Pandora Tests Direct To Fan Audio Messaging Service For Artists
Some in the industry have been critical of Pandora's payments to artists and labels. As part of a campaign to show that the platform can help artists, the music streamer began offering a free analytics dashboard. Now Pandora is experimenting with allowing artists to include audio messages in their streams.
At the Code/Media conference yesterday in Laguna Niguel, California, founder Tim Westergren revealed that the Pandora is exploring the expansion its artist platform with a direct to fan audio messaging tool for artists.
Pandora's Artist Audio Messaging, is being tested by Lenny Kravitz and a limited number of artists to announce new tours and albums and to provide context for one of their songs. Pandora expects to open the service to more artists in the future.
“It’s the beginning of a much longer roadmap,” Westergren said, offering the example of artists using Artist Audio Messaging to target fans in a particular city. “This platform will allow them to build a patronage. An audience of patrons for them.”
[ I listened to a newly created Pandora Lenny Kravitz station while writing this article and did not hear any messaging. ]
