Snowcrashing

PandoraOne, Desktop Apps and Premium Services.

Posted on 25. May, 2009 by Antonella Stellacci in Music Industry Trends, Trends

Inspired by the launch of the slick NYTReader app, TechFold opens a provocative debate on the “death” of the browser and the role of desktop applications.

Apps according to Edwards offer many advantages over a simple browser site:

• “Apps can provide a better user experience than generalist browsers.
• Apps help companies “own” the user relationship – branding, formatting, metrics, and the like.
• They also enforce loyalty, or at least habitual usage – the presence of an icon on your desktop or in your Start menu is a powerful call to action.”

Rod Edwards continues noting that this trend has been accelerated by mobile apps. And this ends up begging the question on who is going to dominate the web app world.

I would bet on Facebook, if its micropayment platform will prove to be fair and easy to use as the App Store. Even though the real opportunity is for someone to step in and take over the app market, across all devices.

Back to Techfold’s point on the pros offered by apps over the clunky HTML browsers: speed, a better UI (most often pretty slick), an inclination of the user to view the app as premium and pay for it.

All of the above seem to perfectly fit the newly launched Pandora One service. Re-born from its ashes thanks to the success of its Iphone and BlackBerry apps,  this week Pandora announced its new premium service PandoraOne.

As part of the new $36/year subscription, the app runs off Adobe AIR and models the look and feel of Pandora’s popular iPhone app. There’s also a new mini player available for those who prefer to run Pandora in a browser window, and Pandora One also comes ad-free, includes limitless skips, and offers custom music player skins.

We shall see if Rod Edwards was right or not, if apps can substitute the browser for the average consumer, or if they will create an alternative premium customer base. But Pandora seems to hint at a future that is not too far from his vision.

Tags: Music Industry Trends, Trends