PLEASE NOTE: this guide is now deprecated…

• It relied on some extremely finicky software (pianobar and libav) which tended to break with each new operating system release…it’s a minor miracle we’ve even managed to patch it this far along!
• It relied on several now-deprecated Python libraries for the display (Adafruit_CharLCDPlate, Adafruit_I2C, etc.).
• It’s specific to the Pandora streaming service, which is only available in the United States and a couple other countries.

That being said, if you’re in the US, already have the hardware sitting around and don’t mind sinking 30 minutes into a project that might not pan out, by all means give it a shot. It was pretty nifty when it worked. Please just understand that we will no longer be providing technical support for this project nor any more updates to this guide. It was last seen working with the 2018-11-13 release of Raspbian Stretch Lite, if that’s any help in recreating the project.

There are other Pi audio guides available in the Adafruit Learning System that might serve you better nowadays:

• Raspberry Pi Zero NPR One Radio
• Raspberry Pi radio player with touchscreen
• Boomy Pi Airplay Boombox

Raspberry Pi, the little wonder-puter that’s taken the world by storm, is so affordable that we can create nifty single-purpose “appliances” around them without shame. Here’s our take on one of the more popular such applications: internet streaming media, the Pandora music service specifically.

Pandora is now limited to users in the United States. It is no longer available in other countries. This guide is now deprecated and will not be updated for alternate services.

With the addition of a small LCD, a few buttons and a USB wireless network adapter, the Raspberry Pi becomes an affordable self-contained music streamer that can be moved to any room of the house…wherever you need your tunes at the moment. Just connect power and speakers or headphones.