Tag Archives: Jay-Z

Pandora Radio

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by RICO PEDRAZA

Pandora Logo

Pandora Press Logo (courtesy of Pandora Pressroom) [1]

Pandora App Logo

Pandora App Logo (courtesy of Pandora Pressroom) [2]

Headquarters
2101 Webster Street
16th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 451-4100
http://www.pandora.com

Company Overview

Pandora is currently the largest online music streaming and internet radio company in the world with over 81.5 million users as of December 31st, 2014(3).  The company is an online music streaming service that provides its users with automated music recommendations based upon a song, artist, album, or genre being searched.   This automation is powered by Pandora’s service – the Music Genome Project – which gives human curated music recommendations for each individual.  The company currently operates under two payment tiers.  A free tier allowing unlimited internet radio music streaming with restrictions on the number of song skips allowed per day, audio quality, and is fueled by advertisements between songs.  Alternatively the paid tier “Pandora One” ($4.99 per month or $54.89 per year) (4) offers ad-free listening, higher audio quality on desktop listening, and a higher number of daily song skips allowed.

Key Executives

Brief Company History

Founded by Tim Westergren in 2000 the company has grown to an immaculate 81.5 million user base(3), trumping all other streaming services with Spotify being the closest with 60 million users(8).  Based out of Oakland, California, Pandora has had a quick rise in its 15 years earning $920.8 million in total revenue in 2014(9).  Over the years Pandora has changed multiple business models, due to new unexpected variable costs in today’s online  music streaming industry.  These obstacles included the changing climate around artist payouts per stream in the music industry, increased licensing costs through SoundExchange(10) etc. etc.  Pandora has been able to take these hurdles in stride, shifting its focus into brand and fan interaction as well as entering the live entertainment space over the past few years.

Interface

The screenshot below shows the typical Pandora user interface with basic music controlling functions present.

User Profile Screenshot

User Profile Screenshot (14)

Devices / Platforms

Today Pandora is available across virtually all platforms; including car radio systems, almost all mobile devices, online computer streaming, and available on some smart televisions.  Additionally Apple recently announced that Pandora will officially be one of the first apps available on the fist operating system of their new product, the Apple Watch(11).  The Apple Watch is Apple’s newest device that incorporates a “smart watch” device with the interface of an iPhone. It is set to be released on April 24th, 2015.

Apple Watch Promotional Photo (Courtesy of Billboard)

Apple Watch Promotional Photo [15]
(Courtesy of Billboard)

Financials

On December 31st, 2014 Pandora released their end of the year Financial reports.  The report showed a trend that Pandora’s year-over-year mobile and local advertising revenue both grew from 2013.  Local advertising revenue was $152.9 million (155% increase from 2013), and mobile revenue alone accounted for $712 million (a large portion of Pandora’s total $920.8 million 2013 total revenue) which also was a 58% increase from 2013(9).

Pandora accredits this success to the fact that 2014 was the highest year of mobile monetization in company history.  Pandora’s 2015 Q1 financial report will be reported publicly on April 24th, 2015.

Competition

Today Pandora’s primary competitors include Spotify, iHeart Media, iTunes Radio, and Sirius XM to name a few.  Although each of these services differ slightly, Pandora is still the leader in total users of all of these streaming services(3).

Additionally, two new companies have been in the music streaming service news recently.  The first being Jay-Z’s newly launched music streaming service Tidal, and the second being Apple’s currently unnamed and soon to launch streaming service.  Tidal launched March 30th, 2015(12) following a $56 million acquisition by artist Jay-Z of the parent-company Aspiro(13).  Tidal is unique because unlike Pandora and Spotify, Tidal has two paid monthly subscription tiers with no option of free listening for the user.  With only 500,000 users at launch it is unclear if Tidal will be a future competitor.

At the Tidal launch on March 30th, 2015 artists Alicia Keys, Arcade Fire, Beyonce, Calvin Harris, Christ Martin of Coldplay, Daft Punk, Deadmau5, Jack White, Jason Aldean, J.Cole, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and Usher signing the company's constitution.

Various A list artists at the Tidal launch event on March 30th, 2015 in New York City. (Courtesy of New York Post) [16]

In August of 2015, Apple acquired Beats Music for $404 million dollars(17).  Currently there has been much speculation as to what Apple is planning to do with their service and when it will launch, however there are a few factors to keep in mind:

  • First the acquisition of Beats Music has brought Apple music taste makers like Jimmi Iovine (former CEO of Interscope Records), Andre “Dr. Dre” Young (founder of Beats Music), and Zane Lowe of BBC Radio 1.  Potential for more human music curation.
  • Secondly, Apple as of 2013 had a user base of 500 million paid users(18), which since has no doubt increased, allowing them to potentially launch a music streaming service with an unprecedented initial user base.

Future

Pandora is in the fortunate position where it is a pioneer of music streaming, in a market becoming oversaturated with competitors.  Pandora sets itself aside by possessing the most users of any of these services, 81.5 million users, and by having a unique streaming service / business model.  With all this said, Pandora recently has begun entering the live entertainment, fan interaction, and brand sponsorships parts of the music industry.

For the 4th year in a row, Pandora has sponsored an event held an event at Austin, TX during the South by Southwest Music Festival.

2014 Pandora Discovery Den admat (courtesy of mxdwn.com)

2014 Pandora Discovery Den admat (courtesy of mxdwn.com) [19]

  Called “The Pandora Discovery Den”, Pandora selected over 35 current notable musicians from the genres of electronic, hip-hop / R&B, and rock. Held over 4 days, Pandora was able to showcase many up and coming artists that are featured and heavily streamed on Pandora.  Each day is a new genre, and all performances were broadcasted live on Pandora’s web & mobile outlets.  This event allowed fan interaction for those attending South by Southwest as well as fan interaction for those who couldn’t attend the fest but lived vicariously through the live broadcast.

Additionally, Pandora continued this fan interaction on January 30th, 2015 Pandora continued its fan interaction by presenting a live stream of Jack White’s sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden.  In anticipation of the live stream Pandora, in conjunction with Jack White’s record label Third Man Records, curated a Jack White digital mixtape that was exclusively available to Pandora users.  The live stream was made available for 72 hours after The Madison Square Garden show, again allowing Pandora fans to vicariously experience the concert(20).  The below clip(21) shows Jordan Klepper interviewing Jack White speaking about his upcoming MSG show; an example of additional content created by Pandora that was  used exclusively during this campaign.

Finally Pandora in early April, in a joint venture with AEG Live’s Concerts West, announced an official tour pre-sale for the Rolling Stone’s upcoming ZIP CODE tour exclusively through Pandora.  Pandora users were given access to pre-sale tickets 4 days before the general sale began on April 13th, 2015(22).  And Pandora again created a digital mixtape of songs hand selected by members of the Rolling Stones themselves.  This campaign was beneficial to both parties, and offered Pandora increased outreach with their fans, establish a relationship with major concert promoter AEG Live, as well as continued their pursuit of the live entertainment market.

All three of these events show the future direction Pandora as a company is currently moving towards.  Pandora will continue the success of their already well established streaming service, while developing the company to include new outlets within their business model.

Sources

 (1) – Pandora Logo – press.pandora.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(2) – Pandora App Logo – press.pandora.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(3) – Pandora User Number – statista.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(4)- Pandora One pricing – pandora.com/one – RT: 4/17/2015

(5) – Brian McAndrews Headshot – rightstartups.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(6) – Tim Westergren Headshot – chicagoideas.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(7) – Sara Clemens Headshot – thedeal.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(8) – Spotify User Number – press.spotify.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(9) – Pandora End of the Year Financial Report 2014 – press.pandora.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(10) – SoundExchange Fees – gigaom.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(11) – Billboard Apple Watch – billboard.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(12) – Tidal Launch – billboard.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(13) – Aspiro Yahoo Finance – yahoo.com/finance – RT: 4/17/2015

(14) – Pandora Screenshot – pandora.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(15) – Billboard Apple Watch Photo – billboard.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(16) – Tidal Signing Photo – nypost.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(17) – Apple Acquisition of Beats – forbes.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(18) – Apple 500 Million Users – appleinsider.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(19) – Pandora SXSW Poster – music.mxdwn.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(20) – Jack White Pandora Press MSG – press.pandora.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(21) – Jack White Pandora MSG 72 Hour Stream – youtube.com – RT: 4/17/2015

(21) – Pandora / AEG Exclusive Presale – press.pandora.com – RT: 4/17/2015

Columbia Pictures

Posted on by 
by Javier Vélez

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Logo

Courtesy of fortune.com (a)

Contact Information: (b)

Address: 10202 W. Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

Phone: 310-244-4000

http://www.sonypictures.com/

 Key Executives: (c)

Doug Belgrad [6]

Doug Belgrad (President)

image retrieved from the Hollywood Reporter

Hannah Minghella (President of Production)

 

 About Columbia Pictures:

Rita Hayworth       Courtesy of: Fanpop.com

The production studio known today as Columbia Pictures was founded in 1918 by Joe Brandt and brothers Jack and Harry Cohn. Originally named Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales, the company became Columbia Pictures in 1924. During the Hollywood Golden Age, Columbia had many stars of the era under contract, such as Rita Hayworth and William Holden, and became a major player in the movie business thanks to the productions of director Frank Capra.(d) In 1982, the company was bought by Coca-Cola, and in 1989 Sony purchased it for $3.4 billion.(e) Columbia Pictures is currently the film production and distribution division of Sony Picture’s Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a Sony subsidiary.(f) The most recent movement at the executive level occurred on July 16, 2014, when Doug Belgrad was promoted to president of the Sony Motion Picture Group. (g)                    

Financials:

Columbia Pictures, and its parent company Sony Pictures Entertainment, are privately traded.(h) The company has had notable releases in the last few years, including box office successes such as Skyfall and the Spider-Man franchise. From its 853 films produced or distributed for Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures releases have grossed $31,650,056,784, an average of $37 million per film.(i) In 2014, Columbia Pictures has held a 13.0% market share as of November 23.(j)

The Amazing Spider-Man                 Courtesy of Boxofficemojo.com

Columbia Pictures Success:

At the 2014 Oscars, films distributed by Columbia Pictures received 16 nominations. American Hustle received 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Director.  It won two Oscars, Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress and David O. Russell & Eric Warren Singer for Best Original Screenplay. (k)

American Hustle poster                                                                 Courtesy of: Forbes.com

The other Columbia release that received Oscar Nominations was Captain Phillips. Of the six nominations received, the most noteworthy were for Best Picture and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for first-time actor Barkhad Abdi. The film did not win any Academy Awards.

The stars of Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi             Courtesy of aceshowbiz.com

 Columbia Pictures Presents:

Columbia Pictures has produced and/or distributed 17 films in 2014. Between superhero films, action films, and comedies, among others, the studio has released some of the most well-received films of the year by audiences.

During the summer, Columbia Pictures produced the sequel to 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Jamie Foxx. The movie was released on May 2, 2014 in 4,324 theaters, grossing $110,700,722 in its first week. It went on to have a successful run in theaters, grossing over $200 million domestically and over $505 million in foreign markets, for a worldwide gross of $708, 983, 323 against a budget of $200 million. (l) In China, the movie was released in 11,002 theaters, a record amount of screens. (m) The film was not as big a hit with critics, receiving mixed reviews. (n)

Teaser Poster for The Amazing Spider-Man 2                           Courtesy of: Boxofficemojo.com

Another high-profile release in the summer of 2014 was 22 Jump Street, the sequel to 2012’s critical and commercial hit, 21 Jump Street. The movie, which pokes fun at conventional sequels, starred the buddy cop team of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as they move on from high school to college.

It was released on June 13, 2014, and went on to gross $191 million domestically, making up its $50 million budget. Internationally, the film made $131 million, for a total worldwide gross of $331 million. It was also well-received by critics, obtaining a 84% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. (o) (p)

Now Playing:

The Equalizer poster                  Courtesy of: IMDB.com

After the summer blockbuster season, Columbia Pictures has released two films that have been well-received by audiences. The first is “The Equalizer”, an action film directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington as a retired government official who must save an innocent girl from Russian gangsters. The film was released on September 26, 2014. (q) It is adapted from a TV series of the same name that aired on CBS from 1985 to 1989. (r) This is Fuqua’s and Denzel’s first film together since Training Day, for which Denzel won an Academy Award for Best Actor. The film opened its box office run with a $45 million gross its first week, opening in first place. It went on to gross $99 million domestically and $90 million in international sales, for a worldwide gross of around $190 million against a budget of $55 million. (s) The film received mixed-to-positive reviews. (t)

The other film Columbia has released in the fall is “Fury”, a World War II tank movie starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, and Logan Lerman, written and directed by David Ayer. The movie deals with a tank unit behind enemy lines during the latter stages of the war and presents, with unflinching reality, the brutalities of war. (u) The film was released on October 17, 2014 and opened in first place at the box office with a $33 million gross its first week. “Fury” is still in theaters, and as of November 28, 2014 has grossed approximately $81 million domestically and $74 million globally, good for a total gross of $155 million against a budget of $68 million. For the week of November 21-27, the film’s sixth week, “Fury” was still in the top 10 highest grossing films of the week. (v) (w) The film has been well-received by critics, holding a 78% “Certified Fresh” Rotten Tomatoes rating. (x)

Future:

Annie (2014) poster           Courtesy of: IMDB.com

Columbia Pictures plans to take advantage of the holiday season, distributing two films. The first is a modern re-telling of the musical “Annie”,produced by Jay-Z and starring Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis. The movie will be released on December 19, 2014. The comedy-musical will look to appeal to a broad audience. (y)

Another film being distributed in December by Columbia Pictures is the comedy “The Interview”. The controversial film (z) stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as a TV presenter and his producer, respectively, who are sent to North Korea to kill Kim Jong-un. The film will be released on December 25, 2014, and will look to appeal to mature audiences on Christmas Day. (aa)

Movies to be distributed and/or produced by Columbia Pictures in the following years include a Neill Blomkamp film titled Chappie, an Angry Birds movie, and spin-offs of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. (bb) Also in production is the next installment in the Bond franchise, with the working title of Bond 24. The film will once again be helmed by “Skyfall” director Sam Mendes and will star Daniel Craig as the titular 007 agent and Christoph Waltz as a Bond villain. It is yet to be seen how production of these and other Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures films will be altered by the November 24, 2014  hacks on their worldwide computer networks. Recent releases like “Fury” and soon-to-be-released features like “Annie” were leaked by this attack. (cc) (dd) 

 Sources: