the secondary auditory cortex

[Within the auditory system, which is responsible for the general processing of sound in the brain, the secondary auditory cortex is involved in the more specific perception of “harmonic, melodic and rhythmic patterns."]

I really love music. This is probably something many people would say. I really, really do appreciate it though (to the point that it might qualify as an addiction). I particularly love discovering new bands, and admittedly take some pride in being called an audiophile/audio"file" by friends when I can identify some random track on an old mix tape that hasn't been played in a decade (I specialize in bands who occupied the limelight circa '96, give or take about three years).

(Anyway) imagine my elation when I was recently referred to Pandora, a new internet radio site created by The Music Genome Project. First of all, the neurobio nerd in me loves the mere thought of experts seeking to "map" the musical genome. Plus, and more importantly, this is one of the best ways to find new music I've encountered yet. Some large (mystical?) online database stores the unique identities of countless songs - based on "everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony." So, you can type in the name of a favorite band or song, and Pandora will find songs and artists whose musical identity is similar to that of your pick. The radio stream is interactive as well - you can indicate whether you like or dislike a song being played, and this feedback is then used by the program to further personalize subsequent song selections. It's good fun.

I just wanted to let you know in case you might be stuck in a "life soundtrack" rut. (There is hope!)