Customizable Radio
by Gary Woods

A lot of people listen to the radio on their computer while they work. Now normally I'd go into a tirade about having a $2,000 device do the job of a $20 radio but I found a piece of software that is pretty intriguing.

The software is Jango Internet Radio (www.jango.com) and when you enter the name of an artist the site creates a radio station centered on that artist. Jango also adds other tunes it thinks you'll enjoy based on a number of criteria. This "other stuff I might like" can get pretty interesting because the service takes into account what other users who like the artist you like are listening to. For instance I like Tower of Power but I've also been known to listen to a little Frank Sinatra and the occasional Yoyo Ma so if Jango started picking up on my tastes it could get pretty wild.

For those of you worried about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Jango pays royalties to labels and artists so the site is perfectly legal. Jango generates revenue when you click on links to buy music through its partners such as the iTunes Store and Amazon.com.

To get Jango going you start by creating a profile and then clicking on a song. The Jango player then displays additional songs by the currently playing artist as well as users who are listening to the same performer or similar artists. From there you keep spinning out into different tuneful worlds with oodles of new friends with which to commune.

If you have any suggestions or questions for me please drop me a note at garyandlaury@santabarbaraproperties.com or see my column on the Internet at http://www.santabarbaraproperties.com or call me at (805) 729-0910