke, and it builds a playlist — more accurately, a set — based on your preferences.

Tim Westergren is Pandora’s founder.

Tim Westergren: If music suffers from ineffective promotion, I think comedy’s in even tougher shape. So I think this could offer a really wonderful platform for comedians, at all stages of their careers, to find and develop new audiences.

Comedians will get royalties every time their material makes it into a set. Steve Hofstetter is one of Pandora’s featured comedians, and he’s hoping the recommendations bring in a new audience.

Steve Hofstetter: I think if people like, someone like a Bill Hicks or a George Carlin, obviously I don’t consider myself in the same league as them. But in terms of my style and what I find funny, I think they’ll be more amenable to enjoying my stuff.

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