Pandora Tops 40M Users, Attracts New Ad $’s

Pandora topped 40 million total registered users in early December – a number roughly equivalent to the combined population of the 30 largest U.S. cities. 20 million of those users were added in 2009 alone. In December, Pandora has been adding 600,000 new users wach week half of whom come from mobile.

Pandora grabbed 44% of all internet radio listening hours in October with average daily users exceeding 3 million of which 1 million accessing via mobile. Pandora's iPhone user base hit 10 million this month.

Is Pandora Proving Ad Supported Music Can Work?

Pandora is proving to be a pioneer among ad supported online media. Recent comScore data show that Pandora's delivery of coveted ad targets beat out both Hulu and ESPN with nearly twice as many daily visits among 18-24 year-olds. Among 25-34 year-olds, visitors come back to Pandora more than twice as often as repeat visitors to CNN.

This holiday season key advertisers have taken advantage of this momentum and using it in creative ways. As part of one campaign Starbucks created a branded Pandora playlist Pandora that, with one click, could be added to the consumer's personal tuner online and on smart phones.

"While Pandora is getting bigger, it's also getting better — enabling brands such as Brita and our Filter For Good campaign not only to reach consumers, but to finely target our messaging to specific age groups, gender, geography and more — all wrapped in a premier user experience that's truly engaging," said Drew McGowan, senior group manager for Brita, The Clorox Company.