Pandora

Pandora, the leading internet radio service, gives people music they love
anytime, anywhere, through a wide variety of connected devices: laptop and
desktop computers, smartphones, connected BluRay players, connected TVs,
etc. Personalized stations launch instantly with the input of a single “seed” –
a favorite artist, song or genre. The Music Genome Project®, a deeply
detailed, hand-built musical taxonomy, powers the personalization or
Pandora. Using this musicological “DNA” and constant listener feedback
Pandora crafts personalized stations from the more than 800,000 songs that
have been analyzed since the project began in January 2000.
More than 75 million people throughout the United States listen to
personalized radio stations for free on Pandora through their PCs, mobile
phones and devices such as the iPad, and connected in-house devices
ranging from TVs to set-top boxes to Blu-Ray players. Mobile technology has
been a significant factor in the growth and popularity of Pandora, starting
with the introduction of the Apple app store for the iPhone in the summer of
2008. Pandora instantly became one of the most top downloaded apps and
today, according to Nielsen, is one of the top five most popular apps across
all smartphone platforms.

Pandora is free, simple and, thanks to connectivity, available everywhere
consumers are – at the office, at home, in the car and all points in between.
In 2009 the Company announced that Pandora would be incorporated into
the dashboard in Ford cars via SYNC technology; GM has already followed in
announcing plans to integrate Pandora into its vehicles and Mercedes-Benz
introduced their Media Interface Plus device that works with the
free Pandora iPhone app to provide direct control of Pandora from in-dash
stereo controls. This was all great news for the millions of Pandora listeners
who had been plugging their smartphones into car dashboards to listen to
personalized stations while driving. More than 50 percent of radio listening
happens in the car, making it a crucial arena for Pandora.

Today tens of millions of people have a deeply personal connection with
Pandora based on the delight of personalized radio listening and discovery.
These highly engaged listeners reinforce the value Pandora provides to: 1)
musicians, who have found in Pandora a level playing field on which their
music has a greater chance of being played than ever before; 2) advertisers,
who benefit from the multi-platform reach of Pandora, as well as its best
practices in targeting consumers for specific campaigns; 3) the music
industry, which has found in Pandora a highly effective distribution channel;
and 4) automobile and consumer electronics device manufacturers, who have
noted that incorporating Pandora into their product makes it more valuable
to consumers.

Pandora continues to focus on its business in the United States. The radio
arena has never been hotter, thanks to technology that enables radio to be
personalized to the individual and more accessible than ever before. Right
now millions of people listen to Pandora in the United States and we hope
someday to bring Pandora to billions of people around the world.

Timeline:
• 2000 – Tim Westergren’s Music Genome Project begins.
• 2005 – Pandora launches on the web.
• 2008 – Pandora app becomes one of the most consistently downloaded
apps in the Apple store.
• 2009 – Ford announces Pandora will be incorporated into car
dashboard. Alpine and Pioneer begin selling aftermarket radios that
connect to consumers’ iPhones and puts the control and command of
Pandora into the car dashboard.
• 2010 – Pandora is present on more than 200 connected consumer
electronics devices ranging from smartphones to TVs to set-top boxes
to Blu-ray players and is able to stream visual, audio, and interactive
advertising to computers, smartphones, iPads, and in-home connected
devices.

JOE KENNEDY

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT, PANDORA

 Joe Kennedy joined Pandora in 2004 following a five-year stint at E-LOAN, where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. From 1995 to 1999, he was the Vice President of Sales, Service and Marketing for Saturn Corporation, which he grew to over $4 billion in revenue and established as the top brand for customer satisfaction in the auto industry. Joe joined the initial start-up team at Saturn, four months after its founding, as a marketing manager and held positions of increasing marketing responsibility over the course of his 11-year tenure there.

 Joe holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University, where he dabbled in music theory and learned to compose his own Gregorian chants. He is Pandora’s resident pop music junkie and has also been playing the piano for more than 30 years, most of which has been spent attempting to master Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”

TIM WESTERGREN

FOUNDER AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, PANDORA

Pandora Founder Tim Westergren created the internet radio giant in January 2000 and now serves as the company’s chief strategy officer. More than 75 million people have registered to listen to Pandora on their computers, phones and consumer electronics devices. Their personalized radio stations make up more than half of all online radio listening.

A lifelong pianist with blues and jazz roots, Tim received his B.A. from Stanford University, where he studied music theory and composition, but spent most of his time at the Center for Research in Musical Acoustics - a campus think tank focused on the integration of computers and music.

Tim’s passion for helping talented emerging artists led to his decision to found the Music Genome Project. Designed to connect artists with listeners who are most likely to enjoy their music through a combination of technology and musicology, the Music Genome Project powers the personalization of Pandora radio.  In addition to guiding Pandora's overall strategy and vision, Tim now spends most of his time as Pandora's chief evangelist, traveling the country to meet with listeners, ensuring that Pandora stays
in-tune with its fast growing audience.

TOM CONRAD

CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER, PANDORA

Tom Conrad leads the Pandora product organization, which includes product management, user interface design, software development, engineering development and testing with partner companies, and network operations. Over the years, Tom has led numerous engineering and product design teams across a wide range of applications – from operating systems and enterprise software to video games and consumer web sites. Before joining Pandora, Tom was the Vice President of Engineering at Kenamea, Inc. where he led the teams responsible for the design and development of an award-winning Internet-scale messaging system. Tom previously was the Technical Director for the successful video game series "You Don't Know Jack."

Past experience also includes engineering management positions at Berkeley Systems, Relevance Technologies, Documentum, Pets.com, and Kenamea. Tom began his career at Apple Computer developing user interface elements for the Mac OS. Tom holds three U.S. patents and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Tom holds both technology and music close to his heart. His personal music collection still includes more than 1,000 CDs and he likes to say the only instrument he plays well is his stereo.

JESSICA STEEL

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, PANDORA

Jessica leads the Business Development team at Pandora as Executive Vice President. In the role, she is responsible for driving and managing strategic partnerships that help make Pandora available to listeners everywhere, whether they’re on the go, in the car, in the home or at the office.  Pandora currently works with top global brands including Apple, RIM, Microsoft, Sony, Hewlett Packard, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sprint, AT&T, Vizio and more.  Jessica and her team are deeply involved in projects to bring Pandora into the vehicle infotainment system, working with OEMs and aftermarket suppliers to make this happen.   

Prior to joining Pandora, Jessica ran business development for the international division of Overture Services (a $1.8B Yahoo-acquired company). During her four-year tenure there, she helped to grow the search engine marketing business from one market to a 19-country, 600+ person international division that drove over $500M in annual revenues. Before Overture, Jessica worked in international finance, with clients ranging from Softbank Japan to the Thai Ministry of Finance. 

A Phi Beta Kappa member and Thouron Scholar, Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.  Jessica speaks Japanese, and spent a year at the International Christian University in Tokyo.  She also attended the LA Music Academy for vocal performance, and is a singer-songwriter.  Writing under the name "Jessica Stone," she has released two full-length records, most recently “Melting” in July 2009.