Pandora to muscle in on on-demand music with two paid subscription tiers
Online radio company Pandora is set to move into on-demand streaming in a move that will have to receive the backing of record companies.
Pandora streaming
The company will next month unveil two new streaming subscription services says the Wall Street Journal citing “people familiar with the matter”.
Currently, through the radio service, listeners cannot select certain songs although this is set to change with the roll out of two paid-for on demand services to sit-upon upon its basic offering.
The company, launched in 2000, will have to seal partnerships with record companies to offer individual streams of songs as it currently operates under a radio license. It will tweak its ad-free $5 a month option (which has an estimated four million subscribers) and add an additional $10 per month service.
The service is currently only available in United States, Australia and New Zealand although it plans a roll-out of the service in additional English-speaking countries before a wider expansion.
The company boasts around 80m monthly active users. The $5 a month option could especially undercut the pricing of rivals Spotify and Apple Music.