Surprise: iTunes Radio Doesn't Seem To Be A Pandora-Killer, After All

In a surprising announcement, Pandora chief financial officer Mike Herring has noted that the music-streaming service has seen a nine percent increase in listeners following the launch of iTunes Radio. Apple's own iTunes Radio launched in September with iOS 7, and can be accessed either in the Music app on an iDevice or using iTunes on a computer. So far, it's available free (albeit ad-supported, unless users subscribe to iTunes Match) in the United States only. However, reports have suggested that an iTunes Radio expansion is set for early 2014. Because iTunes Radio is built into iDevices and iTunes, analysts had anticipated that competing services - such as Pandora - could see a decrease in listeners as users flocked to Apple's new service. But in a surprising turn of events, this doesn't appear to have been the case - for Pandora, at least. As mentioned, the music-streaming service's CFO Mike Herring told Bloomberg's Jon Erlichman that Pandora's user base has increased by nine percent since iTunes Radio launched. This is impressive, especially considering the predatory iTunes Radio has been available as an option for music fans. The news hit the Web in a Twitter update published from Elichman's account, @JonErlichman:

.@BloombergNews - Pandora CFO says listening has increased by 9% since iTunes Radio launched $P $AAPL — Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) November 5, 2013

In advance of iTunes Radio, Pandora did help its cause through removing some limitations previously imposed on free accounts. Pandora's more attractive free offering can be taken advantage of by those unable to access iTunes Radio, too, which is important; iTunes Radio requires iOS 7, and of course it isn't available on other mobile platforms. It'll be interesting to see if other music-streaming services, such as Rdio and Spotify, have reported changes in their user base following the launch of iTunes Radio. Though if Pandora's case is anything to go by, it looks like Apple's service isn't the threat many predicted it would be. See also: Gameloft's Asphalt 8: Airborne Goes Free-To-Play As It Gets Its First Content Update, Apple To Manufacture Its Sapphire Glass For Touch ID In The United States, and Apple Updates AirPort Utility App With Support For 64-Bit A7 Processor.

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