This is an archived page from 2019. Find out more
SiriusXM’s Chief Content Officer Scott Greenstein said the company’s strategy at Pandora (which is owned by Sirius) is no different than any of the other Sirius content strategies. “We want to find the best content that will truly make a difference and also act as a fuse for our listeners to find other content.”
Greenstein said the fact that many big names, both individuals and brands, aren’t even in the business of podcasting yet is the opportunity they are most excited about. “Given that most podcasts are put out for free on an RSS feed, Pandora has quietly accumulated close to 7,000 very good podcasts already, on virtually no economics. The tonnage will be there like everybody else. The Marvel’s and other big name brands will make a difference.”
The other advantage, according to Greenstein is, “Once Pandora’s algorithms are able to align music tastes with podcasts, it’s an entirely different game. We think we’ll be in that game as well as the quality game.”
CEO Jim Meyer added that Pandora has also made it easier for podcasters to submit their shows with a new self-service hub for creators. He said Pandora’s biggest advantage will be in curation and discovery, and eventually in monetization. “Most podcast advertising is very rudimentary and not personalized. This area is ripe to be disrupted and improved with better ad technology and better targeting. Meyer says that’s where Pandora is strong.”