Playlist.com has tapped music data company The Echo Nest to turn each of the 80 million playlists users have created on its service into smart radio stations.
Playlist relaunched a beta version of its Internet radio service in July after licensing requirements forced it to shut down its original product, which originated during the MySpace era. In order to restore the playlists created by its 60 million users, Playlist commissioned The Echo Nest to take each list and create a custom radio station for it.
With the move, Playlist has set its sights squarely on Pandora. The company says it is planning a “Pepsi Challenge” listening test that will compare its new recommendation service against Pandora’s artist stations.
“We feel that Pandora is a little bit stagnant in [terms of features]. They seem squarely focused on growing their sales force, which is fine…but I think their service is not something that they’ve innovated on from a consumer standpoint very much in the past several years,” Davidorf said in an interview.
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