Free lunches, free beer, and free music. Who wouldn't want to enjoy a free meal over the lunch hour at work? A free beer would certainly be a fine gift, albeit not at the workplace. Free music though, music you like to listen to and won't get you slapped with a hefty fine, now that is something everyone can enjoy. If you find yourself growing tired of the radio DJs and sound effects on FM, I'd like to introduce you to my good friend, Pandora.

www.pandora.com is a web based radio station that plays only music you like. (Once you fine tune the settings) The general idea is that you create your own "station" by entering in a few seeds to start with, bands you like and song titles you would prefer to hear. Pandora then generates playlists with songs that have similar markers and identifiers to the songs you seeded your station with. For example, if you created a station based on Boston's "More than a Feeling" you might also get "Can't Fight this Feeling" from REO Speedwagon, and "Don't Stop Believing" from Journey.

I am most impressed with the way Pandora catalogs and identifies similar songs, and I am always pleased to hear a new song some up on one of my stations, from a band that I have not heard of before. Pandora is a great way for new talent to get out to the masses and even better to a demographic that already enjoys the musical attributes of the band's particular sound.
Pandora is free to use for personal use, supported by sidebar ads and the occasional audio clip. As an avid user I have subscribed for their monthly service, ($36 a year) which allows unlimited playback with no ads. (40 hours per month ad supported.) In a world where both money is tight and you get what you pay for, Pandora is a value well beyond it's price.