I like to vary my online listening habits, from Beachfront Radio and Radio Margaritaville to some of my other favorite trop rock stations. I’ve also been listening to Pandora a lot lately, but they clearly don’t understand trop rock. Type in “Jimmy Buffett,” and you’ll get a few relevant options — certainly some Buffett (around every 10th song or so), mixed in with a small amount of Zack Brown Band and Bob Marley. Every once in a while they’ll throw in some Harry Belafonte, but that’s about where the trop rock ends.
Somebody at Pandora must have decided that Jimmy Buffett is easy listening (what?!), because most of what comes out of my speakers is James Taylor, the softer side of The Eagles and Jack Johnson. Don’t get me wrong — I’m a huge fan of all of these artists. However, they are by no stretch of the imagination considered trop rock.
While I get that the true trop rock artists who haven’t hit the mainstream are probably limited from Pandora due to contracts and contacts, they might want to take another look at their algorithms. Because there are plenty of songs out there that I would consider trop rock, even if the artist isn’t a full-time trop rocker. Come on, people!
– Schooner
Rich McGuire Music 