He said the company "made the right decision for us at the time." Walker, the Pandora executive, said he doesn't see it that way. And what Spotify did was add controls and sharing playlists, and they just missed that." "When Pandora was just ramping, it was thought that radio was the future of how most people wanted to interact with music. "They missed a mark," said Gene Munster, a tech analyst and managing partner at Loup Ventures.
And its paid subscription service, which is relatively new, only has about 5.5 million subscribers. Pandora, which operates only in the United States, lost more than 6 million listeners last year, according to company filings. Related: Inside the war between Spotify and Apple But has one big advantage over independent companies: It's just a small piece of Apple's ( AAPL) enormous business. It has about 38 million paid subscribers. The Swedish company still loses a lot of money - around $1.5 billion last year - but it also has growth to show ahead of its anticipated public listing next week.Īpple Music isn't as large. Spotify, which is available in many countries, says 159 million people use its service every month. Meanwhile, Spotify and Apple Music began offering monthly paid subscriptions that allowed users to pick specific songs and curate personalized playlists - with none of the annoying ads. Others, like Grooveshark, have disappeared entirely. Several radio competitors have stumbled, including iHeartRadio, whose parent company recently filed for bankruptcy.
Its much-touted algorithm promises that you can pick a song, artist or genre, and Pandora will find music for you that aligns with your taste.īut the market has changed dramatically. Walker said owning a digital ad firm helps Pandora bolster its own technology, and the company is still solidly behind its own service.Ī huge chunk of its 75 million listeners still use the free, ad-supported platform that Pandora has marketed for years. That doesn't mean the company is killing off its signature brand. By owning AdsWizz, Pandora can expand its business interests and gain a source of revenue. Scott Walker, Pandora's senior vice president of ad strategy, said the purchase points toward a few goals.ĪdsWizz serves not just Pandora but some of its competitors, too. Related: iHeartRadio owner files for bankruptcy
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