Donnelly+Final+Report+Proposal

TO: Proximity Music Team FROM: Ian Donnelly DATE: January 11, 2010 SUBJECT: Proposal for report on Pandora

Pandora introduced a new form of radio that is accessible as FM radio. The service's integration into mobile phone applications has made it a leading source for easily communicated music. I propose to write a report on how to use Pandora's mobile phone application to understand and connect with Gen-Y's conception of music.


 * Need**


 * FM radio is declining as an advertising tool and is out of reach with the Gen-Y demographic.
 * The relationship between computing and connectivity is no longer tied down to a single location.
 * Low cost smart phones allow online music to be available everywhere.
 * Pandora radio offers direct, feedback based communication with Gen-Y.

Pandora's collaboration with mobile phones has helped it rise to a leading status in music. Ease of access has made it stand out from other online music services and brought it to the widespread level of FM radio.

Proximity clients who wish to target Gen-Y music consumers need to understand the value of Pandora's smartphone integration and its vital role in the future of advertising.


 * Topics**

The proposed report, "Pandora and the necessity of mobile applications," will cover the following topics:


 * The decline of FM radio and the rise of online music service
 * Mobile phones, constant connectivity and Pandora
 * The integration of Pandora into mobile phone applications
 * The future of music in the changing market


 * Sources

Jason Kincaid. Pandora's Usage Stat's Prove It's iPhone's Killer App (2008, July 15). TechCrunch.com. Retrieved January 11, 2010 from http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/pandora-usage-stats-prove-its-iphones-killer-app/

Jason Kincaid reports on the introduction of Pandora to the iPhone in 2008. The partnership with the iPhone is what originally launched Pandora's popularity in mobile applications. Kincaid praises the application but is wary of the possible threat of advertisements. When it launched, Pandora Mobile was ad free, and the reporter fears a return to the "annoying interuptions that have made traditional radio a painful experience."

Om Malik. Pandora: Now Playing Everywhere (2010, January 12). Gigaom.com. Retrieved January 12, 2010 from http://gigaom.com/2010/01/12/pandora-everywhere/ **

Om Malik reports on Pandora's first quarterly profit and the company's future goals. He stresses the importance of its mobile application in its growth as a business, naming it a showcase for the "device-agnostic internet." Malik outlines Pandora's next business steps, such as integration into Blu-Ray players, Televisions and cars.

Vickie Welch. Pandora's Radio Ad Sales Initiative Strikes a Harmonius Chord With Advertisers (2009, July 7). Marketwire.com, Retrieved January 12, 2010 from http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Pandora-Media-1013485.html

Vickie Welch reports on Pandora's successful transition into advertising with the help of Doug Sterne, the company's director of audio sales. Advertising through mobile applications can target consumers within a specific area; Whole Foods benefited from a 15 second ad on Pandora targeted at listeners within seven miles of a Bay Area store. Welch reports on the birth of Pandora as a marketing tool and its promising prospects.

Meghan Keane. Pandora Introduces Ads to its Mobile Site (2008, Sptember 22). Wired.com, Retrieved January 12, 2010 from http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2008/09/a-recent-washin/#previouspost

Meghan Keane reports on the introduction of advertisements on Pandora's mobile application. She lays down the company's general philosophy for advertising and how they plan to tailor the ads so as to not interfere with a user's experience.