Pandora is offering a one-day pass to anybody who wants to listen commercial-free to its Pandora One premium streaming tier for 24 hours. All it costs is $.99 a day. Hardcore Pandora lovers will think that’s pricey, given that they pay just $4.99 a month for the same service — while daytrippers would obviously spend around $30 a month at the day rate.
But Pandora’s one-day passes aren’t designed for the hardcore. The passes are meant to do two things. One, Pandora hopes the one-day pass is a gateway drug to a full subscription (the try it, you’ll like it model). And two, Pandora wants to get its premium Pandora One service in the mix for one-offs like parties, where a regular listener will upgrade to skip ads for special occasions. Pandora has been around for ten years now, and has always been ad-supported. The premium tier launched in 2009.
