Pandora to close Australian and New Zealand operations
Pandora is closing its Australian and New Zealand operations imminently, AdNews reported this afternoon.
It comes as major changes are being made at the company’s headquarters in the US, with CEO Tim Westergren said to be stepping down as early as today or tomorrow.
Launched five years ago, Australia and New Zealand were the only countries outside the United States in which Pandora was in operation.
Sources suggested that despite attempts by local operations to increase its profile, subscribers remained at 1.2 million. Spotify and Apple Music seemed to have a faster growth rate, especially with younger music fans.
Last October it partnered with Holden to kick-start a range of music events, replicating those 80 in the United States, starting with a warehouse party in Sydney for 1000 customers.
The Australian and New Zealand operations lost its founding Managing Director Jane Huxley earlier this year, and a permanent replacement was not announced.
Pandora had a global subscriber base of 80 million, and in recent months had signed up with a number of major and independent labels as part of a strategy to expand its global footprint.
Pandora’s departure from Australia and New Zealand follows those of Deezer and Guvera.
wow..so basically we’ll end up with Apple and Google (the only two who have the $$ to stay afloat)
Spotify needs to make money- or else it’s gone.
If FM radio goes the way of commercial TV- then record labels are in deep sh!t for revenue