249 thoughts on “Pandora Audio Ads: What do you think?”

  1. The audio ad thing is getting pretty bad right now. You’re obviously beginning to scare customers away, QUICKLY. I’d recommend a less intrusive advertising medium (think Google style advertising, NOT Yahoo style!).
    Here are some ideas:
    1. Video on the right side of the page
    2. Option to buy an artists song at Amazon/iTunes (I don’t know if they have an affiliate program or not, so this might now work)
    3. Non-Intrusive “Banner” type links in-between songs (these are currently shown, but with an annoying audio ad that should be removed)
    4. More push for a cheaper “pro” version (test the price and marketing to see if you can get enough subscribers to justify the lower price)
    Bottom Line: Pandora is becomming spammy (audio ads). If you want to be like Yahoo, you will be destroyed when the first competitor comes along. If you want to be like Google, get creative and less intrusive, and your subscriber base will never jump ship.
    Good Luck!

  2. first time i got the ads, was this mornign on my desktop. and let me just say I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED TO FIND OUT THIS HAPPENED. DON’T RUIN THE MUSIC EXPIERENCE. Ever since i got a Palm Pre, i’ve been using Pandora on my phone more than the Music Library i added to the hard drive of the phone. I REALLY LOVE THE PANDORA SERVICE. So, much to the point i stated above that i’ve been using it more that the music i already have, that i WASN’T USING MY ITUNES ANYMORE. You pick an Artist and it plays Artists associated with that type of music or that Artist. Put in “Atmosphere” and it plays Underground Hip-Hop. Just keeps playing, no pauses, no ads, no bulls–t.
    Anyways… ADS plain and simple are REALLY REALLY REALLY annoying. i hate going to watch a video on you tube or another site and theres a 15 sec commercial. “LIKE FK OFF I GET ENOUGH OF THAT ON TV ALREADY.” SUBTLE ADS IN THE BACKGROUND OR BANNERS THAT DON’T INTERUPT THE MUSIC OR MAKE ME CHANGE A STATION BECAUSE “ITS TAKING FOREVER TO LOAD”, WOULD BE COOL. MAKE YOUR MONEY PLAYA. BUT WHEN YOU START INTFEREING WITH THE CONCEPT THAT MADE PANDORA WHAT IT IS, YOU WILL LOSE PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF AND I’LL HAVE TO GO BACK TO MY CRAPY ITUNES. PLEASE DONT LET THAT HAPPEN. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
    p.s. someone posted a paypal donation idea, and if lets say a Rhapsody idea, maybe like a $5/ month even $10/month(AS LONG AS THERE WERE NO ADS.) JUST STRAIGHT MUSIC.

  3. Quit the NLCS advertisements. I’m getting them every 15 minutes. There are other free music stations without the crap audio advertisements. Pandora was amazing when I first started using it two years ago. Since then it has gone the way of everything else and lost its origional intent and consumed by profit and greed.

  4. The new video ads are terrible. To show them at each station change is even worse. Today – the new Dos Equis beer ad manages to creep along and take over one minute to jerk and spit along, while running my CPU up to 100%.
    This type of advertising will make me start to search for an alternative. Not only is it invasive, but now that it’s interfering with my comp. hardware, I’m getting frustrated.

  5. I don’t mind ads at all. But it’s becomming a nuisance and I’ve used Pandora significantly less now than I use to seems that Pandora is overflowing with ads now. The ads that used to be on the side are now half way through the box where it shows what music is playing.
    I don’t mind ads at all…Just don’t OVERDO it…please it’s ruining the site.

  6. Audio ads after every 4-5 songs. I’ve about had it, it’s just turning into normal radio where my music gets constantly interrupted my music.
    I understand the need for ads to pay for this service, but audio ads are not the way to go – it’s time to search for a new alternative.

  7. dealbreaker, I dont listen to commercial radio- the point of radio advertising is to be distracting otherwise you would not notice it. There is so much commercial free music out there that I can live without pandora if you dont find another way. I havent listened to pandora in years now- I just dropped by to see if you had reconsidered. nope. peace out.

  8. Is it just me, or do more and more ads keep popping up. Usually it’s an annoying, effeminate guy with the whiny, clogged-up sounding nose talking about his medical practice employees using a visa card. UGH. What’s the 99cents for ???

  9. I agree with all the above posts. The adds on this website have gotten so obnoxious that I have started listening to music on IMEEM. Music is free there and no adds! So thank you pandora for ruining your on website and reputation.

  10. Once a day was fine. I didn’t mind the ads at first but if I hear one more Clear ad I am going go crazy. My friends turned me onto Pandora because of its unique style and ability to play great music, not to listen to an ad with every channel or song change I make. I understand you need to generate revenue somehow but this many times?

  11. I fell in love with Pandora years ago! One of the main factors of my admiration was the fact that there were no commercials. Then corporate greed got in the way and the lawyers put an end to allowing Pandora to offer music as it originally had. For a moment the site was even suspended. I remember writing to Pandora offering to testify in any court preceding, that by playing music based upon the Genome Project, that I had actually bought many new albums from artists I wouldn’t have otherwise heard on normal radio stations. This sort of shows that the record industry stands to gain from allowing Pandora to flourish without all that crazy licensing malarky. At any rate, I am saddened by the commercialization seeping into the once music only radio feed. For this reason, I would definitely rather pay the annual fee so that I may listen to music only. Thank goodness this option exists! Only it would be much better if the stats were provided that showed how much more commerce there is in relation to clicks to buy songs through the Pandora interface. IMHO, it might stand to reason that the outfits that originally sought to make Pandora pay, ought to be paying Pandora.
    Thank you for your service. (now if only you would offer the iphone app to play in the background like the ipod- *sigh*)

  12. This was back in the good old days when Pandora was way more amazing.. I understand you needing revenue but everytime i move my mouse i have to watch a STUPID video! and they couldn’t be any longer!! why can’t they just be short and sweet and to the point! why pandora why did you have to ruin your perfect plan

  13. Great service and no audio ads was what made pandora special. Very unhappy with the latest addition.

  14. The prevalence of audio ads makes me sad. I can’t listen to pandora during sex anymore. No more turning it on at a friend’s house during dinner or board games (and turning them on: to pandora). At this rate, I will probably leave pandora behind.

  15. ARRRGH!!! The audio ads are killing Pandora quick! I can’t believe how bad it is now. I would rather listen to my neighbor’s leaf blower (just as obnoxious) than these intrusive ads.

  16. You blew it….I DETEST commercials!! WHY did you have to ruin what was a great thing??
    I know you are needing to make money but COMMERCIALS FOR GODS SAKE??
    Now they are what…every 3 to 5 songs???
    Way ta go guys….you really are boneheads.

  18. I am in the Advertising industry and I understand that everyone wants to find a new creative way to advertise. We are always looking for uncharted waters and new ways to get our product or services out to the masses. As a marketing professional I may be interested in advertise with you. However, as a fan and client of Pandora I will be forced to stop using you services. As a user graphic ads are tolerable but audio ads are deplorable. Please keep Pandora free of audio advertising.

  19. I REFUSE TO BE ADVERTISED TO! The split second an ad comes on, I kill my web browser and shut Pandora down, the reload it. I’d rather spend 10 seconds reloading than spend 10 seconds being advertised to. Pandora, get it through your heads: you’ve killed your great project. Are you guys even reading any of these posts? Do you even care about all of your local followers, or are we some social/marketing experiment?

  20. The ads seem really really frequent these days, and the ads themselves are just as obnoxious as radio ads. I just wished Last.fm worked on my machine…

  21. I will stop listening to Pandora if you keep playing audio ads. They are loud and obnoxious!

  24. I don’t mind ads so much, but some of the ads you guys are running are really, really obnoxious. Some listeners use the radio to relax, and someone suddenly yelling ‘PROGRESSIVE!!!’ is really infuriating.
    So, I think you guys should be stricter about the ads: only normal volume voices, no effects or music.

  25. The commercials have become soo annoying that I had to google it to find out WTF is going on…and this blog is what popped up. I guess congratulations are in order that you have become so popular that advertisers are knocking on your door. Unfortunately, now pandora is nothing special. Why don’t people that run these sites get it that people come to them BECAUSE WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF HEARING COMMERCIALS. I was just going to cancel my sirus radio subscription but after the drive into work and 5 separate commercials, I decided enough is enough.
    People have to make money I guess but at the risk of sounding dramatic, the constant bombardment of advertisements really drains the soul. What else do I have to actively ignore in daily life?

  26. Just tried Pandora again after a long time away and I’m sorry but I can’t deal with the audio ads. I’ll be switching to one of the other free streaming options…

  27. I didn’t know pandora had ads. I used to listen to it on/off a year or two ago and I thought it was awesome that there were no ads. I started using it again and now everytime I change station an ad comes on which happens a lot because you can only skip a number of times per hour or something like that and I find myself skipping too much because well…I’m just really picky.
    But this is really annoying. I almost feel tempted to go back to digitally imported since thats what I used to use for internet radio before I found out about pandora besides last.fm and imeem. maybe i’ll try last.fm again

  28. I would just like to say the the Progressive Insurance ads are terribly intrusive. My usual reaction to them is immediate defensive anger. Once I realize the source of the commercialism that has interrupted my zen state, the hair on my neck relaxes and I sink into depression and nausea. Having this experience happen once per day is barely worth the service of Pandora. Actually, it’s well worth it, but I feel like it would be easily eliminated. Very easily. I know a guy who offers nice discounts on “taking care of” annoying spokespeople.
    In all seriousness, if you folks demanded advertising that is on the same level of creativity and genius as the music that is playing, then ads would not be an issue. The way it is right now, each ad pulls you back to a reality run by corporations instead of artists.

  29. It is hard to believe all the complaints about a few commercials. If you don’t want to listen to a commercial, how are YOU planning to support the Pandora business so it can survive? I chose to be a subscriber for less than 10 cents per day and I use Pandora’s links to buy my music on iTunes. In return for my dime, I don’t have to listen to one commercial and receive the higher quality stream.

  30. without ads, i knew this was too good to be true.. wondering how long it will last.. bye pandora, it’s been nice knowing u!

  31. What he heck is going on? I thought I found my true love with Pandora, I would hold you guys up, tell the world about how amazing you guys were.
    Now…after hearing a commercial for the first time, I actually took the time to come complain, and I am the last person to ever complain. Eventhough it is a short commercial, it totally killed the listening mood, and made me look like a loser infront of my guests. If this continues, I will be forced to leave Pandora forever
    PLEASE DONT DO THIS TO US PANDORA….PLEASE!! :(

  32. If we must endure audible ads, can you please give us a way to turn them off for a 4 hour period? I’ll pay for it. Just enough time for a party or awesome love making which is when my husband and I were sadly rendered frigid by the first audible ad (I’m not kidding, we both shouted “NO!” at the same time we heard the Walmart ad. Not only were we bummed about the ad, it missed its demographic target by a mile, which made us feel even more icky.)
    I’ve been a Mac user since the first SE and I felt the same way about Pandora as my Macs – I lOOOOVVVVEEE them and I will pity those who chose otherwise. Those ads made me think, sigh, Pandora just succumbed to the PC guy.
    Please give us control, I’ll still love you but not as much if the audible ads must continue

  33. Hate them! Please don’t do this. I want non-stop music. Must corporations seep through every pore of our lives??

  34. I usually don’t weigh in, but Pandora has been such a joy, I hate to see what makes Pandora unique be ruined for some extra money. If it is money you need, you could…
    Ask the listeners who enjoy so much to make a donation.
    Sell “premium” applications for iPod touch or iPhone to keep audio ads out.
    I often buy music hear on Pandora. Do you make any money from that? Could you?
    Sell a subscription to those of us who want to stay commercial free.
    Stay unique. If you go the way of Yahoo music, or anyone else, then what makes you different? It’s about the sound. Audio ads ruin the experience and joy.

  35. Was at the gym listening to some great music until an audio ad came on for something I have absolutely NO interest in at all. It was the most intrusive thing ever since I had no idea it was coming on. It even started giving some login code to track their marketing efforts and it jsut backfired so hard. It flustered me and had to quickly shut it off before it could finish the ad to sell me on something again I have no interest in at all. If you cant offer target demographic advertising and have something that interests me then forget it. Even then actually I dont want it. I will not pay the $36 to updgrade nor will I listen to the ads so I guess this is the end of the road for me and Pandora. Off to the next one until they also too have to become millionaires and forget about just sharing music with others over the internet. In regards to the graphic ads they are fine…and in fact because they are choosing ads that are in my general vicinity I find them sometimes interesting and do click on them. I understand you have make revenue somehow just please don’t do it via unannounced audio ads. I am a vegetarian and do not eat Mcdonalds…if that ad were ever to interrupt my music at the gym I will throw the phone and switch back to the ipod so fast. Especially McDonalds…you guys are genius’s for choosing the worst company to use in your test. Just the same old juggernaut McDonalds there to get into your life again somehow. Were going down the tubes!

  36. I for one will boycott any company that uses their adds on Pandora. Good-bye Jack in the Box, love your TV commercials but don’t interrupt my tunes. In addition I will start using other online music sites that do not use adds for revenue. I don’t mind the occasional visual, but don’t ever stop the music.

  37. I heard a Wal-Mart ad when I was listening to Pandora on my iPhone. I went to streaming/internet music to get away from this sort of thing. I will NOT tolerate ANY sort of ads during listening to music. Period. Remove them!

  38. A visual advertisement on the Pandora website is one thing, and if it’s something that interests me I might actually click the link and check it out. But when I get barraged by audio ads all day while I’m listening, my natural reaction is feel negativity towards those companies being advertised. Because they interrupt and cause me annoyance, I ad them to my list of companies to never support. I HATE the audio ads and usually refresh the page when they come on.

  39. Will be discontiue using Pandora. I get a commercial every other song. I just got started listening and I got a condom commercial, a dove commericial and a Clash of the Titans movie trailer and I haven’t even been listening for ten minutes. What a rip-off.

  40. This is sad to see… Pandora was an exciting part of the web for a year or so.
    They even seemed to be interested in feedback.
    But now… an Add-Ridden Corporate Wasteland.

  41. Business Plan:
    (1) Provide an awesome service, bear any financial losses as long as you can get millions of people hooked.
    (2) Once millions of people are hooked, change the awesome-but-financially-unprofitable service into a bland-profitable service.
    (3) Hope enough people are not turned off by the bait-and-switch and continue using the service so you can turn a profit.
    Well, let’s see how that works out for you, Pandora.

  42. If commercials are playing in addition to graphic ads I will no longer use Pandora.
    I detest audio junk.

  43. I have listened to Pandora for years, ever since a friend turned me on to it. I tune in a couple of times per week. But recently, I have become disgusted with Pandora’s constant onslaught of AUDIO ads. There’s a new one every 3-5 songs. I now detest Fifth-Third Bank because of their constant intrusions into my day. I understand the need to generate revenue so I have no problem with the VISUAL ads. But the constant barrage of unsolicited marketing interrupting my audio stream has become unacceptable. This is the very reason I don’t listen to broadcast radio.
    With that said… Goodbye Pandora. You have lost another loyal listener.
    I hope you heed the warnings offered by your followers before your once great service fades into oblivion.

  44. Hello Pandora,
    The audio ads are absolutely terrible. You have removed one of the things that made Pandora unique.
    What you sell, what is absolutely amazing: the genome idea is what can make people buy the service, not the fact you are forcing us to upgrade in order to listen to the music without the the audio ads.

  45. I listen to pandora primarily to run and work out. I’ve had two ads run and my reaction is strongly negative. I feel betrayed and I would quite purposefully never purchase any item that so rudely interupted and intruded on my experience. If it continues I will go back to my ipod.

  46. Very sad with the ads, this is why I have been listening to Pandora radio. I will be looking for a new radio like this without ads.

  47. This is the end of Pandora…inevitable I suppose, but it sucks. Pandora was such a great thing. I will abandon it the second I find something else. Screwww haiti! Donate for a TRULY FREE PANDORA!!

  48. I read what was said above and I understand the need for revenue to keep the service afloat. However, the last time I turned on pandora, it played 3 audible commercials in the space of 9 songs. This ad/song ratio is worse than radio, which doesn’t require an internet connection, doesn’t require a ‘are you still listening?’ click, and is more accessible in more locations.
    I don’t listen to commercials, so I turned off Pandora and deleted my account.
    Thank you for the good tunes in the past, though.

  49. I think ads are what is turning off customers from Pandora. I personally have a strong disliking for them, but since I am patient I do stick it out by muting my computer everytime one comes on. My friends, however, have left pandora for other sites because they happen too frequently. Hopefully you all begin to incorporate other types of ads or my patience may run out and you will lose another customer. Keep Pandora simple, that’s its charm