Computer Support Blog

If you’re looking for more music variety than what your MP3 player or iPod/iPhone can provide, consider tuning into the radio. Not just any radio, though—Internet radio. In fact, if you’re already one of the 13 percent of weekly American Internet radio lovers, you’ve probably heard of big names like Pandora and NPR. Many Internet radio stations offer streaming services that allow you to customize your music preferences and listen to unlimited music all day for free, albeit with some ads. One particularly interesting Internet radio provider is Jango, a service that combines free music with social networking and a comprehensive listening experience that includes artist bios, videos, and relevant links.

For users concerned with Internet security, Jango’s biggest advantage is that it doesn’t require any risky or potential harmful downloads. The interface is entirely online, and listeners can even listen to music without creating an account. Of course, creating an account has its advantages, not to mention that it’s safe and easy; Jango states that emails are not shared or spammed.

To start using Jango, you need to create a station based on an artist or song preference. Next, Jango asks you a few quick questions like how frequently to play the selected song or artist. The website also suggests similar artists in a tag cloud form. When it comes to giving you the music you want, Jango seems to do a better job than Pandora; it’s more straightforward. For example, if you want to listen to songs by Adele and create an Adele station, Jango seems to play Adele—as opposed to similar artists— more frequently than Pandora would. The more artists you add to a station, the “smarter” it gets, guaranteeing that your actual selections play more frequently than merely similar ones. You can also ban artists that you don’t want to hear, as well as rate the songs you do like.

Another cool Jango feature that doesn’t exist in Pandora is the ability to tune into other users’ stations. This feature, among others, is what makes Jango a more interactive site than Pandora. On Jango, you can see who shares your music taste (called “Like-Minds”), invite friends, and talk to other users.

If you’re an independent or rising artists, then add Jango to your list of favorite places immediately. Jango gives emerging artists the chance to directly submit their music online and have it play along with the mainstream music that appears on the website.

As of 2008, Jango had a million users, compared to Pandora’s 80 million, but those numbers are bound to change as legal battles over royalties, copyright issues and antitrust issues move forward.

Jango has been highly praised by the Wall Street Journal, PCWorld, WIRED Magazine, USA Today, and CNET. The interface works in many countries (where Pandora currently only works in the US), and seems to have extensive tech support. Jango’s website offers an extremely helpful Q&A section that covers many things from how Jango works to privacy and security issues. Jango is also available in app form for Apple OS and Android phones.

Overall all, despite a clunky interface and occasionally annoying ads, the website offers so many fresh features that it’s definitely worth a listen.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Filed under: Internet Security, rescuecom, tech support