MSN flips off switch on Pandora

After a year and a half, MSN and Pandora, the free Internet radio service, have parted ways.

Since November 2006, MSN Radio was "powered by Pandora," which lets users build and share Internet radio stations based on their own musical tastes. Pandora, run by an Oakland, Calif., company of the same name, remains available at its own Web site, www.pandora.com.

A message on radio.msn.com Thursday said, "MSN Music has discontinued its radio service."

Pandora founder Tim Westergren said the small company intends to focus its limited resources on its own Web site. It now counts more than 11 million registered users in the U.S.

"As we contemplate partnerships, they have to really be substantial," he said. "But having been [on MSN Radio] for a while and been in front of their audience, it was no longer contributing that level."

Westergren said the separation from MSN was "mutual." A Microsoft spokeswoman would only confirm that MSN, which has at least 465 million visitors worldwide, was no longer distributing Pandora.

Michael Robbins, a Bellevue Internet radio aficionado, discovered Pandora through MSN and has been listening about five hours a day. He noticed late Wednesday that Pandora was no longer available there and wrote a post about it on his Web site.

"It's a shame MSN wouldn't even say, 'Hey, look if you're a fan of Pandora, go to pandora.com,' " Robbins said. "You had to figure out on your own that Pandora still lives. There was no link provided by MSN."

Benjamin J. Romano: 206-464-2149

or bromano@seattletimes.com