Pandora has been re-thinking its licensing, inking direct deals with labels and publishers over the past two years. Despite those changes to the audio company’s licensing structures, SoundExchange will still be managing Pandora’s payouts to artists from the free tier. Continue Reading
In a peculiar mix of pain and gain, Pandora released news that encompassed significant staff layoffs and upbeat earning guidance. Timed after market close on Thursday, the double message caused an eight percent stock rise at one point after-hours. Continue Reading
David Frear, CFO for Sirius XM, has quashed the latest rumors about the satellite radio company acquiring Pandora. “With respect to all the chatter about [these] acquisitions, you have to look at them as them not being likely,” Frear said Continue Reading
A collective of record labels, streaming platforms, and advocacy organizations leveraged the CES spotlight to announce a commitment to high-resolution (hi-res) audio streaming. The loosely-articulated mission continues an industry trend whose mileposts have been as varied as Neil Young’s Pono venture, Tidal’s hi-res streaming subscription service, and the small but notable resurgence of vinyl records. Continue Reading
Pandora is announcing today the wide release of its two newest ad formats: Muted Video and Responsive Mobile Display, after six months of testing with a handful of launch advertisers. Test partners included Denny’s, Google, Express, and the Lexus Dealers Association. The beta period enabled Pandora to develop usage metrics. Continue Reading
As 2016 crawls to a close and 2017 emerges on the horizon, it’s time for that most time-honored of traditions: the year in review. Music companies of all stripes have released their assessments of top performers from the past twelve months. Here’s a collection of the high points from 2016. Continue Reading
Sara Clemens has resigned as Pandora’s Chief Operating Officer. She steps down after more than two years with the company, although she will remain for an unspecified “transition period.” Continue Reading
Pandora has hired Eric Picard as the audio company’s vice president of ad product management. In this role, Picard will oversee the ad product roadmap for Pandora, including premium engagement solutions and the company’s advertiser technology, buying and advertiser experience teams. Continue Reading
Last night at Pier 36, spacious indoor venue near the bottom tip of Manhattan, Pandora hosted hordes of music lovers for Pandora Holiday Live, a concert featuring The 1975, Bishop Briggs, and Bastille. One hour before the doors opened for the teeming crowd which had reportedly been lining up for two days, a small group of media and finance professionals were given a preview of Pandora Premium, the on-demand service which the company has been promising since its acquisition of Rdio last November. Continue Reading
Pandora’s stock spiked after CNBC reported that the online audio company was open to acquisition talks with Sirius XM. Shares rose more than 9% on Friday on the rumor. Tim Westergren, Pandora’s CEO, has been vocal about his lack of interest in selling off his company. Continue Reading
Pandora is expanding its options for sponsored listening packages in the lead-up to the holiday season. The new choice is related to the audio streamer’s Pandora Plus mid-priced tier of subscription access, which allows listeners to replay songs and have more opportunities to skip tracks. Pandora’s latest ad addition is sponsored playbacks and replays, where non-Plus listeners can get those features for a limited time in exchange for watching a video ad. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Wrap-up from the WorldDAB conference; a connected car report for automakers; touring Pandora’s Minneapolis office. Continue Reading