The purpose of collective licensing is simplicity. Providing a mechanism for blanket music-use approval is supposed to move things along, facilitating legal performances of songs and efficient payment to creators. Tell that to BMI, its member publishers, and Pandora this morning. Continue Reading
Ouch, and surprise! After winning favorable judgement in a similar court proceeding with publisher collection agency ASCAP, Pandora is on the losing side of a case brought by another major agency, BMI. The ruling makes life complicated for Pandora, and possibly for BMI-represented publishers. Continue Reading
On March 8, then-CEO Joe Kennedy resigned his position, and the hunt was on for a new captain. That search took six months. On September 12, Brian McAndrews was named Pandora CEO. The McAndrews appointment signaled the company’s intention to focus on monetizing the market-leading audience that Kennedy had built. Continue Reading
Several Chrome browser extensions tune out Pandora audio ads. One of the pitfalls of being the streaming music platform of choice is that the service becomes a target for developers with the know-how to “improve upon it.” Ad-blocking is real, and is a growing problem. Continue Reading
Internet listening reached all-time highs in October, according to data released by Triton Digital in its Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. Pandora advanced its market-leading position with month-over-month and year-over-year gains. We analyze long- and short-term trends. Continue Reading
Pandora is not shy about its invasive business plan. Brian McAndrews has repeated that Pandora’s goal is to “disrupt” radio. This week at the JP Morgan Small/Mid Cap Conference, VP of Investor Relations Dominic Paschel sounded more imperialistic: “When you… Continue Reading
At yesterday’s Spotify media event, founder Daniel Ek referenced radio frequently, and not uncritically. Spotify’s new free-mobile feature targets the ease of radio, plus the personalization of the Internet age. In use, it resembles Pandora. Does Spotify have a new identity? Continue Reading
Pandora is scrutinized for its usage metrics — active listeners, listening hours, and share of market. Behind all that is the sales effort which funds the enterprise. 2013 has been a pivotal year in which Pandora built out a local sales network that resembles the revenue support systems of large media companies. Continue Reading
Pandora updated its iOS app for Apple devices, adding a wake-up alarm. The app already had a timer feature that encouraged falling asleep to Pandora radio with a timed shut-off. Now users can fall asleep to Pandora, wake up to Pandora, and fortify the “hours listening” metrics Pandora publishes every month. We review the new feature. Continue Reading
Pandora CFO Mike Herring addressed the Credit Suisse 2013 Technology Conference this week. The format was a moderated Q&A session. We pulled out three subjects within which Herring’s responses were of particular interest: ratings measurement, how Pandora sells ads, and… Continue Reading
Pandora released its three-point Audience Metrics report for November this morning. The statistics reveal month-over-month growth in each category. The most scrutinized part of Pandora’s monthly measurement drumbeat is the Active Listeners statistic. That number has received especially obsessive attention… Continue Reading
According to a report in Billboard, Pandora will no longer lobby for passage of the Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA). Instead, according to Billboard’s source, the Internet radio company will concentrate on the upcoming statutory royalty period, the rates for… Continue Reading