Pandora’s been more or less the savior for anyone stuck in a cubicle all day since the streaming music service launched back in 2005. But today in a press release, the online radio company announced that they’re adding some welcomed variation to the listening fold: 10,000 or so new comedy clips of your favorite funny men and women.
The new service would work in much the same way its customizable music channels do. Users would be able to select either a specific artist or genre (PG comedy, political comedy, etc.) and tailor their station with “thumbs ups” or “thumbs downs” as they so pleased.
The New York Times is reporting that the current selection includes a diverse range of comedians: Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Newhart, Joan Rivers, and the list goes on.
Pandora Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Tim Westergren had this to say in a press release:
“Pandora is about creating a great, personalized radio experience. Comedy is a natural part of that experience, and it’s something our listeners have been asking us to deliver for a while. We are delighted to now be able to give people a mix of familiar and new comic material that they’ll love to listen to.”
Tell your coworkers before they wander by and catch you in a fit of giggles. Read the full press release after the jump.
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PANDORA DEBUTS PERSONALIZED COMEDY
• Just like music stations on Pandora, comedy stations can be personalized to each individual’s taste
• Powered by the Comedy Genome Project™
• Listeners can create comedy stations based on their favorite comedians, or on popular genres such as political comedy, working class comedy, PG comedy, or comedy from the 2000s, 60s and 70s, or 80s and 90s
OAKLAND, Calif. MAY. 4, 2011 – Pandora, the popular internet radio service, today announced that comedy is now available on the service where radio stations can be created and Personalized.
Pandora, known for pioneering personalized music listening and discovery, is broadening its array of content to include comedy in order to meet the requests of its listeners. A team of Comedy Genome Project analysts at Pandora has analyzed thousands of performances to capture their comedic style and content. Additional comedic material is being analyzed daily.
Pandora Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Tim Westergren said, “Pandora is about creating a great, personalized radio experience. Comedy is a natural part of that experience, and it’s something our listeners have been asking us to deliver for a while. We are delighted to now be able to give people a mix of familiar and new comic material that they’ll love to listen to.”
Starting today people can listen to comedy on Pandora in the same manner that they listen to music: by choosing a favorite artist or genre as a seed to start a station and then giving thumbs-up or thumbs-down feedback to shape the station to their individual taste. Like music stations on Pandora, comedy stations will play the seed artist and related material.
John Hyde, Vice Chairman of Image Entertainment, Inc. said, “Everyone knows Pandora – it’s unique in the entertainment industry for personalizing the radio experience for listeners and enabling talented artists to discover audiences that will love their music. Image is delighted that our comedy content is being included in the Comedy Genome Project and believe that Pandora’s reach with so many listeners offers an unprecedented opportunity for all comedians. It’s going to be fascinating to see how personalized radio tackles the comedy listening experience, it’s a new frontier and we’re excited to be a part of it.”