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T-Mobile customers will get a free year of Pandora Plus

It also has a separate deal with Live Nation for exclusive seats to events.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng
2 min read
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T-Mobile CEO John Legere on stage to talk about customer service. 

Roger Cheng/CNET

T-Mobile is sweetening its Un-carrier event with a little free music. 

The nation's third-largest wireless service provider said Wednesday that customers would get access to Pandora Plus, a paid version of its streaming music service. T-Mobile has also struck a deal with Live Nation to offer reserved seats at sold-out events and discounted tickets to outdoor amphitheater shows. 

The pitch is that T-Mobile wants to treat you like rock star, the company's theme for the day as it touts a revamped customer service system that's more dedicated to your specific needs. But with Pandora and Live Nation, T-Mobile is following a perk already offered by other carriers. Sprint , for instance, throws in Tidal as part of the upper tier of its service, and AT&T lets you choose between Pandora Premium and Amazon Music as a free add-on in the upper tier of its unlimited plan. "Imitation is the sincerest from of flattery," an AT&T spokesperson said in regard to T-Mobile's new offering.

Watch this: T-Mobile's free year of Pandora Plus could be a big deal

With the T-Mobile deal, unlike those other offers, the Pandora Plus service, normally $5 a month, is free for only a year. T-Mobile customers will get the offer through the T-Mobile Tuesdays app on Aug. 28. 

For Pandora, accessing a chunk of T-Mobile's 75.6 million customers could prove to be a boon -- if enough decide to stick around after a year.

"This is just the first step in a larger strategic partnership between T-Mobile and Pandora," Pandora CEO Roger Lynch said in a statement. "Expect to hear more."

Beyond access to discounted and reserved tickets at Live Nation, T-Mobile customers will be able to skip lines at the amphitheater events with a Fast Lane. They'll also get their own dedicated concession line and free lawn chairs.

First published Aug. 15, 8:54 a.m. PT
Update, 4:24 p.m.: Adds comment from AT&T.

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