Pandora and Clear Channel Partnership?

As if Clear Channel hasn’t been in the news enough lately, there are now details confirming a collaboration between the media giant and indie favorite Pandora. Many fans of Pandora are already complaining, citing the potential partnership as “selling out” on Pandora’s part.

As if Clear Channel hasn’t been in the news enough lately, there are now details confirming a collaboration between the media giant and indie favorite Pandora. Many fans of Pandora are already complaining, citing the potential partnership as “selling out” on Pandora’s part.

However, there are many benefits to the collaboration that opponents may not yet be able to see through their emo haircuts and aviators. For starters, the recent increase in licensing rates by the Copyright Royalty Board was almost a death-sentence for the free, create-your-own radio station. Clear Channel has exactly what Pandora, unfortunately, needs—money, and lots of it. The Clear Channel stamp will also inadvertently make Pandora more well-known to those looking for the next Chris Brown rather than the next Tom Waits, which will give Pandora more staying power in today’s competitive, image-driven market.

If the collaboration happens, current Pandora users needn’t worry about any drastic changes; there have been no talks of shutting down Pandora’s current website, nor have there been any mentions of removing any of the music currently available. Clear Channel’s next likely move would be placing Pandora players on their own artists’ and company’s websites. Details of the potential partnership are still being worked out, and are expected to be finalized in the next few months.