Slacker Relaunches, Aiming At Pandora

Slacker Inc. has spent the past six years as an also-ran in the digital-music business, where even the leaders have struggled to make money.

The San Diego-based company says that’s about to change, with a revamped mobile application, website and a $5.5 million advertising campaign attacking rivals Pandora Media Inc. and Spotify Ltd. In preparation, the startup has more than doubled its staff to 90 in the past eight months, according to a story from Bloomberg.

“It’s an opportunity for us to throw a punch when nobody’s looking,” said Chief Marketing Officer Craig Rechenmacher, who joined from Electronic Arts Inc. in July and opened the company’s marketing office in Palo Alto, California.

For consumers, Slacker Personal Radio presents another choice in a crowded field. The company is touting a music service with 10 times the number of songs as Pandora, as well as content from Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC networks. In a market where Pandora gets close to 90 percent of its sales from ads, Slacker focuses on paid subscriptions, which account for two-thirds of revenue.

Read More Now.