With Open Submissions, Pandora Paves New Path for Indie Artists

By Carolyn Heneghan

Independent artists now have an opportunity to direct their music to the ears of 70 million potential listeners worldwide, thanks to Pandora‘s new open submission process. Furthermore, the company has transformed the possibilities for seemingly endless new music discoveries for its users.

Internet radio has been boosted significantly by a process designed to cater to indie musicians and labels who are looking for new ways to get their music out into the world. Harnessing its global popularity, Pandora presents an exciting opportunity for both sides of the randomized radio player, musicians and listeners alike.

Pandora’s music catalog already abounds with music from independent artists and labels—in fact, they comprise nearly two-thirds of Pandora’s entire catalog and approximately 44 percent of the player’s total spins. Artists of all stripes and all levels of musical abilities, whether or not they have a physical album officially released or not, can submit their music for all of Pandora’s users to hear.

According to Pandora’s press release, Pandora founder Tim Westergren said, “Discovery is at the core of Pandora’s mission. Our goal is to give every talented artist a chance to reach their audience, whatever the genre and without regard to popularity. Anything we can do to encourage submissions from talented new and emerging artists is a top priority.”

What Is the Open Submission Process?

Pandora’s new system can be accessed at submit.pandora.com, and only requires three steps. Musicians provide contact information and links to the songs to be considered. From there, Pandora’s music curators listen to each and every song, EP, and album and determine if it will be included and categorized. Artists can check in on the status of their submissions online as well.

In Pandora’s press release, Westergren said, “The recording industry needs indie labels and self-releasing artists to thrive. Our new submissions process is intended to attract these artists, no matter the genre, no matter the stage of their career, making it easier than ever for them to participate in this exciting and rapidly growing form of radio.”

By opening the doors to a coterie of new artists and labels, Pandora is enabling its Internet radio to become the ultimate hub for music discovery—and now music promotion as well. One of a growing number of music streaming services, Pandora is further separating itself from the competition by expanding its catalog to include more of the underground and up-and-coming artists and labels the music world has to offer.

What Does This Process Do for Artists?

Most importantly, this open submission process levels the playing field for the appearance and accessibility of independent artists’ music on the biggest music streaming platform in the world. Their music will now appear alongside more mainstream artists in playlists geared toward a user’s tastes, which can just as easily include music from these lesser known artists as the big names.

By putting music in front of more listeners, the potential for garnering new fans is limitless as artists’ music is heard, liked and even shared by those who enjoy and want to engage with the music and the creators. With such a huge Internet-based platform for global promotion, these artists are able to take their music where they never previously thought possible—much further than they might have ever hoped with traditional terrestrial radio.

Pandora’s new openness is a huge opportunity for independent artists and labels. It will be exciting to see the revamped Pandora music catalog and playlists as more of this music starts to trickle and eventually deluge into the Internet radio lineup.