I am an independent singer-songwriter and recording artist performing as AURORATHEGODDESS, and I am posting here because my entire catalog of more than 174 tracks was removed from Pandora without warning.
Before anyone simply refers me back to my distributor, I want to respectfully clarify that I have already spoken with my distributor, UnitedMasters. I was initially informed that there had been reports of “anomalous activity” associated with my content and that the removal/block on future delivery to Pandora occurred at the request of the store partner. I was subsequently told that Pandora’s analysis determined my content was “unsupported” and that I would need to address the underlying decision with Pandora.
That is why I am contacting Pandora.
I did not purchase streams. I did not hire a service promising guaranteed streams. I did not knowingly participate in bots, stream farms, artificial streaming, or fraudulent activity.
I have spent an enormous amount of time promoting my music organically across social media and multiple platforms. My music continues to receive streams elsewhere without the same issue.
Before this happened, Pandora had become my largest platform. My audience had grown to approximately 92,000 listeners, with more than 380,000 streams, and my song “Unbreakable Now” was performing particularly well.
Pandora was also my favorite platform. I had been a Pandora listener long before becoming an artist on the service, and I was genuinely grateful that my music had been accepted into Pandora’s curated catalog and was being introduced to listeners alongside established artists. I believed that was exactly what music discovery was supposed to accomplish.
If an independent artist begins gaining listeners because people genuinely enjoy the music, increased activity should not automatically be treated as evidence that the artist did something wrong.
What makes this even more upsetting is that I received a royalty payout shortly before my catalog disappeared. I am not claiming that the payout caused the removal, but given the timing, I believe I am entitled to transparency about what actually triggered this decision.
Removing 174+ tracks at once is an enormous action against an independent artist. It affects discovery, audience growth, momentum and income. Yet I was not provided with the specific track or tracks that triggered the concern, the dates involved, the traffic source, geographic information, number of streams considered anomalous, or any other meaningful information that would allow me to understand what supposedly happened.
I am therefore respectfully requesting that Pandora conduct a manual review of my catalog and provide specific answers:
• What exact activity was considered anomalous or unsupported?
• Which track or tracks triggered the determination?
• What dates or streaming periods were flagged?
• Were particular traffic sources, locations, stations or playlists involved?
• Was my entire catalog individually reviewed before all 174+ tracks were removed?
• Is this removal permanent?
• Is there an appeal process for an artist who believes the determination is incorrect?
• What evidence can I provide to demonstrate my legitimate promotion and audience activity?
My artist name is AURORATHEGODDESS. I had an online presence before releasing this catalog. Searching my artist name brings up my music, images, videos and other public content. I have worked extremely hard to build an audience and promote my work.
I also know from researching this issue that I am not the only independent artist who has raised concerns online after experiencing removals or anomalous-streaming determinations. That makes transparency and a meaningful appeal process even more important.
Please do not simply tell me to contact my distributor again. I already did. My distributor has explained its position and indicated that the underlying store-partner decision came from Pandora.
I am asking Pandora to please tell me what happened, what evidence supports this determination, and how I can appeal it.
Independent artists deserve an opportunity to understand and challenge a decision this significant.
I loved Pandora. I was proud that my music was being discovered there. Having my entire catalog disappear without a meaningful explanation after working so hard to build genuine momentum has been devastating.
I am not asking for special treatment.
I am asking for transparency, a fair manual review, and the opportunity to prove that my audience and promotion are legitimate.
— AURORATHEGODDESS
moderator’s edit: updated title for clarity
