Streaming Radio vs. Pandora-like Radio

I made an observation today while listening to Digitally Imported's Trance channel. There is something intangibly different about listening to a "real" radio channel versus listening to a "radio station" on Pandora. Knowing that others around the area/world are listening and experiencing the same song I am has a bit of magic behind it.

Maybe this is why I don't like Pandora as much - the music seems to have less life because its automatically selected and not something shared with others.