I have been a huge fan of Internet radio for a long time. It has introduced me to many bands I’d never have heard of otherwise (whose music I went on to purchase). And network Pandora has taken the Internet radio phenom one step further, adding an excellent social media aspect to their service that helps you customize your own stations. But they also serve up some great genre-specific stations (give me Downtempo any day).
And last month, they started serving up stations for kids!
From their February blog announcement, here what the stations are all about:
- Radio for Kids — Meant for kids 7 and under, this station is fun, educational, and not too baby-ish. For kids who are moving on up from Toddler Radio. Many musical genres are included here, and due to the variety and quality of songs, it’s enjoyable for kids and adults!
- Rockin’ Kids Radio — Meant for kids 7 and under. This one is my personal favorite; an energetic station good for dancing, room-cleaning and high-energy play. This station is a winner for kids (and adults!) who love upbeat music. Rock out, kiddos.
- Toddler Radio — Meant for kids 4 and under, this station is educational and fun! A variety of toddler-friendly themes and music genres are explored. Look for Sesame Street, Disney, & The Wiggles among others.
- Sleepy Time — Meant for kids 5 and under, this station is designed to prepare your tyke for a nap or bedtime (or any time you want to bring the energy level down a notch). It’s full of mellow sounds and sweet lullabies.
- Kid’s Folk Music — Meant for kids 7 and under, this station features quality kid-friendly folk music. It’s a pretty mellow station… a nice quiet-time alternative to Rockin’ Kids.
- Tween Radio — Meant for ages 8 to adult. This station is appropriate for those too old for children’s music but a bit too young for rock ‘n’ roll’s more adult themes. It includes pop music like Miley Cyrus, the High School Musical cast, The Jonas Brothers, and the cast of Glee.
Because Pandora has almost as many ways to get the music to you as they do stations (on your browser, on your phone, through your TV), it’s a wonderful way to satisfy everyone’s musical tastes, and it’s REALLY easy to put on music that’s interesting and appropriate for your little geeks. It’s also FREE (well, FREEmium). Users get 40 hours of listening time per month at standard bit-rates, and with ad support on the web application. If you go Premium, for only $3 a month, you get 192kbps quality, unlimited listening, a stand-alone player (though you can access your account through any capable device - even a Chumby!) and no ads.
