Pandora steps up personalization in streaming battle

Internet radio giant Pandora on Monday introduced a feature to improve personalization of musical selections as it hopes to prevent potential defections to on-demand sites.

Unlike major streaming sites such as Spotify that allow listeners to pick each track, Pandora consists of stations that a listener chooses.

Pandora said it was starting "Thumbprint Radio," a personalized channel based on the "thumbs up" of approval clicked by listeners while on the platform.

The personalized station will make suggestions based on past selections and will be automatically updated.

"Our musicologists have made sure you will be guided seamlessly through all of the genres you have thumbed up, no matter how varied they are," Chris Phillips, Pandora's chief product officer, wrote in a blog post.

Sweden-based Spotify is the largest global streaming music site but Pandora has retained a lead in the United States, according to App Annie, which tracks popularity of smartphone apps.

Pandora's target audiences include more casual fans who want an outside-designed selection for a party, or stores and restaurants looking for the ideal mood music.

Spotify has increasingly tried to personalize the experience, earlier this year introducing a "Discover Weekly" function that suggests tracks once a week based on past choices.

Google has also focused heavily on personalization in its recently launched YouTube Music site, which automatically generates channels with the listener able to fine-tune the level of adventurousness.

Apple Music, the streaming service launched in June by the tech giant, also has a "for you" selection that lets subscribers create a station based on their preferences.