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{{short description|Music streaming and recommendation website}}
{{otheruses2|Pandora}}
{{About|the automated music streaming service|the Greek myth|Pandora|other uses|Pandora (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Website
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
| name = Pandora
{{Infobox website
| screenshot = <!-- FAIR USE of Pandora (music service).png: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/Image:Pandora (music service).png for rationale -->]
| caption = Screenshot of the Pandora homepage. | name = Pandora
| logo = Pandora wordmark.svg
| url = http://www.pandora.com/
| type = ]
| commercial = Yes
| location = Oakland, California, U.S.
| type = Internet radio
| locations = 7
| registration = Optional
| founder = Will Glaser<br/>]<br/>]
| owner = Pandora Media, Inc.
| author = The ] | services = ]
| url = {{URL|https://www.pandora.com/}}
| programming_language = ]
| advertising = ]s, video ads, audio ads
| registration = Optional (required to save stations)
| company_type = ]
| language = English
| native_clients = ], ], ]
| foundation = {{Start date and age|2000|01}} (as Savage Beast Technologies)<br/>], U.S.
| area_served = United States
| num_employees = 1,938 (2019)<ref>{{cite news |title=Pandora Media LLC Company Profile |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/P:US |work=Bloomberg Markets |access-date=July 21, 2020}}</ref>
| parent = ] (2019–present)
| subsidiaries = ] (as of December 22, 2015)<br/>
] (as of November 1, 2021) <br/>
Adswizz (as of May 29, 2018) <br>
] (as of August 29, 2023)
| num_users = 55.9 million active (2021),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musically.com/2021/04/29/pandora-ended-q1-2021-with-55-9m-monthly-active-listeners/|title = Pandora ended Q1 2021 with 55.9m monthly active listeners - Music Ally| date=April 29, 2021 }}</ref> 6.4 million subscribers (2021)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musically.com/2021/04/29/pandora-ended-q1-2021-with-55-9m-monthly-active-listeners/|title = Pandora ended Q1 2021 with 55.9m monthly active listeners - Music Ally| date=April 29, 2021 }}</ref>
| current_status = Active
| footnotes = <ref name="2019AnnualReport">{{cite web |url=http://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0000908937/261d1b9f-eb18-400a-8347-239efdb571c7.pdf |title=2019 Form 10-K Annual Report |publisher=SiriusXM Holdings|access-date=July 21, 2020}}</ref>
}} }}
'''Pandora''' is a subscription-based ] owned by the ] corporation ] that is presently based in ] inside of the ]. The service carries a focus on recommendations based on the "]", which is a means of classifying individual songs by musical traits such as ] and shared ]. The service originally launched in the consumer market as an ] service that would generate personalized channels based on these traits as well as specific tracks ]; this service is available in an advertising-supported tier and additionally a subscription-based version. In 2017, the service launched ''Pandora Premium'', which is an on-demand version of the service more in line with contemporary competitors.
'''Pandora''' is an automated ] and ] service created by the ]. Users enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Users provide feedback on approval or disapproval of individual songs, which Pandora takes into account for future selections.


The company was founded in 2000 as Savage Beast Technologies, and initially conceived as a ] company licensing the Music Genome Project to retailers as a ] platform. In 2005, the company shifted its focus to the consumer market by launching Pandora as an internet radio product. Pandora is a ] service; basic features are free with advertisements or limitations, while additional features, such as improved streaming quality, music downloads and offline channels are offered via paid subscriptions.
While listening, users are offered the ability to buy the songs or albums at ], ] (for CDs), or the ]. Over 400 different ] are considered when selecting the next song. These 400 attributes are combined into larger groups called focus traits. There are 2,000 focus traits. Examples of these are rhythm ], key ], vocal ] and displayed instrumental proficiency.


In February 2019, ] acquired Pandora for $3.5 billion in stock.<ref name="completes">{{cite news | url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/sirius-xm-completes-acquisition-of-pandora-1203125882/ | title=Sirius XM Completes Acquisition of Pandora | first=Jem | last=Aswad | work=] | date=February 1, 2019}}</ref><ref name="wraps">{{cite news | url=https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2019/02/01/sirius-xm-wraps-up-pandora-acquisition.html | title=Sirius XM wraps up Pandora acquisition | first=Anthony | last=Noto | work=] | date=February 1, 2019}}</ref> In 2021, Pandora had about 55.9 million active monthly users, and 6.4 million subscribers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musically.com/2021/04/29/pandora-ended-q1-2021-with-55-9m-monthly-active-listeners/|title = Pandora ended Q1 2021 with 55.9m monthly active listeners - Music Ally| date=April 29, 2021 }}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, Pandora reportedly had fewer than 50 million active users.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2, 2022 |title=Pandora now has fewer than 50m monthly active users |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/pandora-now-has-fewer-than-50m-monthly-listeners/ |access-date=November 3, 2022 |website=Music Business Worldwide |language=en-US}}</ref> As of 2023, there were 46 million users.
The Pandora media player is based on ]. Pandora can also be accessed through many stand-alone players such as Frontier Silicon-based connected audio systems, ] and ]<ref></ref> product(s). On July 11, 2008, Pandora launched a mobile version of their software available on the Apple ] and ] through the iTunes App Store. As of December 3, 2008, Pandora has confirmed two million iPhone users have downloaded and installed its application.<ref>http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/19275/</ref> MSN Radio used Pandora up until June 18, 2008, which was launched two years before.<ref></ref>


==History==
The service has two subscription plans: a free subscription supported by advertisements and a fee-based subscription without ads. There are also advertisements in "Pandora Mobile" for mobile phones and the "Pandora in The Home" ]. In 2007, the service introduced "Pandora Classical",<ref></ref> incorporating classical music from the ] to the ] into its Music Genome Project.


=== Early history ===
==Copyright developments in 2007 and thereafter==
In 2000, Will Glaser, ], and ] founded the company as Savage Beast Technologies.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/when-we-were-small-pandora/2015/02/06/11ad75f4-ad5c-11e4-9c91-e9d2f9fde644_story.html | title=When we were small: Pandora | last=Harrison | first=J. D. | newspaper=] | date=February 6, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/20071001/pandoras-long-strange-trip_pagen_2.html | title=Pandora's Long Strange Trip | first=Stephanie | last=Clifford | work=] | date=October 1, 2007}}</ref> Will Glaser had conceptualized the concept of classifying music by various traits and attributes—an effort that he would later name the "]". The company was originally pitched as an ] service that would use Glaser's associated algorithm as a recommendation engine, but this idea was scrapped after the ] hit its peak in March 2000. Afterwards, the company pursued licensing the technology to other retailers, such as ] and ] (who used it for in-store kiosks as a trial).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Clifford|first=Stephanie|title=Pandora's Long Strange Trip|url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/20071001/pandoras-long-strange-trip.html|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=Inc.com|language=en}}</ref>
In 2007, a federal panel agreed with a ] request and ordered a doubling of the per-song performance royalty that Web radio stations pay to performers and record companies. Under this scheme, internet radio would pay double the royalty as satellite radio.


The company faced increasing debt, and ran through its initial $2 million in funding by 2001. Glaser, Kraft, and Westergren then convinced Savage Beast's 50 employees to work for two years without pay,<ref>{{cite news|last=Parr|first=Sam|date=May 27, 2016|title=How Pandora's Founder Convinced 50 Early Employees to Work 2 Years Without Pay|work=The Hustle|url=https://thehustle.co/pandora-speech}}</ref> prompting a lawsuit by former employees in 2003 due to deferred salaries being illegal under California law. After settling the suit, just a few employees were laid off. In 2004, based on the success of the Best Buy pilot, Walden Venture Capital led an $8 million round of funding, and hired Joe Kennedy—formerly of automaker ]<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 6, 2013|title=Q&A with Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy '81|url=https://paw.princeton.edu/article/qa-pandora-ceo-joe-kennedy-81|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=Princeton Alumni Weekly|language=en}}</ref>—as its new CEO. After agreements with Best Buy and ] lapsed, the company began to shift its attention to the consumer market, resulting in the development of Pandora as an ] service using the Music Genome Project as a personalization system.<ref name=":2" />
Because of ] that increase fees and ask for licensing guarantees, the Pandora service is no longer available in countries other than the ].<ref>{{cite news
| title = Breaking Pandora's Heart...
| url = http://blog.pandora.com/pandora/archives/2007/05/breaking_pandor.html
| publisher = Pandora Blog
| date = ]
| accessdate = 2007-05-07
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| title = Canada
| url = http://blog.pandora.com/pandora/archives/2007/05/canada.html
| publisher = Pandora Blog
| date = ]
| accessdate = 2007-05-15
}}</ref> These rulings affect all USA based Internet-based radio stations (terrestrial radio is not affected).


After a beta period, Pandora officially launched in September 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pandora to launch next week|url=https://techcrunch.com/2005/08/25/pandora-to-launch-next-week/|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=TechCrunch|date=August 26, 2005 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Upon its launch, it was a subscription-based service,<ref name=":2" /> but added a free, ad-supported version in November after Westergren realized users were abusing its 10-hour free trial by making new e-mail addresses.<ref name=":2" /> Advertising could also be ] based on the current song.<ref name=":2" />
An email was sent out to all non-US listeners explaining that non-US IP addresses would be barred from that moment on.


=== Growth ===
As of July 2008, Pandora is in talks with major music labels regarding royalty issues to allow a return to the European market.
In 2011, Pandora went ] via an ] on the ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rao |first=Leena |date=2011-06-24 |title=In The War Over Tech IPOs, The New York Stock Exchange Is Drawing Some Blood |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/06/24/in-the-war-over-tech-ipos-the-new-york-stock-exchange-is-drawing-some-blood/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> At the time, Pandora had 800,000 tracks from 80,000 artists in its library and 80 million users.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 11, 2011|title=With 80 Million Users, Pandora Files To Go Public|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/02/11/pandora-files-to-go-public/|publisher=]}}</ref> As of end of mid-year 2018, Pandora had 71.4 million active users.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pandora Reports Q2 2018 Financial Results|language=en-US|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pandora-reports-q2-2018-financial-200100666.html|access-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref>
Costs remain a concern because of European royalty standards and a low level of demand for paid music services.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Pandora UK closes after royalties demands
| url = http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/08/pandora_uk_closes/
| publisher = The Register
| date = ]
| accessdate = 2008-01-08
}}</ref>


On March 7, 2013, Pandora chairman and ] Joseph J. Kennedy announced that he would leave the company after nine years.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/chief-executive-at-pandora-media-to-step-down/ | title=Chief Executive at Pandora Media to Step Down | last=Sisario | first=Ben| work=] | date=March 7, 2013 | url-access=subscription}}</ref>
In 2008, the founder of Pandora stated that the company may be on the verge of collapse. <ref> Peter Whoriskey, The Washington Post, August 16, 2008 </ref>


In April 2013, Pandora announced that its radio streaming service had 200 million users, including 70 million ].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/04/09/pandora-hits-200-million-registered-users-in-the-us-nearly-1-5-billion-monthly-listener-hours/ | title=Pandora hits 200 million registered users in the US, 1.5 billion monthly listener hours | last=Wauters | first=Robin | work=] | date=April 9, 2013}}</ref> By December 2013, Pandora accounted for 70% of all internet radio listening in the United States.<ref name=":0"/>
As of September 30, 2008 a bill was passed by the US House and Senate to allow sites like Pandora to continue negotiations with SoundExchange into 2009.


On September 1, 2013, Pandora removed a 40-hour-per-month limitation for free mobile listening.<ref name="thenextweb1">{{cite news | url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/08/22/pandora-will-remove-its-40-hour-per-month-mobile-listening-cap-on-september-1st/ | title=Pandora will remove its 40 hour per month mobile listening cap on September 1st | work=] | date=August 22, 2013}}</ref> As of October 2014, less than 5 percent of active listeners were paying subscribers.<ref>{{cite web|date=October 24, 2014|title=Pandora Media's (P) CEO Brian McAndrews on Q3 2014 Results – Earnings Call Transcript|url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/2592715-pandora-medias-p-ceo-brian-mcandrews-on-q3-2014-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single|publisher=]}}</ref>
===Using and tuning===
Choosing one artist results in all that artist's catalogued styles being used as a starting point, which may include those which may not be considered representative. Selecting representative tracks by the artist may give results closer to what was intended.


By November 2014, Pandora had approximately doubled its library size, topping 1.5 million songs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sydell|first=Laura|date=November 26, 2014|title=Pandora's New Deal: Different Pay, Different Play|publisher=]|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/11/26/366339553/pandoras-new-deal-different-pay-different-play|access-date=June 30, 2015}}</ref>
Each track played can be responded to in four ways:
* '''Thumbs up''' - Play more like this.
* '''No response''' - No change in preference.
* '''Thumbs down''' - Do not play this track again, play fewer that are similar. Also skips if any skips are left.
** A second negative response to the same artist will ban that artist from the selected playlist unless that artist or at least one of their songs has been manually added to the playlist or has received at least one positive vote.
*In addition, a menu is provided with the choices: Don't play this song for a month, Why was this song selected?, Move song to another station, Bookmark, and Buy.
*There is a setting in each member's account regarding whether the user wants songs with explicit lyrics played. This, however, does not apply exclusively to albums with the ] label, as other songs with censored versions will have that version played. An example is ] by the ], which had one word censored for radio play. With explicit lyrics off, that version will play, despite the album itself not having a PA label.


On September 15, 2016, Pandora launched "Pandora Plus", a new $4.99 subscription service to compete with other streaming services.<ref>{{cite web|date=September 15, 2016|title=Pandora launches "Pandora" Plus replacing Pandora One|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pandora-media-pandoraplus-idUSKCN11L1HZ|access-date=September 17, 2016|website=]}}</ref>
===Limitations===
The content licensing imposes a number of restrictions:
* Pandora is currently only licensed to provide music to users in the United States. Initially this was enforced by requiring a US ] at registration but since ], ] Pandora has checked the users' ].
* Rewind or repeat is not possible.
* Until May, 2009, six skips ''per station'' were allowed per hour, giving a "thumbs down" response, or a "don't play for a month" response count as "skips" On May 21, 2009, the skip limit was altered such that it counts total skips from ''all stations'' with the limitation of twelve total skips every 24 hours (an average of one skip every two hours). This was not applied to the Vista player.
* Play of a single artist is limited. Pandora provides similar music, not a play-on-demand service.
**However, a user may sample songs from the respective artist's page.
**Additionally, only four songs by the same artist will be played within each three-hour period.<ref>http://blog.pandora.com/pandora/archives/2009/04/tim_answers_vie_1.html</ref>
*Full-screen flash ads. The mini player has no ads. Occasional commercial interruptions. Ads can be removed entirely through the paid service. The Vista player only has commercial interruptions.
*Such things as genre stations and about the song cannot be accessed from the mini player.
* ]s using Flash 7 for Windows Mobile cannot use the Pandora tuner.
*Users are unable to rate genres or albums, nor are they able to ban them. A user may "ban" an artist by giving a thumbs down to two of that artist's songs, provided the artist was not used to create the station or added to the station. Artists can be added to the station in the same way songs are.
**There are premade genre stations that are editable after you rate one song.
*The pre-created stations cannot be accessed through the Vista player. Customizing a station on the Vista player requires choosing "About This Station" from the menu, and editing it in the "edit station" page (as opposed to adding artists and songs directly through the player). Information about the artist, similar artists, and similar songs (among other things) are not accessible from the Vista player.
*Currently, the mini-player is only accessible via the subscription service.


In early 2017, Pandora revealed that 56 million of its 81 million active users subscribed to the ''Today's Country'' station and that ] had accounted for more than 1.7 billion listening hours on the platform in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deahl |first=Dani |date=2017-04-27 |title=Can country music save Pandora? |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/27/15451070/pandora-country-music-streaming |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=] |language=en}}</ref>
===Other features===
*'''Pandora Podcast''', a ] show updated every few weeks in the form of a ]. It is hosted by ] of the band Griddle. Each show is based around a specific music topic, and features guest musicians and Pandora experts who normally analyze the music featured on the Pandora website.<ref></ref>
*A ] application developed to allow users to put their Pandora radio stations on their Facebook profiles.<ref></ref>
*There is now a Pandora application for the iPhone which allows the user to stream music from Pandora Radio straight to their iPhone from any location.
*] users can download the Pandora app from the Palm Application Store which allows users to stream from Pandora Radio to their Pre using either the cell network or ].
*Pandora is now available for streaming from the ] sidebar. There are no banner ads for this player.


On July 31, 2017, Pandora discontinued services in Australia and New Zealand, citing a need to focus solely on the U.S. market.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/home-entertainment/audio/pandora-no-longer-available-in-australia-and-new-zealand-heres-what-you-need-to-know/news-story/4d2eddd01342d4dfa2cd7319cb3bf7bf | title=Pandora to leave Australia: Here's what you need to know | work=] | date=July 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7849103/pandora-leaving-australia-new-zealand-markets | title=Pandora Is Winding Down Operations in Australia and New Zealand | first=Marc | last=Schneider | magazine=] | date=June 27, 2017}}</ref>
==See also==

* ]
In September 2017, Roger Lynch became CEO and stated that he wanted to expand the service's focus on ]s, with similar discovery features to those for music as well as new monetization options.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/pandora-podcast-genome-project-1202661263/ | title=Pandora CEO Roger Lynch Wants to Create the Podcast Genome Project | last=Roettgers | first=Janko | work=Variety | date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> In January 2019, Lynch's departure was announced following the approval of Sirius XM's acquisition of Pandora. Lynch will be replaced by Sirius XM CEO Jim Meyer.<ref>{{Cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pandora-ceo-roger-lynch-exits-786283/ | title=Pandora's CEO Roger Lynch Exits As SiriusXM Takes Over | last=Wang | first=Amy X. | magazine=] | date=January 30, 2019}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
On February 26, 2019, Pandora announced the launch of Pandora Stories, a marketing tool for artists. The feature allows artists to build music playlists combined with voice tracks, where they can add a narrative and deeper insights.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/26/pandora-stories-launches-combining-music-and-podcasting-in-a-new-format/|title=Pandora Stories launches, combining music and podcasting in a new format|website=TechCrunch|date=February 26, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
In October 2019, Pandora's parent company, Sirius XM, signed a multiyear deal with Marvel to launch a series of superhero-based podcasts in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/10/22/772355077/marvel-expands-its-universe-to-superhero-podcasts-on-siriusxm-and-pandora|title=It's Superhero Time On Podcasts: Star-Lord And Black Widow To Step Up To The Mic|website=NPR.org|date=October 22, 2019|language=en|access-date=January 14, 2020|last1=Romo|first1=Vanessa}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
=== Acquisitions ===
* ]
On June 11, 2013, Pandora announced it would purchase FM radio station ] in ].<ref name="verge-pandorafm">{{cite web|title=Pandora buys FM radio station in a wily move to fight music labels|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/6/11/4420936/pandora-buys-fm-radio-station-in-a-wily-move-to-fight-music-companies|work=The Verge|date=June 11, 2013|access-date=June 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="hills-pandora">{{cite web|last=Harrison|first=Christopher|title=Why Pandora bought an FM radio station|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/153059-why-pandora-bought-an-fm-radio-station/|date=June 11, 2013}}</ref> On October 7, 2015, Pandora announced it had acquired independent ticketing agency ] for $450 million,<ref name="ticketfly">{{cite web|title=Game changer: Pandora confirms $450m acquisition of Ticketfly|url=http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/game-changer-pandora-confirms-450m-acquisition-ticketfly/|work=musicbusinessworldwide|access-date=December 30, 2015|date=October 7, 2015}}</ref> which it subsequently sold to Eventbrite for $200 million on June 9, 2017.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7825661/eventbrite-buys-ticketfly-pandora-200-million|title=Eventbrite Acquires Ticketfly from Pandora for $200 Million|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 9, 2017}}</ref>

In November 2015, streaming music service ], founded by Skype co-founders ] and ], declared bankruptcy and sold its assets to Pandora for $75 million.<ref>By James Risley, GeekWire. "." November 16, 2015. November 17, 2015.</ref> Pandora retained 100 Rdio employees, including Iain Morris and Rich Masio, who joined a growing licensing department in pursuit of direct licenses with labels and publishers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/can-these-former-rdio-execs-woo-the-music-biz-for-pandora/|title=Can these former Rdio execs woo the music biz for Pandora? - Music Business Worldwide|date=January 25, 2016 |newspaper=Music Business Worldwide|language=en-US |access-date=November 27, 2016}}</ref>

In March 2018, Pandora announced it would acquire digital audio ad technology firm AdsWizz for $145 million.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/21/pandora-doubles-down-on-ad-tech-with-acquisition-of-adswizz-for-145-million/ | title=Pandora doubles down on ad tech with acquisition of AdsWizz for $145 million | first=Sarah | last=Perez | work=] | date=March 31, 2018}}</ref>

In February 2019, ] acquired Pandora for $3.5 billion in stock.<ref name=completes/><ref name=wraps/>

In July 2020, ] acquired the ] for $325 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carman |first=Ashley |date=2020-07-13 |title=SiriusXM is buying Stitcher for $325 million |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/13/21315911/siriusxm-stitcher-podcast-deal-buy-midroll-earwolf |access-date=2020-07-14 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> Following the acquisition, Sirius XM integrated Stitcher's exclusive podcasts into its additional music and podcast listening service, Pandora. At the peak of its popularity, Stitcher was reported to have nearly 14.5 million weekly users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ivanova |first=Irina |date=2023-06-27 |title=Stitcher parent shuts down podcasting app - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/podcasting-app-stitcher-shuts-down-sirius-xm/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628080543/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/podcasting-app-stitcher-shuts-down-sirius-xm/ |archive-date=2023-06-28 |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mendez |first=Andrew |date=2022-08-24 |title=SiriusXM digs into subscription-based podcast market |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/24/siriusxm-digs-into-subscription-based-podcast-market-with-stitcher-premium-bundle/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929221733/https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/24/siriusxm-digs-into-subscription-based-podcast-market-with-stitcher-premium-bundle/ |archive-date=2022-09-29 |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Features ==

=== Streaming ===
Listeners can tune into established ] stations, other users' stations or create their own stations based on their musical interests.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.lifewire.com/pandora-internet-music-streaming-1847453|title=Guide to Pandora Internet Music Streaming|work=Lifewire|access-date=December 6, 2017}}</ref> The user can use ] and thumbs down buttons to declare whether they like a track or not, which determines whether similar songs should be played in the station.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lifewire.com/how-pandora-creates-stations-1847393|title=Learn How Pandora Creates Stations and How You Can Customize Them|work=Lifewire|access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en}}</ref> A second thumbs down to the same artist will ban that artist from the selected station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-ban-an-artist-from-one-of-your-stations-on-pandoracom|title=How to Ban an Artist From One of Your Stations on Pandora.com|website=Techwalla}}</ref> A thumbs down immediately skips a song, but the number of times a user can skip tracks is limited unless they are using one of the paid subscription plans, or opts to watch a ].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Singleton|first=Micah|date=September 15, 2016|title=Pandora launches Pandora Plus, an improved version of its $5 subscription service|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/15/12924910/pandora-plus-improved-subscription-service|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Pandora launches song replays, more skips for all|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/pandora-launches-song-replays-more-skips-for-all/|access-date=March 13, 2017|website=]}}</ref> More than 450 musical attributes are considered when selecting the next song.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pandora launches automatically generated personalized playlists|work=The Verge|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/28/17172954/pandora-personalized-playlists-automatically-generate|access-date=November 27, 2018}}</ref> These 450 attributes are combined into larger groups called focus traits, of which there are 2,000.<ref name=":4">{{Citation|last=Miller|first=Michael|title=Playing Music on Pandora|date=June 1, 2015|url=http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2337783|access-date=December 3, 2018}}</ref> Examples of these are rhythm ], key ], and vocal ].<ref name=":4" />

Pandora is available in a free advertising-supported service, and a subscription-based tier known as "Pandora Plus" (rebranded from "Pandora One" in September 2015), which also features offline playback support using a prediction mechanism, and more skips and replays.<ref name=":3" />

In March 2017, a third tier known as "Pandora Premium" was launched, which allows users to listen to and create playlists of individual songs on-demand (making it more in line with competing services such as ] and ]). The recommendation engine can also be used to generate playlists of similar songs. Pandora also emphasized a use of machine learning and manual curation, including filtering out low-quality content such as "knock-off covers" and karaoke tracks.<ref name="tc-premium">{{cite web|title=Pandora's on-demand music service finally arrives|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/13/pandoras-on-demand-music-service-finally-arrives/|access-date=March 13, 2017|website=TechCrunch|date=March 13, 2017 |publisher=AOL}}</ref>

In October 2019, Pandora added full song credits to their app, displaying the data on who contributed to which song.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pandora Introduces Full Song Credits on the Web and Pandora's Desktop App|url=https://blog.pandora.com/us/pandora-introduces-full-song-credits-on-the-web-and-pandoras-desktop-app/|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125101705/https://blog.pandora.com/us/pandora-introduces-full-song-credits-on-the-web-and-pandoras-desktop-app/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Limitations ===
Initially, users with free accounts could listen to 40 hours of music a month, and could pay $0.99 per month for unlimited streaming. In September 2011, Pandora removed the 40-hour listening limit.<ref name="NewPandora"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923190211/http://blog.pandora.com/pandora/archives/2011/09/new-pandora-for.html |date=September 23, 2011 }}. Pandora Blog. September 22, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2011.</ref> This 40-hour limit on free listening was re-introduced in March 2013 for mobile devices.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302055228/http://gigaom.com/2013/02/28/pandora-caps-monthly-free-tunes-on-mobiles-to-40-hours/ |date=March 2, 2013 }}. Gigaom.com (February 28, 2013). Retrieved January 17, 2014.</ref> However, this limit was removed once more in September of the same year.<ref name="thenextweb1" />

In September 2016, a rewind function was introduced allowing users to replay a song. The updated streaming service also allowed users to skip an unidentified number of additional songs per hour if they opted to watch an ad. Previous to that, users were only able to skip six songs in an hour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/pandora-launches-song-replays-more-skips-for-all/|title=Pandora launches song replays, more skips for all|last=Solsman|first=Joan E.|website=CNET|language=en|access-date=December 6, 2018}}</ref>

== Device support ==
Pandora apps are available for Android and iOS.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Deahl|first=Dani|date=January 15, 2019|title=You can now control Pandora with voice commands|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/15/18183331/pandora-voice-mode-commands-music-streaming|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref> Apps are also available for ] and ] ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Welch|first=Chris|date=January 4, 2019|title=Pandora beats Spotify to offline playback on the Apple Watch|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/4/18169040/pandora-app-apple-watch-offline-playback-now-available|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Pocket-lint|date=October 1, 2019|title=Wear OS: Your complete guide to Google's smartwatch OS|url=https://www.pocket-lint.com/smartwatches/news/google/127960-wear-os-your-complete-guide-to-googles-smartwatch-os|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=Pocket-lint|language=en-gb}}</ref> An app for the ] smartwatch platform was also available<ref>{{Cite web|title=Android Users: Pandora is Now Available on Your Pebble Watch!|url=https://blog.pandora.com/us/android-users-pandora-is-now-available-on-your-pebble-watch/|access-date=December 14, 2020|language=en-US|archive-date=January 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123075546/https://blog.pandora.com/us/android-users-pandora-is-now-available-on-your-pebble-watch/|url-status=dead}}</ref> before that platform was discontinued. Integrations have also been offered with ]s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Singleton|first=Micah|date=November 19, 2018|title=Pandora Premium is now available on Amazon Echo devices|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/19/18098875/pandora-premium-amazon-echo-alexa-available|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref> Support for ] was added to the mobile apps in January 2019.<ref name=":5" />

== Business model ==
In the three months that ended October 31, 2011, advertising comprised 88% of Pandora's total revenues;<ref name="sec.gov">Pandora Media, Inc. "." November 29, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.</ref> that was reported as 80% in December 2013.<ref name=":0" /> RPM (revenue per thousands of hours) is determined based on CPMs (cost per thousand impressions). CPMs are largely dependent upon network effects and thus increase as a website scales and adds users. As such, Pandora's strategy in order to allow for widespread distribution was to offer a service unbundled from devices and transport.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} Pandora also works with system-on-chip manufacturers to embed its technologies on the chips they sell to consumer electronics manufacturers like ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://blog.pandora.com/pandora/archives/2010/10/an-update-on-pa.html/ | title=An Update on Pandora in Your Living Room | access-date=December 2, 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128225153/http://blog.pandora.com/pandora/archives/2010/10/an-update-on-pa.html | archive-date=November 28, 2011 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Pandora's cost structure is highly variable, with content acquisition costs representing roughly 50% of total costs.<ref name="sec.gov" /> There are three main costs associated with content acquisition. First, ] collects content fees on behalf of labels or artists on the recording themselves. These are by far the largest content acquisition costs.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} Second, Pandora pays licensing fees to agencies such as ], ], or ] in order to compensate composers, songwriters and publishers. Lastly, Pandora also pays ] for song and artist information; this has recently been structured as a flat monthly fee.

High variable costs mean that Pandora does not have significant ], and in the next couple years{{clarify|date=February 2022}} might actually have negative operating leverage due to an unfavorable shift in product mix towards mobile. Pandora is currently estimated to monetize mobile hours at roughly one-ninth the rate of desktop hours.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-11/pandora-slow-to-lure-mobile-ad-dollars-even-as-ipad-listeners-flock-tech.html/ | title=Pandora Slow to Lure Mobile-Ad Dollars Even as Users Flock | access-date=December 2, 2011 | work=Bloomberg | first1=Andy | last1=Fixmer | first2=Ari | last2=Levy | date=October 11, 2011}}</ref> Since Pandora pays the same licensing cost per hour irrespective of the user's platform, the net contribution to earnings per mobile hour is even more skewed with respect to contribution to earnings from desktop hours. Mobile revenues will improve over time as Pandora shifts from relying on third-party ad networks to selling ad inventory internally at premium rates.

In January 2011, Pandora met with ]s to consider a possible $100 million IPO.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1310587520110113 | work=Reuters | first=Clare | last=Baldwin | title=UPDATE 1-Groupon, Pandora met this week with IPO bankers | date=January 13, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Jay | last=Yarow |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/pandora-was-saved-by-the-iphone-now-its-thinking-ipo-2010-3 |title=Pandora Was Saved By The iPhone, Now It's Thinking IPO |work=] |date=March 8, 2010 |access-date=November 6, 2012}}</ref> The company filed with the SEC for a $100mm IPO on February 11, 2011, and officially began trading on the ] with ticker symbol "P" on June 15, 2011, at a price of $16/share. This gave them a valuation of nearly $2.6 billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cabot.net/News/2011/06/Pandora-IPO.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731155546/http://www.cabot.net/News/2011/06/Pandora-IPO.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2011 |title=Internet Radio Company Pandora Sets IPO |publisher=] |date=June 15, 2011 |access-date=November 6, 2012 }}</ref>

Pandora announced $80.8 million in total revenue for their first quarter of fiscal 2012, which was up 58% over their previous year Q1 results. Of the $80.8 million, $70.6 million came from advertising, while the other $10.2 million came from subscription. In addition, Pandora has seen a 62% advertising revenue increase, and a 38% subscription revenue increase year-over-year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/05/23/pandoras-quarterly-results-80-8m-in-revenue-52m-active-users-3-09b-listening-hours-per-month/|title=Pandora's Quarterly Results: $80.8M In Revenue, 52M Active Users & 3.09B Listening Hours|work=TechCrunch|access-date=October 17, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> However, the vast majority of Pandora's users remain on the free, ad-supported model.

== Royalties ==
Pandora's business model was threatened by changes to royalty structures affecting internet radio in the United States, with the ] having ordered increases to per-song performance royalties (which are not paid by terrestrial radio) in March 2007.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Buskirk|first=Eliot Van|date=August 18, 2008|title=Pandora Could Be First Major Casualty of New Royalty Rates|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2008/08/pandora-could-b/|access-date=September 7, 2020|issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Internet radio to fight royalty ruling|url=https://money.cnn.com/2007/03/14/technology/radio_streaming/|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=CNN Money}}</ref> Pandora was a member of an industry group, SaveNetRadio, which opposed the increases.<ref name=":2" /> In August 2008, Westergen told ''The Washington Post'' that they were "approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision", arguing that "the moment we think this problem in Washington is not going to get solved, we have to pull the plug because all we're doing is wasting money."<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 16, 2008|title=Giant of Internet Radio Nears Its 'Last Stand'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/15/AR2008081503367.html|access-date=September 7, 2020|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref>

On July 7, 2009, ] announced that agreements had been reached on royalty rates for internet radio, with larger webcasters paying a minimum of 25% of total revenue or rates per-song per-listener, whichever is higher. Pandora described the new rates as being "a middle ground that, while perhaps not meeting all of our aspirations, still represents a thoughtful and reasoned outcome under the circumstances." Due to the new rates still being relatively high in comparison to terrestrial radio, Pandora announced that ad-supported service would be limited to 40 hours per-month, and that users would be required to pay a $0.99 fee (separate from the Pandora One subscription, which is ad-free) to receive unlimited listening for the remainder of the month <ref>{{Cite news|last=Miller|first=Claire Cain|date=July 7, 2009|title=Music Labels Reach Online Royalty Deal|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/technology/internet/08radio.html|access-date=September 7, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=July 7, 2009|title=Internet radio sites reach royalty deal|url=https://money.cnn.com/2009/07/07/technology/internet_radio_royalty_settlement.cnnw/index.htm?section=money_latest|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=CNN Money}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pandora (And Other Internet Radio) Has Officially Been Saved|url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/07/07/pandora-and-other-internet-radio-has-officially-been-saved/|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=TechCrunch|date=July 7, 2009 |language=en-US}}</ref> With an update to the Pandora player in September 2011, the 40 hour cap was extended to 320 hours.<ref name="NewPandora" /><ref>{{cite web | url=http://mashable.com/2011/09/21/pandora-redesign/ | title=Pandora Unleashes Redesigned Music Player With No Listening Cap | website=] | date=September 21, 2011 | access-date=September 21, 2011}}</ref>

On November 22, 2011, Pandora reported its Q3 earnings. Royalty costs accounted for 50% of revenue, slightly better than expected. Its revenue, most of it from advertising, continued to rise at respectable rates. Not only has Pandora attracted more users but the average number of hours per user have also increased. Pandora now accounts for an estimated 4% of total US listening hours. As Pandora grows, it hopes to gain leverage on music labels and drive royalty costs down.<ref>Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry and Henry Blodget, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121010144/http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-11-23/research/30432348_1_pandora-higher-revenue-spotify |date=January 21, 2012 }}, Business Insider, November 23, 2011.</ref>

Pandora CEO Tim Westergren has supported The Internet Radio Fairness Act or IRFA (H.R. 6480/S. 3609), which would reduce the company's royalty payments to the performers by 80 percent.<ref>{{cite web|last=Orlowski |first=Andrew |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/17/pandora_fairness/ |title=Pandora boss urges 85% pay cut for musicians. |publisher=Theregister.co.uk |date=October 17, 2012 |access-date=April 8, 2014}}</ref>

On November 5, 2012, Pandora filed suit in federal district court against ] over royalty fees.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/5/3606252/pandora-ascap-lawsuit-licensing-fees | title=Pandora sues ASCAP over songwriter fees, asks court to establish 'reasonable' licensing | date=November 5, 2012 | access-date=November 6, 2012}}</ref> In the suit, the company sought to advocate for lower licensing fees on all the songs represented by the ASCAP's 435,000 members.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-05/pandora-media-sues-ascap-seeking-lower-songwriter-fees.html | title=Pandora sues ASCAP Seeking Lower Songwriter Fees | date=November 5, 2012 | access-date=December 5, 2012 | work=Bloomberg}}</ref> On February 27, 2013, Pandora announced a 40-hour-per-month limit on free mobile listening. Pandora CEO Tim Westergren cited escalating royalty costs as the reason for the mobile cap.<ref>Tim Westergren, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328134804/http://blog.pandora.com/2013/02/27/a-note-to-our-listeners/ |date=March 28, 2013 }}, Pandora.com, February 27, 2013</ref>

In a ruling made public in March 2014, US District Judge Denise Cote ruled that Pandora's rate paid to ASCAP should remain the same, 1.85%. She cited (p.&nbsp;97) "troubling coordination" between two of the biggest publishing companies (Sony and UMPG) and ASCAP that alludes to core antitrust concern in the industry.<ref> March 18, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2020.</ref>

After arguing that both ASCAP and BMI were showing bias towards international broadcasters who own terrestrial radio stations, Pandora announced on June 11, 2013, that it would attempt to acquire ], a radio station in Rapid City, South Dakota, under the presumption that doing so would allow it to access the same preferential licensing terms offered to services such as ] (which is owned by ], itself America's largest radio broadcaster).<ref name=verge-pandorafm /><ref name="hills-pandora" /> The move was criticized by David Israelite, CEO of the ], who declared that Pandora was now "at war with songwriters," and had lost its credibility because it was resorting to "lawsuits and gimmicks" to make its point. However, a member of ] praised the move, by stating that it was "a perfect example of the twisted incentives and strange results we get from a music licensing system that is based on who wants a license instead of just what they want to do with the music they’re using."<ref name=verge-pandorapublisher>{{cite web|title=CEO of top music publishers' trade group says Pandora is at war with songwriters|work=The Verge|date=June 12, 2013|access-date=June 13, 2013|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/6/12/4424796/music-publishers-say-pandora-is-at-war-with-songwriters}}</ref><ref name=pk-royalties>{{cite web|last=Griffin|first=Jodie|title=Why Internet Radio Royalties Led Pandora to Buy an FM Radio Station|url=http://publicknowledge.org/blog/why-internet-radio-royalties-led-pandora-buy-|publisher=Public Knowledge|access-date=June 14, 2013|archive-date=June 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615213900/http://www.publicknowledge.org/blog/why-internet-radio-royalties-led-pandora-buy-|url-status=dead}}</ref> ASCAP also objected to the deal, filing a petition to deny with the FCC. The organization argued that the acquisition was not in the public interest because of Pandora's intent to use it as a "bargaining chip" for royalty payments. ASCAP also alleged that Pandora did not provide enough information about its ownership structure, failing to prove that less than 25% of the company was owned by foreign interests. On January 14, 2014, the FCC denied the acquisition until Pandora "demonstrate adequate support for its foreign ownership compliance certification."<ref name=billboard-fccshelved>{{cite web|title=FCC Shelves Pandora's Bid For South Dakota Radio Station|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/legal-and-management/5869791/fcc-shelves-pandoras-bid-for-south-dakota-radio|work=Billboard.biz|date=January 15, 2014|access-date=February 12, 2014}}</ref><ref name=theregister-ascapdeny>{{cite web|title=Music licensor seeks to block Pandora from running a radio station|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/29/ascap_seeks_to_block_pandora_radio_licenese/|work=The Register |access-date=February 12, 2014}}</ref> The FCC relented in 2015 and allowed Pandora to acquire the station under the premise that whatever foreign ownership Pandora had was widely dispersed;<ref name="nyt-fcc-ruling">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/business/media/fcc-allows-pandora-to-buy-south-dakota-radio-station.html|title=F.C.C. Allows Pandora to Buy South Dakota Radio Station|first=Ben|last=Sisario|work=]|date=May 4, 2015|access-date=May 4, 2015}}</ref> Two years later, Pandora would sell the station to Rapid City-based Haugo Broadcasting for $300,000.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 19, 2017|title=Pandora, Taking a Loss, Unloads Its Lone FM For $300K.|url=http://www.insideradio.com/free/pandora-taking-a-loss-unloads-its-lone-fm-for-300k/article_9d9b6bd8-550d-11e7-b2f2-739fbff8d024.html|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=Inside Radio|language=en}}</ref>

In July 2013, ], the frontman of the rock bands ] and ], wrote an article criticizing Pandora's royalty rate for Cracker's song "]", which was streamed over one million times. According to his ] royalty statement, Lowery earned only $16.89 for his 40 percent stake in the song.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thetrichordist.com/2013/06/24/my-song-got-played-on-pandora-1-million-times-and-all-i-got-was-16-89-less-than-what-i-make-from-a-single-t-shirt-sale|title=My Song Got Played on Pandora 1 Million Times and All I Got Was $16.89, Less Than What I Make from a Single T-Shirt Sale!|date=June 24, 2013}}</ref>

On September 1, 2013, Pandora removed the 40-hour-per-month limit on free mobile listening (originally announced on February 27, 2013). Pandora stated that it was able to make this change "thanks to the rapid progress of its mobile advertising."<ref>, Pandora.com, August 22, 2013</ref>

In 2014, Pandora signed an agreement with some music copyright owners for lower royalties in exchange for more frequent streaming of songs. Though not illegal, this practice raised comparisons to ], which is illegal payment for airplay on terrestrial radio.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/11/26/366339553/pandoras-new-deal-different-pay-different-play|title=Pandora's New Deal: Different Pay, Different Play|date=November 26, 2014|work=NPR.org}}</ref>

== Reception ==
In 2013, '']'' compared a number of music services and granted Pandora a "B−", writing, "Free streaming radio, $36 a year for ad-free. Launched in 2005, Pandora is available on just about every platform. There's no on-demand, though, and stations tend to draw from a relatively small pool of albums."<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://www.ew.com/article/2013/01/11/whats-best-music-service |last= Anderson |first= Kyle |title= What's the Best Music Service? |magazine= ] |date= January 18, 2013 |location= New York |page= 14 |access-date= February 18, 2020 |archive-date= November 10, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141110200751/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20663844,00.html |url-status= live }}</ref> As of March 2014, the annual option was eliminated, and the $3.99 monthly plan was the only way to get Pandora One. The price rose to $4.99 a month in July 2014. The annual subscription was brought back and is now $54.89 a year.

== Advertising ==
Pandora initially offered a subscription-only service without commercials. However, the idea of paying did not sit well with most U.S. consumers and the company had to consider alternative business models to offer a free service. Then, in December 2005 Pandora sold its first advertisement.<ref name="Music Genome Project 2012">"Pandora Radio/Music Genome Project." Innovation Masters: History's Best Examples of Business Transformation. Ed. Miranda H. Ferrara and Michele P. LaMeau. Detroit: Gale, 2012. 267-270. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. June 10, 2014.</ref>

In 2015, Pandora began playing more advertisements per hour in certain geographies and demographics. Pandora normally plays no more than six advertisements per hour for free users.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilking|first1=Rick|title=Yes, you're hearing more ads on Pandora these days|url=http://qz.com/463470/yes-youre-hearing-more-ads-on-pandora-these-days/|website=Quartz|date=July 24, 2015 |publisher=Reuters|access-date=July 25, 2015}}</ref>

=== Revenue ===
Pandora became fairly popular within just two years. Starting from 2010 to 2012 Pandora's registered users had increased from 45 million to 125 million. The company's revenue increased from $55 million to $274 million, in which a majority of it from advertising. In order to appeal to a large audience of consumers, Pandora offers ad-free access for $36 a year.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/business/media/pandora-courts-local-advertisers-by-reaching-a-narrow-audience.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 | work=The New York Times | first1=Ben | last1=Sisario | first2=Tanzina | last2=Vega | author2-link=Tanzina Vega | title=Pandora Courts Local Advertisers by Reaching a Narrow Audience | date=April 15, 2012}}</ref> During its 2011 fiscal year, Pandora reported $138 million in revenue with a $1.8 million net loss, excluding the cost of a special dividend associated with the IPO.<ref>Pandora Media, Inc. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308060043/http://services.corporate-ir.net/SEC.Enhanced/SecCapsule.aspx?c=227956&fid=7621947 |date=March 8, 2012 }}." June 14, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.</ref> Overall, Pandora has a 78% of Internet radio and a 9.3% share of the U.S. public radio. Finally, in 2013 industry-wide total radio ad revenue increased to $17.6 billion in the US.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-20/pandora-can-extend-lead-in-online-music-cfo-herring-says.html | work=Bloomberg | first=Anthony | last=Palazzo | title=Pandora Can Extend Lead in Online Music, CFO Herring Says | date=May 20, 2014}}</ref>

=== Pitch to advertisers ===
Pandora obtains its advertisers by explaining that the company reaches a narrower audience compared to terrestrial radio. "Pandora's pitch to advertisers is that its technology can cater to consumers with far greater precision than radio – it can pinpoint listeners by age and sex, ZIP code or even musical taste."<ref name="nytimes.com" />

=== Methods of advertising ===
There are a few different methods of advertising on Pandora. Audio advertising comes in spots of 15 to 30 seconds, and run once every 20 minutes. However, users only encounter ads if they are engaging with the site, like contributing a thumbs up or a thumbs down when changing a song or station.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/business/media/pandora-courts-local-advertisers-by-reaching-a-narrow-audience.html|title=Pandora Courts Local Advertisers by Reaching a Narrow Audience|first1=Ben|last1=Sisario|first2=Tanzina|last2=Vega|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 15, 2012}}</ref>

Next, there are ] which are featured on the wallpaper of the site. As noted by '']'', banner ads are on Pandora in order "to promote engagement, audio segments can be accompanied by clickable display ads offering coupons or product information.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Advertising on Pandora works through a method of collecting data from users' online browsing activity. Once the data is collected, the company uses the data to show the user target ads. This process of advertising is also known as ]. Pandora offers its users the option of submitting out of the targeted ads, by an opt-out configuration on its website. Opting-out will only prevent targeted ads, meaning users may continue to see generic (non-targeted ads) from these companies after they opt-out. Eventually, Pandora offers either targeted advertisements or generic advertisements for its non-subscribed users.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pandora.com/advertising/preferences|title=Your Advertising Choices}}</ref> However, Pandora's advertising does not offer local content such as the local news, weather, traffic, and talk.<ref name="nytimes.com" />

=== Market segments ===
Pandora has created two ]s, one for Spanish listeners, and another for English listeners. By creating multiple market segments, Pandora's advertising is customized to its users' needs. In order to create the first two market segments, the company cross-referenced its registered user data with the ]. Then, the cross reference allows the company to identify zip codes with high populations of Hispanic and Spanish-speaking people, and finally it ran tests overlaying the two data sets to infer which listeners fit into those buckets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://adage.com/article/digital/pandora-past-tracking-cookie-mining-user-data/245269/ |title=Pandora Looks Past the Tracking Cookie By Mining User Data|first=Tim |last=Peterson |date=November 14, 2013}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
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* ]


==References== == References ==
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==External links== == External links ==
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* , May 3, 2007, interview with Tim Westergren
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* - May 3, 2007 interview with Tim Westergren
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* USA TODAY, 2013
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Latest revision as of 06:14, 18 October 2024

Music streaming and recommendation website This article is about the automated music streaming service. For the Greek myth, see Pandora. For other uses, see Pandora (disambiguation).

Pandora
Type of businessSubsidiary
Type of siteMusic streaming service
Available inEnglish
FoundedJanuary 2000; 25 years ago (2000-01) (as Savage Beast Technologies)
Oakland, California, U.S.
HeadquartersOakland, California, U.S.
No. of locations7
Area servedUnited States
Founder(s)Will Glaser
Jon Kraft
Tim Westergren
ServicesInternet radio
Employees1,938 (2019)
ParentSirius XM (2019–present)
SubsidiariesRdio (as of December 22, 2015)

Next Big Sound (as of November 1, 2021)
Adswizz (as of May 29, 2018)

Stitcher (as of August 29, 2023)
URLwww.pandora.com
AdvertisingBanner ads, video ads, audio ads
RegistrationOptional (required to save stations)
Users55.9 million active (2021), 6.4 million subscribers (2021)
Current statusActive
Native client(s) onUniversal Windows App, iOS, Android
Written inJava

Pandora is a subscription-based music streaming service owned by the broadcasting corporation Sirius XM that is presently based in Oakland, California inside of the United States. The service carries a focus on recommendations based on the "Music Genome Project", which is a means of classifying individual songs by musical traits such as genres and shared instrumentation. The service originally launched in the consumer market as an internet radio service that would generate personalized channels based on these traits as well as specific tracks liked by the user; this service is available in an advertising-supported tier and additionally a subscription-based version. In 2017, the service launched Pandora Premium, which is an on-demand version of the service more in line with contemporary competitors.

The company was founded in 2000 as Savage Beast Technologies, and initially conceived as a business-to-business company licensing the Music Genome Project to retailers as a recommendation platform. In 2005, the company shifted its focus to the consumer market by launching Pandora as an internet radio product. Pandora is a freemium service; basic features are free with advertisements or limitations, while additional features, such as improved streaming quality, music downloads and offline channels are offered via paid subscriptions.

In February 2019, Sirius XM acquired Pandora for $3.5 billion in stock. In 2021, Pandora had about 55.9 million active monthly users, and 6.4 million subscribers. As of 2022, Pandora reportedly had fewer than 50 million active users. As of 2023, there were 46 million users.

History

Early history

In 2000, Will Glaser, Jon Kraft, and Tim Westergren founded the company as Savage Beast Technologies. Will Glaser had conceptualized the concept of classifying music by various traits and attributes—an effort that he would later name the "Music Genome Project". The company was originally pitched as an e-commerce service that would use Glaser's associated algorithm as a recommendation engine, but this idea was scrapped after the Dot-com bubble hit its peak in March 2000. Afterwards, the company pursued licensing the technology to other retailers, such as AOL Music and Best Buy (who used it for in-store kiosks as a trial).

The company faced increasing debt, and ran through its initial $2 million in funding by 2001. Glaser, Kraft, and Westergren then convinced Savage Beast's 50 employees to work for two years without pay, prompting a lawsuit by former employees in 2003 due to deferred salaries being illegal under California law. After settling the suit, just a few employees were laid off. In 2004, based on the success of the Best Buy pilot, Walden Venture Capital led an $8 million round of funding, and hired Joe Kennedy—formerly of automaker Saturn—as its new CEO. After agreements with Best Buy and Borders lapsed, the company began to shift its attention to the consumer market, resulting in the development of Pandora as an internet radio service using the Music Genome Project as a personalization system.

After a beta period, Pandora officially launched in September 2005. Upon its launch, it was a subscription-based service, but added a free, ad-supported version in November after Westergren realized users were abusing its 10-hour free trial by making new e-mail addresses. Advertising could also be targeted based on the current song.

Growth

In 2011, Pandora went public via an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. At the time, Pandora had 800,000 tracks from 80,000 artists in its library and 80 million users. As of end of mid-year 2018, Pandora had 71.4 million active users.

On March 7, 2013, Pandora chairman and chief executive officer Joseph J. Kennedy announced that he would leave the company after nine years.

In April 2013, Pandora announced that its radio streaming service had 200 million users, including 70 million monthly active users. By December 2013, Pandora accounted for 70% of all internet radio listening in the United States.

On September 1, 2013, Pandora removed a 40-hour-per-month limitation for free mobile listening. As of October 2014, less than 5 percent of active listeners were paying subscribers.

By November 2014, Pandora had approximately doubled its library size, topping 1.5 million songs.

On September 15, 2016, Pandora launched "Pandora Plus", a new $4.99 subscription service to compete with other streaming services.

In early 2017, Pandora revealed that 56 million of its 81 million active users subscribed to the Today's Country station and that country music had accounted for more than 1.7 billion listening hours on the platform in 2016.

On July 31, 2017, Pandora discontinued services in Australia and New Zealand, citing a need to focus solely on the U.S. market.

In September 2017, Roger Lynch became CEO and stated that he wanted to expand the service's focus on podcasts, with similar discovery features to those for music as well as new monetization options. In January 2019, Lynch's departure was announced following the approval of Sirius XM's acquisition of Pandora. Lynch will be replaced by Sirius XM CEO Jim Meyer.

On February 26, 2019, Pandora announced the launch of Pandora Stories, a marketing tool for artists. The feature allows artists to build music playlists combined with voice tracks, where they can add a narrative and deeper insights.

In October 2019, Pandora's parent company, Sirius XM, signed a multiyear deal with Marvel to launch a series of superhero-based podcasts in 2020.

Acquisitions

On June 11, 2013, Pandora announced it would purchase FM radio station KXMZ in Rapid City, South Dakota. On October 7, 2015, Pandora announced it had acquired independent ticketing agency Ticketfly for $450 million, which it subsequently sold to Eventbrite for $200 million on June 9, 2017.

In November 2015, streaming music service Rdio, founded by Skype co-founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, declared bankruptcy and sold its assets to Pandora for $75 million. Pandora retained 100 Rdio employees, including Iain Morris and Rich Masio, who joined a growing licensing department in pursuit of direct licenses with labels and publishers.

In March 2018, Pandora announced it would acquire digital audio ad technology firm AdsWizz for $145 million.

In February 2019, Sirius XM acquired Pandora for $3.5 billion in stock.

In July 2020, Sirius XM acquired the Stitcher company for $325 million. Following the acquisition, Sirius XM integrated Stitcher's exclusive podcasts into its additional music and podcast listening service, Pandora. At the peak of its popularity, Stitcher was reported to have nearly 14.5 million weekly users.

Features

Streaming

Listeners can tune into established genre stations, other users' stations or create their own stations based on their musical interests. The user can use thumbs up and thumbs down buttons to declare whether they like a track or not, which determines whether similar songs should be played in the station. A second thumbs down to the same artist will ban that artist from the selected station. A thumbs down immediately skips a song, but the number of times a user can skip tracks is limited unless they are using one of the paid subscription plans, or opts to watch a video ad. More than 450 musical attributes are considered when selecting the next song. These 450 attributes are combined into larger groups called focus traits, of which there are 2,000. Examples of these are rhythm syncopation, key tonality, and vocal harmonies.

Pandora is available in a free advertising-supported service, and a subscription-based tier known as "Pandora Plus" (rebranded from "Pandora One" in September 2015), which also features offline playback support using a prediction mechanism, and more skips and replays.

In March 2017, a third tier known as "Pandora Premium" was launched, which allows users to listen to and create playlists of individual songs on-demand (making it more in line with competing services such as Apple Music and Spotify). The recommendation engine can also be used to generate playlists of similar songs. Pandora also emphasized a use of machine learning and manual curation, including filtering out low-quality content such as "knock-off covers" and karaoke tracks.

In October 2019, Pandora added full song credits to their app, displaying the data on who contributed to which song.

Limitations

Initially, users with free accounts could listen to 40 hours of music a month, and could pay $0.99 per month for unlimited streaming. In September 2011, Pandora removed the 40-hour listening limit. This 40-hour limit on free listening was re-introduced in March 2013 for mobile devices. However, this limit was removed once more in September of the same year.

In September 2016, a rewind function was introduced allowing users to replay a song. The updated streaming service also allowed users to skip an unidentified number of additional songs per hour if they opted to watch an ad. Previous to that, users were only able to skip six songs in an hour.

Device support

Pandora apps are available for Android and iOS. Apps are also available for Apple Watch and Wear OS smartwatches. An app for the Pebble smartwatch platform was also available before that platform was discontinued. Integrations have also been offered with smart speakers. Support for voice control was added to the mobile apps in January 2019.

Business model

In the three months that ended October 31, 2011, advertising comprised 88% of Pandora's total revenues; that was reported as 80% in December 2013. RPM (revenue per thousands of hours) is determined based on CPMs (cost per thousand impressions). CPMs are largely dependent upon network effects and thus increase as a website scales and adds users. As such, Pandora's strategy in order to allow for widespread distribution was to offer a service unbundled from devices and transport. Pandora also works with system-on-chip manufacturers to embed its technologies on the chips they sell to consumer electronics manufacturers like Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony.

Pandora's cost structure is highly variable, with content acquisition costs representing roughly 50% of total costs. There are three main costs associated with content acquisition. First, SoundExchange collects content fees on behalf of labels or artists on the recording themselves. These are by far the largest content acquisition costs. Second, Pandora pays licensing fees to agencies such as BMI, ASCAP, or SESAC in order to compensate composers, songwriters and publishers. Lastly, Pandora also pays TiVo Corporation for song and artist information; this has recently been structured as a flat monthly fee.

High variable costs mean that Pandora does not have significant operating leverage, and in the next couple years might actually have negative operating leverage due to an unfavorable shift in product mix towards mobile. Pandora is currently estimated to monetize mobile hours at roughly one-ninth the rate of desktop hours. Since Pandora pays the same licensing cost per hour irrespective of the user's platform, the net contribution to earnings per mobile hour is even more skewed with respect to contribution to earnings from desktop hours. Mobile revenues will improve over time as Pandora shifts from relying on third-party ad networks to selling ad inventory internally at premium rates.

In January 2011, Pandora met with investment banks to consider a possible $100 million IPO. The company filed with the SEC for a $100mm IPO on February 11, 2011, and officially began trading on the New York Stock Exchange with ticker symbol "P" on June 15, 2011, at a price of $16/share. This gave them a valuation of nearly $2.6 billion.

Pandora announced $80.8 million in total revenue for their first quarter of fiscal 2012, which was up 58% over their previous year Q1 results. Of the $80.8 million, $70.6 million came from advertising, while the other $10.2 million came from subscription. In addition, Pandora has seen a 62% advertising revenue increase, and a 38% subscription revenue increase year-over-year. However, the vast majority of Pandora's users remain on the free, ad-supported model.

Royalties

Pandora's business model was threatened by changes to royalty structures affecting internet radio in the United States, with the Copyright Royalty Board having ordered increases to per-song performance royalties (which are not paid by terrestrial radio) in March 2007. Pandora was a member of an industry group, SaveNetRadio, which opposed the increases. In August 2008, Westergen told The Washington Post that they were "approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision", arguing that "the moment we think this problem in Washington is not going to get solved, we have to pull the plug because all we're doing is wasting money."

On July 7, 2009, SoundExchange announced that agreements had been reached on royalty rates for internet radio, with larger webcasters paying a minimum of 25% of total revenue or rates per-song per-listener, whichever is higher. Pandora described the new rates as being "a middle ground that, while perhaps not meeting all of our aspirations, still represents a thoughtful and reasoned outcome under the circumstances." Due to the new rates still being relatively high in comparison to terrestrial radio, Pandora announced that ad-supported service would be limited to 40 hours per-month, and that users would be required to pay a $0.99 fee (separate from the Pandora One subscription, which is ad-free) to receive unlimited listening for the remainder of the month With an update to the Pandora player in September 2011, the 40 hour cap was extended to 320 hours.

On November 22, 2011, Pandora reported its Q3 earnings. Royalty costs accounted for 50% of revenue, slightly better than expected. Its revenue, most of it from advertising, continued to rise at respectable rates. Not only has Pandora attracted more users but the average number of hours per user have also increased. Pandora now accounts for an estimated 4% of total US listening hours. As Pandora grows, it hopes to gain leverage on music labels and drive royalty costs down.

Pandora CEO Tim Westergren has supported The Internet Radio Fairness Act or IRFA (H.R. 6480/S. 3609), which would reduce the company's royalty payments to the performers by 80 percent.

On November 5, 2012, Pandora filed suit in federal district court against ASCAP over royalty fees. In the suit, the company sought to advocate for lower licensing fees on all the songs represented by the ASCAP's 435,000 members. On February 27, 2013, Pandora announced a 40-hour-per-month limit on free mobile listening. Pandora CEO Tim Westergren cited escalating royalty costs as the reason for the mobile cap.

In a ruling made public in March 2014, US District Judge Denise Cote ruled that Pandora's rate paid to ASCAP should remain the same, 1.85%. She cited (p. 97) "troubling coordination" between two of the biggest publishing companies (Sony and UMPG) and ASCAP that alludes to core antitrust concern in the industry.

After arguing that both ASCAP and BMI were showing bias towards international broadcasters who own terrestrial radio stations, Pandora announced on June 11, 2013, that it would attempt to acquire KXMZ, a radio station in Rapid City, South Dakota, under the presumption that doing so would allow it to access the same preferential licensing terms offered to services such as iHeartRadio (which is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., itself America's largest radio broadcaster). The move was criticized by David Israelite, CEO of the National Music Publishers Association, who declared that Pandora was now "at war with songwriters," and had lost its credibility because it was resorting to "lawsuits and gimmicks" to make its point. However, a member of Public Knowledge praised the move, by stating that it was "a perfect example of the twisted incentives and strange results we get from a music licensing system that is based on who wants a license instead of just what they want to do with the music they’re using." ASCAP also objected to the deal, filing a petition to deny with the FCC. The organization argued that the acquisition was not in the public interest because of Pandora's intent to use it as a "bargaining chip" for royalty payments. ASCAP also alleged that Pandora did not provide enough information about its ownership structure, failing to prove that less than 25% of the company was owned by foreign interests. On January 14, 2014, the FCC denied the acquisition until Pandora "demonstrate adequate support for its foreign ownership compliance certification." The FCC relented in 2015 and allowed Pandora to acquire the station under the premise that whatever foreign ownership Pandora had was widely dispersed; Two years later, Pandora would sell the station to Rapid City-based Haugo Broadcasting for $300,000.

In July 2013, David Lowery, the frontman of the rock bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, wrote an article criticizing Pandora's royalty rate for Cracker's song "Low", which was streamed over one million times. According to his BMI royalty statement, Lowery earned only $16.89 for his 40 percent stake in the song.

On September 1, 2013, Pandora removed the 40-hour-per-month limit on free mobile listening (originally announced on February 27, 2013). Pandora stated that it was able to make this change "thanks to the rapid progress of its mobile advertising."

In 2014, Pandora signed an agreement with some music copyright owners for lower royalties in exchange for more frequent streaming of songs. Though not illegal, this practice raised comparisons to payola, which is illegal payment for airplay on terrestrial radio.

Reception

In 2013, Entertainment Weekly compared a number of music services and granted Pandora a "B−", writing, "Free streaming radio, $36 a year for ad-free. Launched in 2005, Pandora is available on just about every platform. There's no on-demand, though, and stations tend to draw from a relatively small pool of albums." As of March 2014, the annual option was eliminated, and the $3.99 monthly plan was the only way to get Pandora One. The price rose to $4.99 a month in July 2014. The annual subscription was brought back and is now $54.89 a year.

Advertising

Pandora initially offered a subscription-only service without commercials. However, the idea of paying did not sit well with most U.S. consumers and the company had to consider alternative business models to offer a free service. Then, in December 2005 Pandora sold its first advertisement.

In 2015, Pandora began playing more advertisements per hour in certain geographies and demographics. Pandora normally plays no more than six advertisements per hour for free users.

Revenue

Pandora became fairly popular within just two years. Starting from 2010 to 2012 Pandora's registered users had increased from 45 million to 125 million. The company's revenue increased from $55 million to $274 million, in which a majority of it from advertising. In order to appeal to a large audience of consumers, Pandora offers ad-free access for $36 a year. During its 2011 fiscal year, Pandora reported $138 million in revenue with a $1.8 million net loss, excluding the cost of a special dividend associated with the IPO. Overall, Pandora has a 78% of Internet radio and a 9.3% share of the U.S. public radio. Finally, in 2013 industry-wide total radio ad revenue increased to $17.6 billion in the US.

Pitch to advertisers

Pandora obtains its advertisers by explaining that the company reaches a narrower audience compared to terrestrial radio. "Pandora's pitch to advertisers is that its technology can cater to consumers with far greater precision than radio – it can pinpoint listeners by age and sex, ZIP code or even musical taste."

Methods of advertising

There are a few different methods of advertising on Pandora. Audio advertising comes in spots of 15 to 30 seconds, and run once every 20 minutes. However, users only encounter ads if they are engaging with the site, like contributing a thumbs up or a thumbs down when changing a song or station.

Next, there are banner ads which are featured on the wallpaper of the site. As noted by the New York Times, banner ads are on Pandora in order "to promote engagement, audio segments can be accompanied by clickable display ads offering coupons or product information.

Advertising on Pandora works through a method of collecting data from users' online browsing activity. Once the data is collected, the company uses the data to show the user target ads. This process of advertising is also known as behavioral advertising. Pandora offers its users the option of submitting out of the targeted ads, by an opt-out configuration on its website. Opting-out will only prevent targeted ads, meaning users may continue to see generic (non-targeted ads) from these companies after they opt-out. Eventually, Pandora offers either targeted advertisements or generic advertisements for its non-subscribed users. However, Pandora's advertising does not offer local content such as the local news, weather, traffic, and talk.

Market segments

Pandora has created two market segments, one for Spanish listeners, and another for English listeners. By creating multiple market segments, Pandora's advertising is customized to its users' needs. In order to create the first two market segments, the company cross-referenced its registered user data with the U.S. census. Then, the cross reference allows the company to identify zip codes with high populations of Hispanic and Spanish-speaking people, and finally it ran tests overlaying the two data sets to infer which listeners fit into those buckets.

See also

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