Pandora reach 200 million listener milestone

Tim Westergren, Pandora co-founder has spoken out on the company blog to say that they now have broken the 200th million user milestone.

Westergren said “When we launched http://www.pandora.com in 2005, we hoped to create a new way to discover and enjoy music that was completely personalized for each and every listener.  We envisioned a time when artists of all kinds would thrive on radio, connecting with fans who loved exactly their kind of music.

I have to admit, we had no idea what was in store! It has been, and continues to be, an extraordinary experience for all of us.”

The 200th million user milestone comes two years after the company reached their 100th million registered user back in July 2011. They are now ranked in the top 250 websites on the internet with 55 million active users and 200 million registered listeners.

While a success story, Pandora are facing a problem of their own, rising royalty fees which they have to pay out. The company have had to limit users to 40 hours a month of mobile listening back in February to try and counter this, unless they take the higher cost $36 a year Pandora One plan. Advertising still accounts for more than 80 percent of the company revenue stream and the addition of subscription options have helped the company financially in the last year.

Kitguru says: Pandora have also been held back due to licensing rules in Europe which means expansion is difficult.

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