Pandora Radio, Now With Ads

In these hard times, you can’t expect Internet radio to pump out music without a means of paying the higher-than-real-radio royalty rates, so Pandora Radio’s addition of 15-second ad spots is no surprise. Founder and CEO Tim Westergren said this is just one revenue model that the company is trying out, and in any case it’s still “a fraction” of what you hear over the FM airwaves. “The fears people have about it overtaking the listening experience are unfounded,” he told the California Press-Democrat. Indeed, an ad for Fox’s new show “Lie to Me” plays after 10 songs, then again after another 20. That’s not bad for a radio station that adapts to your personal interests. [Press-Democrat via Ars Technica]