Genius and the iTunes bender

One of the most welcome new features in iTunes has been the Genius playlist. I call it 'Pandora' for my music, Pandora being the service that creates a streaming 'radio station' based on a song you specify. You enter your favorite song from Jimmy Buffett, for example, and Pandora uses data from other playlists to pull songs that typically appeal to Buffett fans. Pandora is a great way to discover new music/artists. 

But what about my own collection. 

I have GIGS of music sitting on my machine, much of it collected in what I call iTunes benders. iTunes store addicts know what I'm talking about about. Maybe wine is involved. You go on iTunes and buy something. Then that leads to another purchase. And another. And another. Soon, you have a $30 to $50 bill. Which is great. But I may not listen to more than one song in the next few weeks. After a few benders...

So I've been using Genius to discover the music that I already have. I haven't yet to purchase something from iTunes based on the Genius recommendations. I'm sure I will, leading to another bender. And so the circle goes.