Lennon and McCartney, chocolate and peanut butter, Tango & Cash…some things just work well together. That’s how we feel about playlists and podcasts, so today we’re thrilled to introduce Pandora Stories, a unique new marketing tool that allows creators to combine the storytelling possibilities of podcasts with the musical power of playlists.
Podcasts can provide in-depth commentary about music, but they generally don’t include the full songs. Meanwhile, playlists are filled with songs, but they lack personal context from the artists and creators behind them. Pandora Stories are here to fill that void.
“Blending the best of podcasts and playlists, Pandora is unleashing a new creative artform with Pandora Stories.” said Shamal Ranasinghe, VP of Creators Product. “Creators - including artists, songwriters, celebrities, and podcasters - can now use Pandora AMP to voice their Stories, giving more meaning, heart, and insight into their fans' favorite music. When combined with Pandora’s artist marketing and data analytics tools, Pandora Stories gives Creators the industry's leading toolkit to connect to their listeners.”
Available to all listeners today, our first collection of Pandora Stories features John Legend, Daddy Yankee, Lauren Alaina, Perry Farrell, Wes Anderson music supervisor Randall Poster, Amy Winehouse collaborator and Dap-Kings guitarist Tommy Brenneck, as well as a Pandora-hosted story exploring “Love Songs That Really Aren’t Love Songs.” We invite you to listen to these Stories below:
John Legend’s Glorious Journey
The multi-talented singer, songwriter, record producer, activist and actor tells the personal stories behind some of his greatest hits including “Glory,” “All of Me,” and brand-new single, “Preach.”
Pasito a Pasito Con Daddy Yankee
In this special Spanish-language Pandora Story, unparalleled Latin artist Daddy Yankee takes you from his early days as a breakout reggaeton star to the global phenomenon he is today, and shares some of his most amazing adventures along the way.
Lauren Alaina is Doin’ Just Fine
The country-pop songstress takes listeners from her breakout on American Idol to the release of her new album, “Ladies in the 90s,” a tribute to Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Shania Twain, and the musical heroes of her childhood.
Perry Farrell’s Ocean-Sized Tales
Jane’s Addiction frontman and Lollapalooza co-founder Perry Farrell has spent his career on the edge of popular culture. Now, in advance of his new project, Kind Heaven Orchestra, the alt-rock luminary takes listeners on a wild ride through his musical catalogue.
Brooklyn Soul with Tommy Brenneck
Songwriter, producer and guitarist Tommy “TNT” Brenneck is the backbone of the music scene that featured the likes of Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley, and served up backing tracks for rappers like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. Brenneck takes us on a journey through the soul of his funky borough.
The Music of Wes Anderson with Randall Poster
Wes Anderson’s longtime music supervisor and collaborator Randall Poster walks us through his prolific association with the acclaimed director, and shares some of his favorite musical moments from beloved films like Rushmore and Moonrise Kingdom.
Love Songs That Aren’t Really Love Songs
When is a love song not a love song? Quite often, as it turns out. If you’re putting together a romantic playlist for that certain special someone, you might want to listen closely to the lyrics in songs like “Stay with Me” and “Every Breath You Take” before you hit play.
A number of Creators are already making Stories, including journalist icon Ben Fong-Torres and labels like Hopeless Records, who shared their experience with it:
"Pandora Stories has been an impactful tool for us at Hopeless Records to better showcase Songs That Saved My Life; our covers compilation aimed at spreading awareness about and raising money for suicide prevention and mental health.” said Maggie Cunin from Hopeless Records. “Now, Pandora users are not just hearing another cover song. With Pandora Stories, they get to hear testimonials from artists like Against Me! and Taking Back Sunday discussing why they chose the song they covered for our compilation and why it helped them through a challenging time. Pandora Stories helps our mission to encourage open conversations surrounding mental health and suicide prevention in our music community and beyond. We are honored that Pandora is constantly seeking out new and meaningful ways for labels to showcase their artists and what goes on behind a glossy, finished product."
We hope you enjoy these first Stories, and stay tuned for forthcoming programs from 2 Chainz, Rob Thomas and many, many more.
Want to make your own Pandora story? Artists and creators of all kinds can request access to Pandora Stories tools here.