Pandora was one of the first companies to really launch a successful streaming music business. For more than a decade the company has allowed you to listen to custom internet radio stations tailored to your preferences. Pay nothing and you get ad-supported streams. Pay a little and you can go ad-free.
But the music streaming landscape has changed in recent years thanks to the rise of on-demand services like Spotify and Apple Music, which let you pay $10 per month to stream nearly any song you want at nearly any time.
Now Pandora is getting on the action with the launch of its own $10/month plan called Pandora Premium.
Pandora says invites for a free trial will go out to some listeners starting March 15th, with a wider rollout in the coming months.
For the most part, Pandora Premium looks a lot like all the other $10 music services. You can play any song from Pandora’s library on-demand. You can download songs, albums, playlists, or stations for offline listening. And there are personalized suggestions.
If there’s one thing that sets Pandora Premium apart, it’s the fact that plenty of people have been using Pandora for years… so all of the songs you’ve already given a thumbs up are noted by the service and you can access a “My Thumbs Up” playlist.
But if you’re already paying Apple, Google, Microsoft, Spotify, Tidal, or Napster for an on-demand service, it’s not clear if Pandora’s new offering will really offer enough to get you to switch.
If you want to take the service for a spin though, you can sign up for an invite at the Pandora Premium website.
press release
