The Problem With Pandora

I've struggled through a variety of mostly self-inflicted computer problems recently.  As a result, I have had limited access to my plethora of computer-based music files, and have turned to Internet Radio to fill some of the void.  The most obvious choice was Pandora, with its high-profile link to the so-called 'Music Genome Project' and legions of positive reviews. 

Well, I've been listening to Pandora regularly for about 2 months now, and I've figured out some problems with the service.  The biggest is that it's way too repetitive.  I listen to two self-created stations: John Legend and Living Colour.  I customize these stations, given thumbs-up and thumbs-down to various songs, and bookmarking artists I liked.  Sadly, the licensing laws that took effect within the past two years seem to have crippled Pandora's catalog. 

I can understand the service having trouble coming up with artists similar to Living Colour.  But John Legend?  Come on.  There are enough artists that sound like him for Pandora not to repeat the same songs over and over again.  Yet it does.  Some times I even hear the same song as the first and third song over a 3-song span.  That's inexcusable. 

The repetition also defeats another main purpose behind listening to Pandora, which is to discover new artists.  I'd say I exahusted any new discoveries Pandora presented within a week or so of creating each station. 

If I can't discover new artists easily, and I always hear the same songs over and over again, this begs the question: does Pandora have any more to offer beyond being a shitty radio station that provides a degree of playlist control?  As of now, I'm still waiting for the answer. 

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