Pandora’s fight back against Apple Music officially begins today, with Pandora Premium, the on-demand streaming service, now available to all.
Priced at $9.99 a month, the subscription grants access to millions of tracks and albums that you can listen to ad-free, as often as you like. It also boasts a couple of neat features you won’t find elsewhere.
Unveiled back in March, Pandora Premium is a music streaming service just like all the others. Instead of being centered on radio stations like standard Pandora, it offers up tracks and albums that you can listen to anytime, in any order you like.
Apps are available for Android and iOS, and a web version that will let you enjoy the service in a browser is coming soon.
What sets Pandora Premium apart from its rivals is its use of the Music Genome Project, which helps you put together the perfect compilation. You select a few tracks you love and put them into a new playlist, and Pandora will fill it with additional songs that fit your selections.
If you’re a long-time Pandora user, you will also get recommendations based on music you’ve liked in the past, and a playlist of all the tracks you’ve given a thumbs up. You will also find all the latest releases categorized by genre, and top charts.
Pandora is teaming up with some artists in an effort to make its service more appealing. Its “Sounds Like You” ad campaign features 18 familiar names, including Big Sean, Gorillaz, Questlove, 2 Chainz, Halsey, Keith Urban, Maggie Rogers, and Pitbull.
The service will also host mixtapes from some of these artists, which will include tracks they’ve enjoyed and been inspired by.
Pandora is offering a free trial of its service, and the length depends on how you sign up. It’s just 30 days if you use a mobile app, but 60 days if you sign up via the Pandora website. You will also have to pay more for your subscription if you pay via mobile, likely thanks to the 30 percent cut Apple takes.
If you’re a Pandora Plus subscriber already paying $5 a month, you’ll get to enjoy Pandora Premium for the same price for six months.
