Three of the Ford’s Lincoln models, namely MKZ, MKZ Hybrid and the Navigator, will include as a standard feature the leading internet music service provider Pandora, via the SYNC system, using the AppLink feature. This offers compatibility with Android, BlackBerry and iPhone smartphones.
Jessica Steel, Pandora executive VP of business and corporate stated: “Our listeners want Pandora everywhere they are, and the car is at the top of that list. We’re delighted that Lincoln luxury drivers now have easy access to their personalized radio stations behind the wheel.”Besides the fact that Pandora may be controlled through the standard methods like dashboard and steering wheel-mounted controls, the SYNC AppLink functions of will allow also voice control, so that the drivers will be able to change radio stations or rate a song only through simple voice command.
Pandora is the leading internet music service provider, counting 80,000,000 users in February 2011, from 46 million a year ago, and 22 million in 2009. Also, at the beginning of the year, Pandora offered to the listeners 800,000 songs from 80,000 artists. For 2011, company’s official stated that they expect a revenue about $270 million, representing year-over-year growth of between 96% and 100%. In 2010, almost 86 percent of Pandora’s revenues ($78 million) was made through advertising, the rest of 14 percent ($12 million) being added by subscriptions.
