Home Knock Knock. Who’s There? Pandora! (Pandora Got Comedy, Get It?)

Knock Knock. Who’s There? Pandora! (Pandora Got Comedy, Get It?)

Pandora has been one of our favorite online destinations for streaming music recommendations for years now, but today, the site has gone one step further – stand up comedy.

The site, which lets you create stations according to genre or artist, has taken this same time-tested formula and applied it to the realm of stand-up comedy, bringing the likes of Rodney Dangerfield, Mitch Hedberg and George Carlin to its millions of monthly users.

Pandora, which just celebrated 10 billion thumbs up and down yesterday, announced the addition of comedy stations on its blog, with founder Tim Westergren and CTO Tom Conrad writing that “adding comedians to the mix has been one of the top requests from our listeners.”

With music, Pandora organizes songs and artists according to a number of different characteristics, as defined in the Music Genome Project. The company says it has taken a similar approach with comedy:

[…]so we’ve taken the same approach to comedy as we have to music: carefully and deliberately analyzing comedic “bits” across a very large number of attributes to capture the style, delivery and content of each performance. It’s been a very fun experience, taking what we’ve learned in music and applying it to a whole new category. Now, instead of talking about “minor keys,” “falsetto,” and “extensive vamping,” our comedy-analysts capture “odd juxtaposition” (A horse walks into a bar…), “misdirection” and “spoonerisms” (a well-boiled icicle, instead of a well-oiled bicycle)…

They say they’ve worked with a team of comedians, classifying more than 10,000 sketches from more than 700 different comics into a variety of genres. And if you’re wondering, a warning plays when the station begins saying that it contains “explicit and offensive material”, so it sounds like Pandora isn’t about to censor the acts. That’s good, because who wants a PG-13 Richard Prior or George Carlin, right? And just like with the music, you can create stations based on genres, which you can see below, or by comic.

Head on over to Pandora’s new comedy channel and give it a whirl.

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.