Slacker -vs- Pandora -vs- last.fm

Which Internet Radio service do you prefer?

  • Slacker

    Votes: 47 54.7%
  • Pandora

    Votes: 21 24.4%
  • last.fm

    Votes: 6 7.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 12 14.0%

  • Total voters
    86

RusH

New Member
Mar 4, 2009
4
0
1
I`ve recently become a Blackberry user, so Slacker is tops for my portable needs.
It`s loaded on a Nextel Curve which is not 3G, so if I`m not in a wifi spot the cached stations are good to have..wifi works great too.


Last.fm is another I service I like...but it`s mainly when I`m in front of my PC. Which can be alot some days, the scrobbing, the descriptions of the music, social aspect and videos what makes it a better experience than Pandora. I would use it more, but support for portability is the worst of the three.

Pandora is still good, when I was a heavy user, the song selections were better than Last.fm. If I had an iPhone I would be happy with it.
 

mlitt55

New Member
Jan 22, 2009
6
0
1
Pandora gets my vote! I listen to Internet radio quite a bit.

More clarification:
If you want to listen to one type of station/genre, then Pandora.
If you want variety, along a genre line.... then go with Slacker/Winamp/.fm/etc....

For portability... Slacker is the only one that does this!!! Great, ....as long as my G1 doesn't brick.
 

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
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I think I waiver between the two. They're both very good. Slacker is good for the 100+ Professionally programmed stations available. And both are good for when I want to play Program Director and do my own thing. I've got a channel on Pandora that is a darn-near accurate recreation of the old X-Country on XM12. (R.I.P.) I started with Cross Canadian Ragweed, stole some of the 'Top 50' lists from XM411 and went to town.

Both have outstanding iPhone apps as well. I'd say tie for first with Last.fm a close second.
 

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
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I learned another thing interesting, I was listening to my X-Country Pandora station on the way to the library this afternoon, unplugged the phone from the FM Transmitter, and Pandora paused the song, and picked up where it left off when I came back. Whereas Slacker just quits the song, and moves on to the next one. Advantage Pandora on that one, wonder if that's a feature Slacker would consider.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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I learned another thing interesting, I was listening to my X-Country Pandora station on the way to the library this afternoon, unplugged the phone from the FM Transmitter, and Pandora paused the song, and picked up where it left off when I came back. Whereas Slacker just quits the song, and moves on to the next one. Advantage Pandora on that one, wonder if that's a feature Slacker would consider.

I am surprised you just discovered this? But in all honesty it really isn't that big of a deal for Slacker to just jump to the next song. However, the G2 does remember where it paused and starts the song from there.

I guess you could say this is an advantage for Pandora, but when you consider the lack of ability to favor or ban artist and songs (except for a month at a time) this is one advantage I could live without if they offered better customization.
 

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
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I am surprised you just discovered this? But in all honesty it really isn't that big of a deal for Slacker to just jump to the next song. However, the G2 does remember where it paused and starts the song from there.

I guess you could say this is an advantage for Pandora, but when you consider the lack of ability to favor or ban artist and songs (except for a month at a time) this is one advantage I could live without if they offered better customization.

This IS the most i've listened to Pandora in quite a while. ;) I put a couple of stations together that are really good. I'm about 50/50 between that and Slacker. In fact I'm listening to Slacker online right now, and building up my 'favorites' station I've been working on for about a month. I suppose it is a big deal if it's a really good song, and you're not in a position to stick around and listen. But might want to hear it later. Also the advantage the iPod itself has.
 

Jon

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Dec 16, 2008
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If they come out with the 64GB iPod Touch before I decide to get a classic, then I'll get that. My collections is about 45GB right now so it would fit.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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I've discovered over the years that even though my music library is larger than my current iPod Touch, I hardly ever listen to that music much anymore. The ones that I listen to a generally full albums of rare music that you can't really hear in all its full glory on music services. I also enjoy the gapless playback. In terms of other music though I see no reason to even bother anymore. I mainly like old classic rock albums and of course new age albums. The 32gb suits me perfectly anything more than that would be a waste of space and money, thanks to Slacker and Pandora :)
 

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
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I'm the opposite. I was a fan of my old 80GB for the reason that I could hear stuff I never knew I had (as weird as that sounds) or a deep track that was buried in my collection. It's for that reason that I'll likely wind up with a 120GB Classic and expand my collection a lot more when the money's better. I'm used to spending $100 or more between Music and books on a monthly basis. But I haven't done that in several months.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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Well I am not spending my hard earned money on music I've never heard to have it sit there and me discovery it sometimes down the line. LOL That is what Slacker and Pandora are for! $100 a month? No thank you!
 

Jon

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Dec 16, 2008
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Well I am not spending my hard earned money on music I've never heard to have it sit there and me discovery it sometimes down the line. LOL That is what Slacker and Pandora are for! $100 a month? No thank you!

You oughta see my cd collection. :eek:
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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You oughta see my cd collection. :eek:

I actually quit buying CD's which I've bought many of over the years, but once I subscribed to Sirius and XM, I don't think I've bought anymore except for specialized CD of artist I really like. I would imagine I had a 400 or 500 CD collection since I had been collecting them since the '70s. But other than those full albums of rock and new age that I really, really love, the rest was all given to Goodwill just to clear them out of my house.

In regards to digital music I've been much more selective there, mainly buying New Age music that wasn't being represented on Sirius or XM. Some of which isn't even on Slacker. In regards to anything else I have no reason to buy anymore.

I think as we go forward the model for music and even movies, will be rent or buy access to a library. CD, DVD, Blu-Ray sells are down big time and I think we are already seeing this model unfold with the likes of Netflicks, Blockbuster Online, iTune etc. I even think as sells on digital content begins to slow, you'll even so Apple open its Library in an all you can eat fashion for a monthly fee. Right now they still are making enough that it won't happen, but it will eventually.
 

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
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I actually quit buying CD's which I've bought many of over the years, but once I subscribed to Sirius and XM, I don't think I've bought anymore except for specialized CD of artist I really like. I would imagine I had a 400 or 500 CD collection since I had been collecting them since the '70s. But other than those full albums of rock and new age that I really, really love, the rest was all given to Goodwill just to clear them out of my house.

In regards to digital music I've been much more selective there, mainly buying New Age music that wasn't being represented on Sirius or XM. Some of which isn't even on Slacker. In regards to anything else I have no reason to buy anymore.

I think as we go forward the model for music and even movies, will be rent or buy access to a library. CD, DVD, Blu-Ray sells are down big time and I think we are already seeing this model unfold with the likes of Netflicks, Blockbuster Online, iTune etc. I even think as sells on digital content begins to slow, you'll even so Apple open its Library in an all you can eat fashion for a monthly fee. Right now they still are making enough that it won't happen, but it will eventually.

I think you'll see that eventually. I don't know if I'll ever quit buying music, just the way I do it would change. I buy more digital stuff than I ever have. It helps that most of my buying isn't of the 'mainstream' variety. I buy a lot of new age, jazz, blues, world music and Classical, stuff that can't easily be found at Best Buy.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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I think you'll see that eventually. I don't know if I'll ever quit buying music, just the way I do it would change. I buy more digital stuff than I ever have. It helps that most of my buying isn't of the 'mainstream' variety. I buy a lot of new age, jazz, blues, world music and Classical, stuff that can't easily be found at Best Buy.

Sounds like you are and I are alike on that front. I have some rare CD that you simply can't buy anymore, those I have held on too. I even have some rare Christmas CD's that you can't buy anymore as well. But yeah, not much point in buying mainstream with it so available via so many delivery methods these days.

Apple will drag their feet as long as they can on changing their model. Long as they are continuing to show a good profit it isn't likely to change, but once it starts leveling off, then they'll do it as a means to increase income. It certainly won't be out of the kindness of their hearts. Nothing Apple does ever is.
 

Jon

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Dec 16, 2008
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I'm not sure I would be against the idea of Apple staying the same, I've been buying from the iTunes Store since I got my first 20GB way back when. I also buy from eMusic (which is subscription based). When I was buying CDs I was buying 5 or 6 at a time on a bi-weekly basis. I was pretty much a collector, as much as I was a listener. With circumstances being what they are my buying has slowed down considerably, but Slacker and Pandora are making up for most of that. I've got a bunch of bands on a list I've heard on both services that I'll look for when I'm ready to purchase again.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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I don't think Apple will be changing their business model anytime real soon, but as we move forward in the digital world, I do think they will slowly move to a different model.

I'd bet that you being a collector is an exception rather than the rule now days. I've never really considered myself a collector as much as a lover of music. I only wish I had all that money back I spent over the years and would have just been able to buy the actual music I liked rather than full CD's. There are some exceptions to that which are the jewels that I do keep. Still the big thing about digital music is that you can buy just the music off a CD that you really like, while not bothering with the music you don't. This allows you to buy a lot more music that you like, but of course does mean you won't get exposed to non big hits music from artist. This is what I love about Slacker. Take Patsy Cline, I was shocked at some of her music I had never heard in my life. She was a hell of a talent, which I never realized until hearing the majority of her music on Slacker. There are artist after artist like this. iPods can't and doesn't offer that type experience to me without spending a fortune, which I will not do. Rarely do I buy full albums uh CD's anymore. The only exception to that is if I find rare new age music from doing searches on Amazon and this music is also not available on digital services.