Get your songs on Pandora today!
Is today is the day you finally distribute to Pandora?
Yes, I think it is.
Boost Collective is an official Pandora partner and can distribute your music online for free. You keep 100% of net Pandora royalties, and the release time is less than a week.
Want to get your music on active & relevant playlists that actually get results?
Get your music heard now 👇
So.... Pandora music distribution is not as complex as you may think :)
Listen, if you want to be a successful independent musician - Pandora is a great way to get more streams and grow your audience!
You'll be surprised by how many fans you can find once you distribute to Pandora!
This is a great way to show your music to people who haven't heard it before.
These are the benefits of releasing music on Pandora:
- Pandora streaming makes suggestions based on how users listen
- Pandora shares your music based on listener tastes
- Artists can send in their songs through distribution websites
As you can see - Pandora music distribution is a worthwhile investment.
Here are step-by-step instructions on how you (as god damn independent artist) can distribute to Pandora.
Submit your Music To Pandora directly!
As an independent artist, there are two ways to get your music on Pandora. Work with a digital distributor or send your music to Pandora directly.
Even though you can choose the second option...
You need to make sure your music follows the Content and Submission Guideline to distribute to Pandora.
Pandora music distribution is not a walk in the park like other streaming services. Shame.
Since they are SUPER strict, you're better off with Free Music Distribution.
This makes it easier and faster to get more people to hear your music.
Hey are 5 good music distributors for Pandora:
- Boost Collective
- AWAL
- TuneCore
- DistroKid
- CD Baby
All of these platforms can help you distribute to Pandora & other streaming services.
With a digital distributor, you can Send your Music to iTunes and Spotify where people can stream it!
Before you decide which service to use, there are a few things you should think about...
Number one is release speed.
DistroKid and Boost Collective are the FASTEST distributors out there.
Do you want to send your music to Pandora yourself or through a third-party partner that has been approved by Pandora?
How much does it cost to be a digital distributor?
What kinds of services does it offer?
What are the pros and cons of working with each distributor?
Read This Before Releasing Music To Pandora
It takes a long time to get your music on Pandora...
Over 50% more time than Spotify or Apple Music.
You should be ready to spend a few weeks or even a month to get your track on the platform. Unlike Spotify and Apple Music, this site definitely takes a bit. But it's worth it!
Pandora's music distribution is only of the SLOWEST.
Look - I don't make these rules.
This is just how the music streaming game goes.
Pandora is like an internet radio service, so it's a bit different from other streaming platforms (Spotify, Google Play, etc).
It's a great platform for unsigned artists to get on an internet radio service and get their music heard by millions!
Firstly: you can't just distribute to Pandora directly.
Depending on the artist and how many submissions the Pandora team gets, this process can take up to 6 months.
Pandora will work with independent artists, but they must have a label or distributor that Pandora has already approved.
Not only that... To apply to Pandora, you need at least two songs, but you can send up to ten songs at once.
This isn't a huge issue. Your Pandora music distribution Company handles this for you :)
Get Your Own Music Studio Booth (For Under $500)
This image above (with the portable music studio) ☝️ is the BEST resource for musicians!
It's astonishing that such a sizable booth can be folded up and moved with such ease, then re-erected anywhere you choose using a home recording booth.
Buying this $450 booth saves you thousands in studio time fees.
Here are the benefits of this portable music studio:
- This little studio booth is ideal for use in tight quarters (dorms, rooms.)
- The soundproof booth is useful for reducing echo and other background disturbances
- The end result is perfectly dry and clear vocals
- You save thousands in studio time and specific equipment
The goal of every recording session is to capture a dry, noise-free signal, and a portable voice booth is the perfect tool for doing just that!
Instead of having a voice booth permanently set up in a studio, you can simply fold it up and put it away when you're done using it.
Ever since my producer bought one of these... Life became 100x better.
Just tap here to learn more - this might just be for you!
The cons with Pandora music
Pandora is available only in the US, Australia, and New Zealand because of licensing rules. Each country has its own set of laws about copyright for music.
Over time, though, things will get better and new countries will grow.
Make sure your music fits Pandora's submission rules.
This will make it easier for your music to be approved through Pandora distribution.
Pandora is not that popular, but there are a lot of benefits... In an odd way?
There is less global competition through Pandora music distribution. Many people utilize the site's unlimited offline listening!
When you distribute to Pandora, there are fewer songs you're competing against for listener attention (there are only so many songs they can play on Pandora Radio!).
Another issue is that Pandora only pays $0.0013 per stream, which is WAY lower than Spotify!
It almost wouldn't be worth it, had it not been for Pandora's algorithmic push.
Selecting the Right Music Distributor for Pandora!
When you choose a digital distributor, you'll need to sign up for a Pandora listener account and upload your tracks.
Check my full Music Distribution Comparison List for more clarity.
Once you share your music with Pandora - you must have an account on their website first.
This isn't necessarily to distribute to Pandora but to manage existing tracks.
Create an account on Pandora AMP Playbook to access your account.
After you sign up, you can go to their "claim profile" page and start putting your music on there!
Then, your music will be sent to Pandora for you by the distributor.
Once you've sent your music to Pandora, you can expect to hear back in a few weeks through the email address you used to sign up.
Your distributor will send emails your way for updates on the full process :)
Independent Artists - How To Distribute Your Music To Pandora
Out of all the streaming services, it's not the easiest to get your music on Pandora, but it's still doable as an independent musician.
Pandora will consider content from independent artists who submit it through our independent artist submissions portal: amp.pandora.com/submit.
Make sure you have made a Pandora account before you submit!
Once it's been submitted, it will then be analyzed by the Music Genome Project.
Tracking your Pandora releases
Now that your song is finally released... Let's get more streams!
There are a few dandy things that you can do to find out how well your campaign is going.
First, you can track how your campaign is doing by using the Pandora metrics.
This is the same as when you submit to iTunes or submit to Deezer.
Pandora Music Distribution takes care of setting up the analytics account for you.
It's good once you distribute to Pandora since now your tracks can be managed.
You can also check how well your music is doing by looking at the metrics of your digital distributor.
Pandora distribution includes the analytics suite - but it doesn't hurt to have many reports.
Boost Collective has the most comprehensive music analytics for artists, along with SoundCharts.
A couple of metrics to watch for your track:
- Number of plays
- Type of people who listen
- Location of streams
- Number of new streams.
How many people have heard your music can be seen by the number of plays!
The demographic information can help you figure out who likes your music.
Every artist needs a good grasp of their data. This will help you with a crap tone.
Pandora Analytic shows which campaign is working and which isn't.
How to Promote Music on Pandora
In the past few years, Pandora has made AMP (Artist Marketing Platform), which is a set of marketing and messaging tools for artists to reach their fans, available.
One great way to promote your new release, and engage with current & new fans is utilizing artist audio messages, in the Pandora platform. This is your opportunity to show featured tracks, and show off your personality a little bit!
This platform is similar to Spotify for Artists or Apple Music for artists in function.
Through Pandora music distribution you can enter the portal.
One thing though - you're not going to become a millionaire for these tools.
It's more of a bonus rather than a priority for music promotion.
Organic Spotify Promotion is still the #1 way for artists to get discovered in the music space.
Just distribute to Pandora and then use basic tools for now.
check out Pandora's Artist Audio Messaging
With Artist Audio Messaging, you can tell artists what you want to say as they listen to your music.
Now, there are a few ways to benefit from this:
- Promote a track
- Release track snippets
- Sell tickets to shows
- Custom call to action
- Drive traffic to your artist site/beat store
- Share your music career updates
- External links in messaging
- Get on the Pandora radio
This all makes the Pandora music distribution process worth it.
You can choose where the messages go and when they run!
There's a very simple system to turn these on and off.
These types of campaigns make it easier to promote communicate and share!
This is a great tool under the Pandora music distribution aspect because it allows you to be personable to your audience!
try using Pandora Stories:
Artists can use Pandora Stories to bring together some of the best parts of playlists and podcasts in one place.
This feature is only available to Pandora premium users.
With Pandora stories, you can:
- Share Full songs
- Offer behind-the-scenes information
- Tell Interesting stories
(Pandora distribution doesn't cover these, so you'll have to sign in to access.)
It seems ever since Snapchat invented stories - every platform has gone on this wave!
While Pandora isn't as big as some of the other digital streaming platforms...
It does offer a set of marketing tools that can't be beat.
Yes, you can still create playlists, and enjoy your own music, but Pandora is built especially differently.
These tools go far beyond the limited profile customization options you can find on other popular streaming services! Keep in mind the listener has to be a Pandora premium subscriber to view!
What Is Pandora Premium?
Not only does Pandora Premium include everything that Pandora Plus does, but it also includes the ability to search for and play songs on demand, and no limits on how much music you can download for offline listening.
Pandora Premium users of Pandora have access to higher quality audio and longer timeouts than Plus users, as well as the ability to create fully personalized playlists and listen to as much of their music collection offline as their mobile device will allow.
A year of Pandora Premium costs $109.89, or $9.99 per month (when purchased directly from Pandora).
Fun Fact - The Music Genome Project
Pandora is run by the Music Genome Project. It is the most thorough analysis of music that has ever been done. You can't get your music on Pandora without it going through this!
By learning about what music you like to enjoy, they can give you the best, most personalized way to listen.
They think that everyone has a different relationship with music and that no two people have the same tastes.
By learning about what music you like to enjoy, they can give you the best, most personalized way to listen.
They think that everyone has a different relationship with music and that no two people have the same tastes.
So, to give every listener a great experience, folks need a broad and deep knowledge of music.
This is what draws people to music on Pandora, the personalized aspect of the platform.
Get your music on playlists now.
It’s time you get your exposure and listeners up - playlisting by Boost Collective has been trusted by 50,000+ artists worldwide.
It’s easy: Search your song, get on playlists, and track your campaign.
What’re you waiting for? Tap in - and get added to playlists in 24 hours.
Join Boost Collective for free here.
