Pepsi and Pandora to Help Celebrate the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards®

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pandora (NYSE: P), the leading personalized radio service, The Recording Academy^® (www.grammy.com), and PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) today announced a multi-layered campaign that will harness and capture the excitement around the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards^®, which takes place on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. As the premier sponsor of GRAMMY^®-related content on Pandora, Pepsi is giving fans access to GRAMMY-nominated artist content with a GRAMMY mixtape, artist video series and, for the first time, GRAMMY genre stations.

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The GRAMMY mixtape can be found at www.pandora.com/pepsigrammymusic and includes songs from nominees and newcomers in various 54th GRAMMY Awards categories.

In late January 2012, Pandora and Pepsi will introduce a GRAMMY artist video series, featuring exclusive interviews with select 54th GRAMMY nominees. The videos will provide an inside look at the artists' experiences as they prepare for Music's Biggest Night^®. Additionally, fans will be able to enjoy first-ever GRAMMY genre stations on Pandora. Approximately 12 genre stations will be based around major musical genres and will spotlight 54th GRAMMY nominees.

"We're excited to work with Pepsi to help fans reflect on the past year in music entertainment," said Pandora Chief Marketing Officer Simon Fleming Wood. "With Pepsi's help, we are bringing fans a bit closer to their favorite GRAMMY-nominated artists and at the same time helping them discover and rediscover the music they love for any moment, mood, and situation."

"As we count down to Music's Biggest Night^®, we are proud to partner with dynamic, like-minded brands committed to ensuring availability of a wide variety of GRAMMY music to music fans where they live and breathe," said Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer, The Recording Academy. "We are thrilled to harness the combined power of Pandora and Pepsi to help drive this vision forward."

"Music and entertainment are at the core of Pepsi's brand DNA and we are excited to partner with Pandora and the GRAMMY Awards to create exclusive content and deliver one-of-a-kind of experiences to music fans," said Tom Moradpour, Senior Director, Pepsi.

ABOUT PANDORA

Pandora (NYSE: P) gives people music they love anytime, anywhere, through connected devices. (OK, we've added comedy as well so we're also up for playing some jokes you'll love.) Personalized stations launch instantly with the input of a single "seed" - a favorite artist, song or genre. The Music Genome Project^®, a deeply detailed hand-built musical taxonomy, powers the personalization of Pandora^® internet radio by using musicological "DNA" and constant listener feedback to craft personalized stations from a growing collection of hundreds of thousands of recordings. Tens of millions of people in the U.S. turn on Pandora to hear music they love.  www.pandora.com

ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "The GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on YouTube, Tumblr, Foursquare, GetGlue and Instagram.

SOURCE Pandora