Pandora internet radio launched its Music Genome Project in 2000.
The Music Genome Project was the technological foundation of Pandora’s personalized radio service. Musicologists analyzed recordings using hundreds of musical characteristics, including melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, and vocal style. Pandora used those attributes to generate stations based on a listener’s selected song or artist.
The project began before Pandora became a mainstream streaming brand. Its approach differed from a simple playlist system because the service aimed to recommend tracks according to musical similarities rather than relying only on user popularity data or album categories.
Pandora itself grew out of Savage Beast Technologies, a company founded by Will Glaser, Jon Daughterty, and Tim Westergren. The service later became known for its internet radio model, in which listeners could influence recommendations with thumbs-up and thumbs-down feedback. The Music Genome Project remains the name most associated with Pandora’s original recommendation technology.