SonyBMG UK has announced it is the first UK major label to sign up to Pandora Media in preparation for the UK launch of Pandora's internet radio service, which is due to go live next Spring.
US based Pandora is a similar system to London based last.fm, and Yahoo's Launch service - ie you tell it a bit about your music tastes, and it produces a continuous music playlist that it thinks you will like, based on what people with similar tastes like, and on the continuous feedback you give to tracks that play (like this, hate that etc etc).
The SonyBMG deal means the major will make its entire catalogue available for streaming via the service, taking a cut of Pandora's ad revenues in return.
Confirming the deal, SonyBMG New Media Director Jon Davis told CMU: 'We're rapidly moving from a world of push and broadcast media into a world of pull in which consumers are demanding more control. Pandora is one of the key drivers of the musical long tail. By providing a personalised radio experience, Pandora exposes music fans to a huge amount of new, old, known and unknown artists. Combine this with the opportunity to sell highly targeted advertising and you have a valuable proposition for content owners, advertisers and music fans alike".
Pandora's Euro MD Paul Brown added: "I am very happy to announce this deal which is the result of a lot of effort on both sides to bring the Pandora discovery radio experience even closer to a UK launch in 2007. We are very excited at the prospect of bringing our service to UK listeners to help them discover music they will love, which is what Pandora is all about".