'Radio Stuff' Talks With Pandora's Tim Westergren

In the latest edition of the 'Radio Stuff' podcast, host Deb Slater (@deb_Slater) and Larry Gifford (@giffordtweet) go indepth with Pandora founder and Chief Strategic Officer Tim Westergren in a wide-ranging interview about radio, music, Pandora and the lessons broadcast and personal radio can learn from each other.

Westergren, Pandora’s Chief Strategy Officer, spent a half-hour chatting with Deb and Larry. As a young, struggling musician Westergren remembers radio with reverence and awe.

“We were all trying to get on radio. It’s always been the holy grail for artists.”

“We've learned a lot from radio, I tell you that. For one, the genius of radio was that it as an industry worked to imbed itself ubiquitously; every car, every alarm clock, and every stereo - ultimately it became a home for AM/FM and that's our (Pandora's) same ambition.”

Should radio be concerned? Not according to Westergren.

"I think radio will always have a place here. I think there's a shared playlist people always like to tune in to. There's a community around that. It's what I grew up on - the Michael Jackson's of the world, U2s, and Cold Plays - these cultural tap roots have been created by radio and I think there will always be an appetite for that. I think they'll live along side each other.”

Currently, Pandora’s app is embedded in over 1/3rd of all cars rolling out of factories this year. And while music is Westergren’s passion, don’t be surprised when Pandora adds news, sports, weather, traffic and shows.

LISTEN TO 'RADIO STUFF': Click Here.