Pandora hopes to pad its podcast lineup with direct uploads
It's joining Apple and Spotify on the podcast bandwagon.
Pandora doesn't want to sit by the wayside while Spotify snaps up podcast listeners. The streaming music service has started accepting podcasts for "consideration" to be included in its catalog. Those who want a shot just have to submit their feed address, answer a few questions about their podcast and cross their fingers.
As before, Pandora is betting that the podcast version of its Genome Project recommendation system will reel in show creators. You may be more likely to subscribe to a podcast if you're drawn in by a special guest or hot topic. Of course, it also helps that Pandora has about 64 million monthly active users at last check. While the user base won't compare to Apple or Spotify, it still amounts a lot of potential listeners.
This is also about keeping up with the heavyweights. Apple and Spotify in particular have touted podcasts as important parts of their audio libraries. If Pandora didn't follow suit, it might lose customers who want all their listening to come from a single provider.
