Pandora ‘Stories’ Adds Creator Commentary To Playlists
Pandora has launched "Stories," a new tool that allows artists, songwriters and podcasters to add commentary to music and "combining the storytelling of podcasts with the musical power of playlists."
Using Pandora Stories, creators can curate Playlists and Mixtapes comprised of tracks from Pandora’s catalog and then customize it with their own commentary or that of a collaborator, by uploading voice tracks.
“Blending the best of podcasts and playlists, Pandora is unleashing a new creative artform with Pandora Stories,” said Shamal Ranasinghe, Pandora VP of Creators Product. “Creators – including artists, songwriters, celebrities, and podcasters – can now use Pandora AMP to voice their Stories, giving more meaning, heart, and insight into their fans' favorite music. When combined with Pandora’s artist marketing and data analytics tools, Pandora Stories gives Creators the industry's leading toolkit to connect to their listeners.”
The first collection of Pandora Stories includes John Legend, Daddy Yankee, Lauren Alaina, Perry Farrell, Wes Anderson music supervisor Randall Poster, Amy Winehouse collaborator and Dap-Kings guitarist Tommy Brenneck, as well as a Pandora-hosted story exploring “Love Songs That Really Aren’t Love Songs.”
Indie label Hopeless used the tool to showcase their "Songs That Saved My Life" covers compilation aimed at spreading awareness about and raising money for suicide prevention and mental health.
"Now, Pandora users are not just hearing another cover song. With Pandora Stories, they get to hear testimonials from artists like Against Me! and Taking Back Sunday discussing why they chose the song they covered for our compilation and why it helped them through a challenging time." said Maggie Cunin from Hopeless Records. “Pandora Stories helps our mission to encourage open conversations surrounding mental health and suicide prevention in our music community and beyond."
Stories is part of the growing Pandora AMP free artist marketing toolkit. Artists and other creators can request access to Stories here.
An overview of how it works:
