Look out, Spotify. Pandora, at long last, plans to launch its first-ever on-demand streaming tier.
Priced at $10 a month, Pandora Premium lets you search for and play any track or album, and delivers a "unique set of playlist features tailored to each person's distinct preferences," Pandora said in a news release. This coming Wednesday, the company plans to offer select users a free trial of Pandora Premium; to sign up for an invite, head here. All users will have the option to upgrade over the coming weeks.
Once you sign up or start a trial, every song you've ever thumbed up via Pandora internet radio will be available in a playlist called "My Thumbs Up." If you need some recommendations, tap Browse, which is populated with personalized suggestions, including the latest releases from your favorites. Another handy feature lets you start a playlist with one or two songs of your choice, then tap "Add Similar Songs" to let Pandora do the rest of the work.
Pandora also teased a "visually stunning 'Now Playing' experience, which pulls a signature color from the album art and changes as each track plays," so you can look forward to that as well. Finally, you'll be able to download albums, songs, stations, or playlists for offline access, so you can keep listening when you lose service.
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Current subscribers to Pandora's $5 ad-free Plus service will get six months of Premium for no additional charge. Premium will initially be available on iOS and Android phones, Google Chromecast, and a number of car platforms. The service is slated to reach desktop and connected devices in the coming months.
"Every day tens of millions of people trust us to choose the exact right songs for them. That's why they spend more time with Pandora than any other music service," Pandora Founder and CEO Tim Westergren said in a statement. "With Premium, we're leveraging our immense trove of data and everything we've learned about personalization to offer a listening experience that sets a new standard for what a music service should be."
This new service has been a long time coming. Pandora in November 2015 acquired key technology and staff from Rdio with plans to launch an on-demand, subscription-based music service. Check back for a full review to see if it's worth the wait.