[themuna]

Pandora One (paid version) uses 192 which is the same and only cost 4-5 dollars a month. Good deal for unlimited stations, 6 skips per hour PER station, and at least a couple of other perks that I cant think of...oh wait, no advertising!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  Pandora One (paid version) uses 192 which is the same and only cost 4-5 dollars a month. Good deal for unlimited stations, 6 skips per hour PER station, and at least a couple of other perks that I cant think of...oh wait, no advertising!

 
With the ever so slight downside of having no ability to play an album or select what music you want to hear. Good if you just like to listen to random music, less useful outside of that. 

 

[themuna]

   
Uh.
 
Okay, sure. They earn just as much from the free service as they do from subscription. That's why the difference between ad-based and subscription based is a lot more than just the ads being removed. Because they're just mean and for no logical reason want to keep free subscribers from enjoying all the features even though they don't pull in any less money. Sure. Totally logical.
 
"Yeah, you earn us just as much money, but despite that we won't let you listen at the highest quality, sync to mobile, or listen to on-demand on mobile. Because SCREW YOU, FREELOADER!! Ha ha ha!!"
 

 
I don't know who's right or wrong but I do want to bring up a counterpoint.  Having a subscription means that you're paying to use the service on a recurring basis.  When you pay for something, you're more likely to want your money's worth and use it.  When you use it more, it becomes a habit and a part of your regular lifestyle.  One thing that these companies get from paying customers is consistency and the guarantee of income.  That's worth something IMO...  just saying. 
 
You may still be correct overall.  I have no idea.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   
I don't know who's right or wrong but I do want to bring up a counterpoint.  Having a subscription means that you're paying to use the service on a recurring basis.  When you pay for something, you're more likely to want your money's worth and use it.  When you use it more, it becomes a habit and a part of your regular lifestyle.  One thing that these companies get from paying customers is consistency and the guarantee of income.  That's worth something IMO...  just saying. 
 
You may still be correct overall.  I have no idea.

 
Actually, the ideal situation would be for someone to pay for it and NOT use it. That's why Planet Fitness has cheap memberships and you have to cancel in person. They want people to sign up (since it's only ten bucks a month) and then be too lazy to actually exercise.
 
If you think two minutes of ads per hour pulls in any kind of significant revenue I don't know what to tell ya. Just remember... Pandora used to only be free. 

 

[themuna]

   
With the ever so slight downside of having no ability to play an album or select what music you want to hear. Good if you just like to listen to random music, less useful outside of that. 

It is random, but once you get into your stations and pay attention so that you like and dislike songs appropriately or set multiple stations seeds (you can mix multiple artists/songs/genres on one station), it isn't quite "random".  I find that after using a new station for a week (or less), it plays exactly what I want to hear all the time without requiring much more input.  And i'm generally pretty picky about what I'm in the mood for.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  It is random, but once you get into your stations and pay attention so that you like and dislike songs appropriately or set multiple stations seeds (you can mix multiple artists/songs/genres on one station), it isn't quite "random".  I find that after using a new station for a week (or less), it plays exactly what I want to hear all the time without requiring much more input.  And i'm generally pretty picky about what I'm in the mood for.

 
If it works for you that's awesome! I'm an album listener though, haha. I don't like mixes except with certain genres in certain situations (hip hop, at the gym, etc). For most listening, I take albums front to back.