Release music on Pandora and get heard in the US.
Pandora is one of the biggest music services in the US and works differently from Spotify: many listeners use it like a personalized radio. If you want to reach US listeners, you should be on it. With OGRECORDS™ one upload delivers your song to Pandora and every other store.
- 10% revenue share, no subscription
- ISRC & UPC included
- You keep your masters
- Delivery time after approval
- a few business daysPandora
- Estimate per stream
- ≈ $0.0013≈ $1.30 per 1,000 streams, gross
- Our commission
- 10%Revenue share · no subscription, no setup fees
- Master rights
- 100%always stay with you
Pandora is only available in the US
Pandora is only for listeners in the United States. For artists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the platform is mainly worth it when their music also catches on in the US, for example through TikTok trends, playlists or genres with a big US scene.
The radio principle: how songs get discovered on Pandora
Pandora builds stations from a song or artist and plays matching music. It's based on a detailed analysis of musical features combined with listener behavior. Thumbs up and thumbs down directly affect how often a song keeps getting played.
Pandora for Artists
With Pandora for Artists you claim your profile and see which cities your song is playing in. Especially useful: you can record short audio messages that play to listeners before your song, and highlight a track as your featured track.
Extra radio royalties through SoundExchange
In the US, non-interactive web radio pays additional royalties for recordings, which SoundExchange collects and distributes. Part of that goes directly to the performing artists. So register as an artist with SoundExchange, because this share doesn't run through the distributor.
5 steps to get your song on Pandora
- 01
Sign up for free
Create an account, sign the distribution agreement online, verify your identity. You don't need to live in the US.
- 02
Upload track and artwork
WAV, FLAC or AIFF, artwork from 3000 × 3000 pixels.
- 03
Set genre and metadata carefully
Genre and mood help Pandora match your song to the right stations.
- 04
Pick stores and date
Pandora is preselected along with every other store and only reaches listeners in the US. The release date has to be at least five business days out.
- 05
Claim your profile and register with SoundExchange
After delivery, set up Pandora for Artists and sign up with SoundExchange for the artist share.
How much do streams on Pandora pay?
Pandora pays out of subscription and ad revenue. Because much of the listening is radio-like and ad-supported, the value per stream is on the low side. Artist shares from web radio through SoundExchange come on top.
Industry averages, not a guarantee. More on rates and deductions at How much does Spotify pay per stream? and Pricing.
How to get more out of Pandora
Record an audio message
A short personal message before your song turns radio listeners into fans who know your name.
Don't forget SoundExchange
You only collect the artist share from US web radio if you register yourself.
Use US signals
If a song is taking off on TikTok or Spotify in the US, it's worth pointing people to Pandora.
Compare streams
Keep an eye on how your US listeners split across platforms in the analytics dashboard.
Ready for Pandora?
Your account is set up in a few minutes, then the release wizard walks you through every step.
Common questions about Pandora
Can I release my music on Pandora if I don't live in the US?
Yes. Where you live doesn't matter. Only people in the US can hear the song on Pandora, though.
How does my song get on Pandora?
Through a distributor like OGRECORDS™. Pandora accepts releases from independent artists through distributors.
What is SoundExchange?
A US organization that collects royalties for the use of recordings in non-interactive digital radio and pays them out to rights holders and performing artists. As an artist, you register there yourself.
What is Pandora for Artists?
Pandora's platform for musicians: claim your profile, see listener numbers by city, record audio messages and highlight tracks.
What does it cost to release on Pandora?
No fixed costs. We keep 10% of your Pandora earnings. Your SoundExchange shares don't go through us at all.
Besides Pandora, your release lands in every other store
The same upload delivers to every platform in the network. Here are the guides for the most important ones.
Your song for US listeners on Pandora.
One upload for Pandora in the US and every other store. You sign up with SoundExchange yourself. Start for free.
Pandora is a trademark of its respective owner. OGRECORDS™ is an independent music distributor and is not affiliated with Pandora.