Pandora was born 17 years ago this month. That makes it one of the oldest players in the digital music game.
With almost 80 million active users, Pandora is also the largest music streaming service in the world.
That raises an obvious question: Why aren’t more artists talking about Pandora?
Perhaps the answer lies in the old adage that we never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Like many things that existed online near the turn of the millennium, Pandora was clunky and difficult to use. It also required a strong internet connection, which was in short supply.
As a result, newer and spunkier digital service providers made better first impressions.
However, your impression of Pandora needs a firmware upgrade.
The service has grown by leaps and bounds, especially during the past year. More importantly, Pandora for artists now offers several tools worth using.
Here are five reasons musicians should pay attention.
1. Pandora Has the Numbers
Pandora is the largest music streaming service in the world.
If for no other reason, mo’ listeners is mo’ money.
Of course, artists have other reasons to care besides money. Still, your tour van is thirsty, and your merch table looks bare.
Since the final quarter of 2016, Pandora has also paid most content providers directly.
Therefore, payments arrive faster and at higher rates.
2. Pandora for Artists Includes Useful Analytics
Pandora’s Artist Marketing Platform, or AMP, is incredible.
Most digital services send their data to the distributor. The distributor then shares it with the label.
Teams generally compile that information over time. Depending on the deal, it may never reach the artist.
By contrast, AMP gives everyone on your team access to useful data.
When you plan a tour, you can see which cities play your music most often.
If you need to choose the next single, test several songs and compare their performance.
Artists who already have music on Pandora can claim their AMP profiles. Those who do not can submit music for consideration.
3. Artists Can Speak Directly to Listeners
AMPcast is a smartphone app that lets artists record short messages to play before their songs.
You can announce a new single.
You can also target messages to listeners near an upcoming show.
In addition, artists can include a call to action. Pandora says those messages can produce click-through rates two to eight times higher than social media.
After claiming your profile, you can connect your social accounts within Pandora.
The platform will then tag you when someone shares your song. That interaction both notifies and promotes you.
The world is yours.
Geography, technology and gatekeepers no longer stand between you and your listeners.
4. Pandora Activity Builds Relevance
Everything on the internet gets tracked and measured.
Though it offers more evidence for my argument, I am not talking about the PRISM surveillance program revealed by Edward Snowden.
Every search, song play and click becomes data.
As those actions increase, artists climb higher in search results. Platforms may also recommend their music more often.
This principle applies across digital service providers.
Therefore, why not direct listeners toward the platform where their activity could create the greatest impact?
In other words, send them where everybody is.
5. Pandora Still Helps People Discover Music
For most artists, pursuing terrestrial radio is a giant waste of time.
I understand the desire because I am told radio once served as a great tool for discovering music.
I wish I knew what that was like.
During my formative years, radio stations seemed to rotate 20 songs at best.
Now they seem to play even fewer.
Still, people want to discover music and receive recommendations from trusted tastemakers.
The internet has made that process easier by organizing communities and measuring listening habits.
Besides the poorly executed but well-meaning posters hanging in bookstores during the ’90s, Pandora helped pioneer the idea that, “If you like X, you’ll love Y.”
You can be on the radio because Pandora is radio.
It is a worldwide network of stations. Some of those stations fit your music perfectly and can connect you with listeners who will love it.
Pandora’s algorithm is the tastemaker.
Do Not Ignore the Other Streaming Services
None of this means artists should disregard other digital service providers.
Instead, it means Pandora should become part of your thinking and future strategy.
The platform combines reach, analytics, direct communication and discovery in ways artists should not overlook.
So how will you use Pandora?