Free Pandora accounts permit 6 skips per hour per station, for up to 12 total skips per day across all stations. The daily skip limit helps us prevent having to pay royalties on songs that are not being heard.

A skip is considered to be a skipped song, a Thumbs-down rating, or choosing "I'm tired of this track" in the menu of the music player.

Licensing is one of the most expensive aspects of providing the service, and we must pay the full royalties for a song, even if it only plays for a few seconds.

Upgrading to Pandora One will allow more skips per day (although the 6 skips per hour per station limit will remain in place). You can learn more about Pandora One here.