I’m not an avid Pandora user. Personally, I like Last.FM better. But it angers me when I see that such a great service will now be unavailable for users outside of the US. TechCrunch has the details, as well as a facsimile of the letter sent to Pandora’s international users.
Of course, I don’t blame Pandora for this: they’re just complying with the US (and international) laws and regulations.
I blame the laws and regulations.
In any case, this is the Internet, and it’s easy to be a hacker nowadays, so here’s a couple of services you can use to access Pandora from wherever you are (btw, Pandora still works for me although I’m from Croatia; I guess they haven’t covered all the IP ranges just yet):
1. Firefox + anonymous proxy - in Firefox, open Tools - Options - Advanced - Network - Settings. There you have the proxy options. Go to one of these sites:
http://tools.rosinstrument.com/proxy/
http://www.publicproxyservers.com/
http://www.proxz.com/
http://www.stayinvisible.com/
Find some proxies there, enter their details into the proxy options in Firefox. Don’t worry if the first couple of proxies don’t work; it’s a trial and error process.
2. Public CGI Proxies - the easiest method. Randomly chooses a public proxy server; all you have to do is enter the Pandora.com address and enjoy the melodies.
3. Tor and Privoxy - these two are frequently used together to surf anonymously. Might be a bit complicated for beginners.
4. Metropipe - a set of commercial and free tools for anonymous surfing, including a free Firefox toolbar. Starts at $8.33.
5. Proxify - just enter Pandora.com, uncheck remove all scripts, and you’re good to go. Well, in theory; it didn’t work for me; might be just a temporary glitch.
6. The Cloak - same as Proxify, enter the address and surf anonymously right away. And, just like Proxify, it doesn’t work. Again, maybe it starts working somewhere in the future; you never know with services like this.
7. Cotse - another commercial service, starts at $5.95. Covers much more than just anonymous surfing, though.
8. Anonymizer - another commercial anonymizing package, a bit more expensive.
This should be enough for most users. Enjoy Pandora, wherever you are (;.
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good advise
or you could just make up a US zip like I did.. I never had any problems.
@Angus: that worked before. Now it won’t work for many because Pandora has introduced IP filtering.
Proxies are definately the way to go.
wow… thank you captain obvious…
cool tips, thanks stan.
of course when you’re outside the US like we are, proxies rule!
accessing pandora from a proxy can slow it down. proxies are slow.
Proxy is a good way but as Angus says make up a US zip code, or better still copy a real one
http://maps.huge.info/zip.htm
I prefer to use
http://www.finetune.com/
create your own playlist from a bigger choice, and even get free the desktop player
comparco
http://foxyproxy.mozdev.org/
Cool
Proxify works for me
Thanks
Shame Pandora will be shutting down completely in a couple months when the RIAA’s increased licensing fees go in effect. Pandora has stated publicly they won’t be able to afford it and will have to close.
None of those links work for me because I’m in Qatar which censors the internet and doesn’t allow connection to any websites which contain details of proxies. If anyone could post some actual proxy addresses instead of just links to websites that have proxy addresses then that would be great.
So the bottomline is use US proxy.
Yeah so the post code.. sorry “ZIP” code thing used to work. I’ve been signed up with the code for Wayne, Wisconsin for a looong time now.
But that will no longer work if you’re IP is outside the range of approved USA IP’s
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/483784791_ebf0d1c6a0_o.jpg
(and you can go to town on that IP if you like, it’s just the transparent proxy my ISP uses)
I tried accessing Pandora thru my paid proxy account with Megaproxy but lack of Java support put an end to that. Will try some of the other’s listed above.
These solutions won’t work most of the time, because these “open” proxy servers are all (black)-listed, and Pandora having done things “properly” intercepts these connexions.
However there are possible other solutions. One would be to install your own php-proxy (for ex: PHProxy) on a free US hosting with php… Any other ideas?
my pandora replacement http://seeqpod.com
@Anon Y Mouse: I’m sorry to hear that. The thing with proxy servers is that half of them don’t work, and many other are blacklisted. Sometimes you have to try out 20 or more before you hit one that works. That’s exactly why I didn’t want to get too technical in this post; it’s impossible to cover all possibilities for anyone. Even worse, I have no problems accessing any part of the Internet from Croatia, so it’s hard for me to test out things for people in your situation. I hope someone who has similar issues can help you.
I am on pandora right now, and i am from Canada.. i have not been blocked out of it yet. I will listen to it all day and see what happens.
To the idiots saying ‘just type in a US zip code’ - the whole point is that this no longer works.
If you don;t know about something, don’t type it you cretins.
The seeqpod thing is amazing!
Anyways, I’m in the UK and pandora still works. But I’m sure it’ll kick in soon.
I use proxys.mobi
I’m in Canada as well and Pandora worked earlier.
What does it look like if its supposed to be blocked?
I’m in Canada and it’s working for me right now at work. Haven’t tried from home yet.
Why would anybody outside the US want to access pandora when we have Last.fm which is so much better.
I used the zip code of Wrigley Field. It worked for the Blues Brothers, so I felt it ought to work for me. I’m listening to Pandora from the UK at the moment, so they haven’t caught up with my IP address yet.
@Andric: This is how Pandora looks like for ‘the rest of the world’ now.
@James2m: I tried Last.fm and it sound bumpy for me (Uruguay is far away from the UK, and even more in ‘Internet distance’). But anyways, that’s not the point (Unless, of course, they play more Monty Pythons songs than Pandora)
I just entered a U.S. zip code when I signed up. Everything works great
Anyone outside the US had luck with any of these techniques and the AOL in2tv service?
To the idiot who called us idiots for advising to use a US Zip code, I’ve had an account like this for the last twelve months, it still works, and, I’ve just this minute created another one, and guess what, it works, I’m listening to it as I type, Idiot!
while i agree there is no need for calling anyone an idiot,
fact remains that they use ip filters now.
That it still works for you is probably just a glitch (although i hear that they reenabled uk and canada).
Anon Y Mouse in repressive country: I am also in Qatar and was very sad to click onto pandora yesterday to see the announcement. We have such limited access to good music (if I hear Smack That one more time…) and I really enjoyed pandora.
I’ll be sure to check out the proxy sites when I am back in the free world this summer but until then, I have signed up for Last.fm.
@Stan Schroeder - thanks for your reply. Yes I’ve tested scores of proxies from here but they all fall down. The entire country is funnelled through a single ip connection (do you remember the story recently of the whole country being “banned” from wikipedia because some idiots had been vandalising pages they considered unislamic?) Anyway, it’s a pity as I was keen to check out Pandora before the proposed legislation potentially knocks ‘net radio off the air…
@GeekGirl, as I’m sure you’d agree, the djs in Qatar are horrendous, and the music just hideous. I’ve been on Last FM for a while, and yes it’s great. Also of course SomaFM for radio streaming. I was interested in the proxies more for a way to circumnavigate the general restrictions rather than just Pandora in particular, but will also be back in the free world myself come summer. Summer… phew it’s hot here already… will soon be 50º… Look me up on LFM - aljuk
As I listen to Pandora from Canada, news that it’s blocked here comes as a surprise.
Streaming audio via Tor? You are kidding, right?
Yes, I’m from Canada…I just used a U.S zip code, it’s that easy
@Anon Y Mouse: Have you tried the famous Proxy Anonymouse yet?
http://Anonymouse.org/
I can access Pandora with Anonymouse
For those of you outside the US but with access to a server in the USA may like to try this:
ServerName pandora.mydomain.com
DocumentRoot /dev/null
ProxyRequests Off
ProxyPass / http://www.pandora.com/
ProxyPassReverse / http://www.pandora.com/
ProxyPreserveHost On
@Rob
Nice one! Yes, I’ve tried (to try) it, unfortunately it’s blocked from here…
CGI proxy or regular proxy do not seem to work.
The flash loads but then it shows it cannot connect.
Anyone had any success with any of the proposed solutions?
Proxify and The Cloak did not work for me. I got an error in Pandora. Foxyproxy in FF and a random selected public proxy worked fine. I listen to Pandora via FF and surf with Opera.
hi,
i am from austria and nothing on this list works for me..
the player opens, but there are “unexpected technical difficulties [..] please try later”
anyone from austria who worked it out?
Seems like its impossible to use proxys or vpm or whatever.. does anyone got a solution which really works?! or some alternative site who offers same service?
personalVPN from www.witopia.net works. u.s. ip address, plus encryption for 40 dollars for year subscription. plus, should be much faster than most proxies. Listening to Pandora right now with perfect quality and i’m encrypted, anonymous, and location hidden.
Some of the MySpace Unblocker sites, like http://www.myspace-unblocker.org, or other free web-based proxies might work as well - You might have to experiment with enabling/disabling different options though.
Hi! I am from Moscow. And unfortunately I think this is the last place where Pandora comes again. But I love it!!
I have found list of american proxies:
http://proxy.mazafaka.ru/?c=US&t=e&m=3&checked=y
I change my browser settings and now Pandora lets me in. But in return now it always shows this:
We’re having unexpected technical difficulties.
Our engineers are scrambling to fix things.
Please try again later.
http://www.guardster.com/subscription/proxy_free.php
Both suggestions above suffer from Pandora somehow detecting use of proxy servers.
Error message with Guardster.com: “We are having unexpected technical difficulties…” - You all know the drill already… ;-(
Please validate your suggestions before submitting, or confirm it works and with what settings.
hi guys!
is this proxything also working for desktop applications? i want to use Zattoo (an IPTV-Player), which is only accessible from Switzerland and Denmark right now…
Could you help me out?
Thanks
Phil
A web proxy basically just rewrites the url of the page, so it doesn’t work for a flash application.
You therefore need to use a http proxy, which you will have to install on a hosting solution in the US (for which you will have to pay). And 9/10 the hoster will cut the service since the proxy will have been scanned, detected and abused.
So basically, it’s a shit situation.
Hi My Name Is ivandf.
Hi all,
Happy report that a workaround is in place!
Currently listening to my Pandora account loud and clear in Finland.
However, regrettably I cannot reveal it in public - as I am sure you’d agree if you were in my place - as the loophole would be swamped with traffic from all over the world and the service be disabled.
So it shall suffice to say: There is a way - Seek and ye will find…
(Honestly! I hope *some* of you will find this - but not *ALL* of you!
I used to ways which worked.
http://tools.rosinstrument.com/cgi-proxy.htm
Or use
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4457
or other such firefox add on
I just installed it, updated with all US proxy csv list from
http://checkedproxylists.com/
“us proxy lists” on the right
http://www.checkedproxylists.com/proxylists_us.html
I spoke too soon…
firefox add on not working…
It was then up popped the
“experiencing technical difficulties”
damn
seems when I change to different settings
it will access but then somehow realize and shut it down
Toweri, gimme a word about it.
genseric@gmail.com
using proxies is a good idea , but what if a person like me whose %&*% firm has prevented access to most of the proxy sites wants to listen to some good music???
I’ve successfully connected to Pandora from Canada using HotSpot Shied from http://www.hotspotshield.com/. Simply install the executable then go to http://www.hotspotshield.com/launch/ to login. You can connect to Pandora or surf via proxy. Disconnect via the system tray icon. Easy.
@ Matthew
“I’ve successfully connected to Pandora from Canada using HotSpot Shied from http://www.hotspotshield.com/. Simply install the executable then go to http://www.hotspotshield.com/launch/ to login. You can connect to Pandora or surf via proxy. Disconnect via the system tray icon. Easy.”
This Works!!!!
im in Canada as well, and im listening right now on the new site. Thanks!
it doesnt work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
getting a error messg from pandora that they got unexpected dificulties (yes me is using proxy)
I’M BACK! The Firefox trick WORKS! I’m going to try it now with internet explorer. I don’t like having extra software on my computer if I don’t need it. Does Internet Explorer do proxy settings like Firefox? P.S. - FIREFOX PROXY WORKS TO GET ON PANDORA.COM
To get pandora.com to work with Internet Explorer, follow these steps.
1) Open Internet Explorer,
Keep trying and it will work
2) Click Tools
3) Click Internet Options
4) Click Connections Tab
5) Click LAN settings button (down low)
6) Check the Use a proxy server for your LAN checkbox.
7) Enter a proxy IP address in the field, and enter the port number from the proxy lists on the internet
9) The first one I tried on http://tools.rosinstrument.com/proxy/ worked!
I too am in Qatar with the both of you, Mouse and GeekGirl, and have been able to get around the government firewall by using a vpn, just like Radiohead stated. I guess as long as they don’t blacklist the vpn site, which would be unlikely because they are also used for business purposes as well. I have used some proxies, but I had to run through about 80 - 90 until one worked and then eventually it stopped working or ended up getting blocked. And yes…I hate Smack that & the Qube.
Here is a how-to video to unblock pandora.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9q9HQDK8p8
@Matthew
your advice save my day
“I’ve successfully connected to Pandora from Canada using HotSpot Shied from http://www.hotspotshield.com/. Simply install the executable then go to http://www.hotspotshield.com/launch/ to login. You can connect to Pandora or surf via proxy. Disconnect via the system tray icon. Easy”
I use pandora on internet explorer with hotspotshield, and do my surf with firefox
Im in Spain and is the ONLY way for me to get pandora to work.
Thanks a lot.
I encourage everybody to give it a try.
Nothing works here. Hotspotshield can’t connect: “Disconnected [auth failure]”
Other things also did not work. Sometimes the flash content doesn’t appear. Sometimes I get the “We’re having unexpected difficulties. Our engineers are scrambling to fix things. Please try again later”
This is the saviour! Normal proxy servers will not support Flash so thay are no good for accessing Pandora (I have tried lots of them believe me, and they do not work). This does though! Follow the link and download this program and you can listen hassle free to pandora no matter where you live:
http://anchorfree.com/hotspot-shield/
Since Pandora went down on me I have been using The Filter daily. This software makes really interesting playlists from my own music collection and also recommends me new music to buy. I don’t really miss Pandora.
http://www.thefilter.com
tor goes fine. As usual
Ruote from “happily anonymous”
“@Matthew
your advice save my day
“I’ve successfully connected to Pandora from Canada using HotSpot Shied
from http://www.hotspotshield.com/. Simply install the executable then go to
http://www.hotspotshield.com/launch/ to login. You can connect to Pandora
or surf via proxy. Disconnect via the system tray icon. Easy�
I use pandora on internet explorer with hotspotshield, and do my surf with firefox
Im in Spain and is the ONLY way for me to get pandora to work.
Thanks a lot.
I encourage everybody to give it a try.
:-)”
That worked for me! I’m from Chile and I’m Very happy. For the people who have problems with Hostspot Shield, there is a guide:
1.- Go to http://www.hotspotshield.com/ and download the Hostspot Shield’s Setup.
2.- Open the setup file and install the program (you can install it anywhere, I have intalled it on the Drive D:\)
3.- Open an Internet Explorer Window and login (without username or password)
4.- Open another window of any navigator (IE, Firefox, Opera….) and enter www.pandora.com.
5.- Enjoy and listen to the best music for you.
@toweri: great inspiration!
SO! There is a way to trick the pandora protection that barely requires proxies…. Unless it remains kind of underground it will simply be blocked by pandora…. Rather than simply exposing it, i’ll try to guide you… Can’t do much more than that, sorry. Especially because if it goes public it will stop working, so I won’t release the details for everyone… but embedded on this message is a case sensitive clue.
CODE!
Thanks toweri & nitrostar.
Catching up on my Pandora listening bigtime
I am in the US so I saw the press release about Last.Fm. It was purchased by CBS/Sony earlier this year. I understand that some compromise is necessary but I thought it’s only fair for you to get the heads up.
I get the hint, but I still can’t figure out what I’m supposed to be looking for.
After unsuccessfully trying a few proxys, I found the way that works is the Hot Spot Shield way that a couple of people mentioned above. It’s weird though, now that I can use it, I don’t really want to use it that much anymore!
I am still using a real Zip code, works fine for me
Has anything working come about in the last while. I miss Pandora.
I tried it from Turkey and it works hotspotshield is the best… and thanxs for the hints…
Hint: for registration use a real American zip code (google is your friend
)
For use the radio I suggest the ultrasurf named program (smaller than 100 kB) . it works 100% (only with IE)
Link: http://www.wujie.net/downloads/ultrasurf/u.zip
Why not just use an SSH tunnel and set it within Firefox as a SOCKS proxy? Tunnel port 81 to your shell hoster in the US then tell Firefox to use localhost:81 as a SOCKS proxy.
Same thing applies for IE.
Just used Hotspot Shield from Canada and it is working like a charm!!!
http://www.hotspotshield.com/
Cheers
hotspotshield is working for me(canada) on firefox! good thing i read your comments, i thought i jsut had to check back every now and again after getting those proxy “technical difficulties warnings” lol
big dream,present dreams…………..tricia kukua bosomtwe
i just tried hotspotshield from korea and it works!
thanks a lot!RB! i always prefer pandora to last.fm
The simplest way is just visiting www.globalpandora.com
For me it worked fine.
Juanito
use www.roxyp.info instead.. open the page, type pandora.com and off you go..
unfortunatly pandora is down due to technical difficulties right now
What about Globalpandora? I’m commin from Germany and i could listen to music
Why try so hard when you can use meemix.com? BTW, it is better! Even if pandora opens tomorrow I wount switch back.
i’m so sorry, but this article a little bit useless for me since i found http://globalpandora.com
Ok here we go.
After Pandora closed its doors to the UK over a couple of weeks ago now i have been (like alot of you im sure) trying frantically to get it back, fully functioning with no restrictions.
Well after a few stressed hours i managed to find a sollution that is 100% success, and no its not GlobalPandora.com (although they were good for a while, the service is restricted and it hasnt worked for over a week now)
tried proxies but they dont work, not even cgi proxies as they have probelems with the flash that pandora is produced in.
If you want it, its by a very simple method of oinion routers. Follow instructions here: http://openpandora.blogspot.com/2007/06/complete-guide-for-using-openpandora.html
if you have any probs email me @ thegoodsirspud@hotmail.com
would only be happy to help any other stranded pandora listners.
PANDORA FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the help.
Hotspot Shield works fine for me.
I’m from Brazil.
Has anyone found moodrex to be similar to Pandora?
http://www.moodrex.com
Use hotspot shield
Hi webmaster!
PERFECT! thanks alot!
Out of desperation to reconnect Pandora with my Squeezebox, I read with interest your options. The proxy server you suggested did the trick! Thanks for this most-appreciated list of solutions.
Try Hotspot shield.. it what i use on windows.. its a free annonomizer that assings your computer an american IP through a VPN.. very easy to use and dosent slow pandora down at all… no i just need to find a linux equivilent
Methods listed are not effective as all the proxies including tor/privoxy acquire ip addresses from all over the globe, not specific to us ip’s which are required by pandora. someone correct me if i’m wrong but tor and others do not use ip address filters for country-specific selection.
instead, use a vpn connection to a usa-based web server, the ip address of the host will sit on top of your physical ip.
Interesting facts.I have bookmarked this site. stephanazs
Wow Cool !
Super Man
Nice Site
Hotspot shield isnt working in Canada anymore
we can’t even get to the Anchor Free website! reccomendations?
Well, after 1 1/2 days of trying all of the great suggestions, to no avail, I have finally found one that works and just might work from Qatar and such. The only thing tricky was selecting a port that works instead of the default 4001. I used 8080 with no problems. Listening to Pandora now. BTW Globalpandora is only a site that links you to all the sites in the original post. A waste of time. Here is the solution I am using: JAP at https://www.jondos.de/en/jondonym
I hope that helps others.
OK, after reading a bit more of the above, I downloaded and installed Hotspot Shield. Much better than JAP as I don’t need to change my proxy settings. (JAP still worked well though, in case Hotspot Shield doesn’t work for you….