

Ask HN: How does Pandora's rating system work? - physcab

Does anyone know how Pandora's rating system works? Specifically what algorithms are in use?
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teej
Each song is classified according to the Music Genome Project
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Genome_Project>). The song's genes are
rated according to how strongly they are expressed on a 1-5 scale. They break
down your song ratings into ratings of certain genes and groups of genes
(focus traits) and pick a new song that rates highly in the genes you "like".

They also account for lemons on a band-level and song-level basis. If you
negatively rate a song, they won't play it again on that station. If you
negatively rate a band twice, they won't play that band again on that station.

~~~
apu
Does this mean that someone at Pandora/Music Genome Project have to listen to
every single song they have in their library? Or do they now have automatic
classifiers to identify the "genes" of a song?

~~~
teej
From what I understand, they have a real person sit through each song an
classify it.

