Pandora touts 200 million listeners, continues to curb mobile listening

By Joshua Sherman April 9, 2013

pandora-large — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren happily announced today on the company’s official blog that it has reached its 200 millionth registered listener. The milestone comes more than 12 years after the company got its start way back in 2000, and is another step in the right direction for the online music service as it faces rising royalty fees and other licensing conflicts.

The 200 millionth registered listener comes nearly two years since the company reached its 100 millionth registered user back in July of 2011. The steady progress for the company is good news for Pandora, which has been under the careful watch of investors since going public in 2011. With 200 million registered listeners, more than 55 million active users, and a place among the top 250 websites on the internet, Pandora has accomplished a lot in recent years.

But while Pandora has been celebrating its success, rising royalty fees continue to cut into the company’s revenue. The company went as far as to limit users to just 40 hours a month of mobile listening back in February unless they opt for a $36 per year Pandora One plan. This was done in order to curb heavy users who are mobile, and only receive a fraction of the ads that desktop users see. While advertising still accounts for more than 80 percent of the company’s revenue, the addition of subscription options have helped curb some revenue concerns for the company. By far though the biggest cut into Pandora’s success has been expansion, where the company has been unable to get itself into Europe and other regions beyond the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. To this day the company is still fighting to get into Europe, where royalty and licensing rules have kept the company stuck in some sort of bureaucratic hell.

Pandora has accomplished a lot, especially when you consider the fact the service still isn’t allowed in Europe. If Pandora ever gets its way with the royalty companies, then it will have a lot more to celebrate about in the months to come.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Joshua Sherman is a contributor for Digital Trends who writes about all things mobile from Apple to Zynga. Josh pulls his…

Mobile

Best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals: Grab the foldable phone for $700

A person holding a partially open Galaxy Z Fold 4.

While the more recent release of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has turned attention away from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, the Z Fold 4 is still an incredibly capable smartphone. Newer tech releases often make previous generations much more affordable, and that’s certainly the case with the Z Fold 4. While much of what’s available out there are refurbished models, there’s some huge savings to be had on a Z Fold 4. Retailers like Amazon and Back Market offer great ways to save, and we’ve got all of the information you need to do so. Reading onward you’ll find links to the best Samsung Z Fold 4 deals you can shop right now, as well as a little information on what each retailer has to offer with a purchase.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals at Best Buy
The Unlocked 512GB model of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is on clearance at Best Buy. The popular retailer is really showing up with this deal, which sees the Z Fold 4 marked down to $700 and makes for nearly $1,300 in savings. Even more savings are available if you have an eligible device trade-in.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals at Amazon
Amazon may currently have the widest variety of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals. You’ll find both the 256GB and 512GB models discounted there, as though much of what's available are renewed models. Don't hold back because it's renewed, though, as Amazon has a great return policy should you receive something that doesn't live up to its condition. You can save even more when purchasing a Galaxy Z Fold 4 at Amazon if you have an eligible device to trade-in.

Mobile

Best refurbished iPhone deals: Get an iPhone 14 for $513

An iPhone 13 in white color option.

The Apple iPhone is one of the best phones on the market, and because of it they don’t often come cheap. There are some great iPhone deals out there, but it’s rare to find significant discounts on newer models without having to commit to a longterm contract with a carrier, and it’s even less frequent you come across one of the best iPhones with a major price drop. This is where shopping refurbished can come in handy. Refurbished iPhones — for the most part — will come backed with a functionality guarantee or extended return window, making refurbished iPhones as safe of a purchase as shopping new. There are a lot of refurbished iPhone models seeing great price drops right now, which is why we’ve done the heavy lifting of rounding up all of the best refurbished iPhone deals. You’ll find them below, as well as some information on which refurbished iPhone might be best for you.
iPhone XR -- from $136

A refurbished model but one that's unlocked and comes with a full one-year warranty, the Apple iPhone XR is still pretty stylish for its age. It has a large 6.1-inch LCD screen with 1,792 x 828 resolution with Liquid Retina technology ensuring it looks super sharp. Powered by the A12 Bionic chip, it's starting to show its age but still has potential. There's also a 12MP back camera that can shoot 4K videos while the front-facing camera is 7MP and ideal for selfie-taking.

Mobile

The best iPads in 2024: the 5 best ones you should buy

The backs of Apple's iPad Air and iPad Pro, with the tablets place on a table.

Apple's iPad is undoubtedly one of the most popular tablets on the market right now. There are several different models to choose from, but no matter which one you go with, you'll be getting one of the best tablets out there. Still, Apple provides an abundance of choice here, and with so many different versions — and almost annual updates — it can be tricky to know which one is the best to get.

All of Apple's iPads are pretty great, and they're each designed with a slightly different audience in mind, so it's hard to pick a single one as "the best." That's why we've broken this list down by categories; after all, there's an ideal iPad for nearly every situation. Whether you're looking for the best overall iPad, the best iPad on a budget, something in the middle of the pack, or even the best small iPad, we've got you covered.