Tom Conrad the CTO of Pandora delivered an engaging presentation to A2IM members during Indie Week about the continued growth of the company.

Pandora has blossomed into a major player in radio. Nearly half of non-interactive streaming activity online is spent on Pandora, with more people listening to online radio over personal music files.  Since launching an application for phones, Pandora’s listeners have surged as a result of having the freedom to now stream on the go.  As of today Pandora has about 55 million listeners.

Pandora greatly supports independent music with half of its music streamed coming from Indies.  Having a relationship with Sound Exchange, these Independents receive royalties for the music streamed as well.

A creative, innovative company, Pandora continues to make strides in the music industry, during a time of unpredictability and rapid change.  Supporting the rights of artists and labels, the company provides royalties, promotion and influence.   For example, Conrad explained that Pandora listeners are more likely to purchase music online, and for every one song downloaded, Pandora influences an additional four song purchases.  This is an impressive number, in a time where music purchases continue to decline.

Pandora’s model has proven successful.  Artists should recognize the value of their services, and make sure their music is submitted to the site for streaming.  Other companies should be taking note, and keeping an eye on Pandora.  They are making changes for the better, and hopefully the industry will continue to progress in this direction, realizing the necessity in supporting artists’ work.

Motema was happy to listen in on the enriching presentation, and learn so much about this impressive and inspiring company.  It’s great to know that there are outlets and changes being made in the industry for the better.

Do you listen to Pandora? Have they ever influenced a purchase decision? Should other companies follow suit?

written by Gillian Driscoll

Last week A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) celebrated its 5th anniversary which coincided with Indie Week.  The function featured a series of breakout discussions, guest speakers and networking opportunities.  It was an action-packed week and Motema staffers attended a number of events including Think Tank, Licensing Day, Tech Day and more.

A highlight of the week was hearing about how the entertainment marketplace differs in Europe compared to the US.  Europe has made strides in passing legislation to support artist rights and royalty revenues.  Most notably the DEA (Digital Economy Act) was passed in the UK on June 12th, and sets in place provisions to protect against piracy, infringement as well as regulations on copyright, tv, radio and more.  Read about the DEA in greater detail.
In addition France has set in place government funding in support of the music sector, and has also proposed a Google tax to raise money for creative industries.
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Take a peek behind the scenes of the latest album from Charnett Moffett – one of the most highly regarded bassists in jazz. Treasure offers a thematic yang to the yin of his critically acclaimed Motema debut, The Art of Improvisation, which came out in 2009. While Treasure shares the eclecticism and some of the Asian and Middle Eastern influences of The Art of Improvisation, the newer release palpably concentrates an emphasis on the swing and pulse that has earned Moffett standing ovations throughout his career.
Moffett’s ensemble features a host of great players including Rodney Holmes, Denardo Coleman, Oran Etkin and long time collaborator and guitar icon Stanley Jordan who joins in for two swinging tracks.

The Making of Treasure – Charnett Moffett from Motema Music on Vimeo.

Geri Allen & Timeline – Live is the companion release to Flying Toward The Sound, also released on Motéma.  The Timeline band represents another facet of the inspirational Geri Allen, in which she embraces the rhythmic grounding and, in fact, the very origins of syncopation through jazz in motion, with an extraordinary ensemble featuring bassist Kenny Davis, drummer Kassa Overall and tap percussionist Maurice Chestnut.

Geri Allen & Timeline – Live, is the first “live” recording of Allen’s twenty-year career, and was recorded at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, and Reed College, in Portland, Oregon.  These two exciting live performances feature Allen’s working quartet nimbly and ferociously interacting with each other reinventing the dialog between the dance and the drums. Timeline celebrates the dance and the music together as one.

Free MP3: “LWB’s House”
More info on Geri Allen