AT&T dials up deal with Pandora

AT&T announced an agreement with Internet radio service Pandora to enable subscribers to discover new music and create personalized radio stations on select handsets. Pandora is based on the Music Genome Project, a proprietary system that employs trained musicians to analyze melodies, rhythms, arrangements and related structural components to create personalized programming refined to each listener's specific tastes. After typing in a song or artist they like, AT&T subscribers will receive over-the-air a playlist of tracks featuring a similar sound and style. Customers can rate songs with a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down," resulting in immediate tweaks to the station's programming--users may also pause songs or skip songs as well as bookmark songs they like.

The AT&T iteration of Pandora promises to integrate seamlessly with the online incarnation--subscribers will receive customized streaming radio on both their mobile handsets and the Pandora website via a universal account. Each user may save up to 100 stations in Pandora account. After a five-day free trial, AT&T will charge $8.99 per month for the service. "Pandora allows our customers to access their customized radio stations wherever they are without the need to carry an extra device, and that provides the ultimate convenience," said AT&T's vice president of consumer data Mark Collins in a prepared statement. "Pandora's unique approach to radio, combined with AT&T's already robust mobile music platform, supports consumer demand for more wireless music offerings."

For more on the AT&T/Pandora partnership:
- read this release

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