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Tag: rdio

  • Rdio Launches $4 Budget Plan, Rdio Select

    Rdio Launches $4 Budget Plan, Rdio Select

    Streaming music is a crowded party, and it’s only getting worse. Or better, I guess, if you like options (quality notwithstanding).

    Well, here’s another option for you – a hybrid ad-free radio / limited streaming service that isn’t free, but doesn’t cost as much as most unlimited streaming plans.

    Rdio has just announced a new tier – Rdio Select. For $3.99 a month, you can enjoy ad-free radio with no skip limits on mobile. Rdio says this functionality is coming soon to other devices with Rdio apps, like the Roku and Chromecast.

    Here’s where the hybrid element comes in – Rdio will let you download full songs for offline play, but it’ll limit it to 25 per day with Rdio Select. You can replace those 25 songs once per day.

    So, if you know what you want to listen to and it’s not more than a couple albums a day, this sounds like a decent option. Rdio is also bumping up the audio quality for Select subscribers – to 320 kbps.

    Rdio Select seems to be for people who don’t care to pay something (because maybe they hate ads), but aren’t cool with giving up $10 every month for Spotify premium or even Rdio’s premium tier. Does that market exist? Rdio sure hopes so.

    If you’re a person who loves curated internet radio, this could be a nice fit – it eliminates the worst part of internet radio (ads and skip limits). But if you’re a person who is more of a playlist curator yourself, or likes to be in control of what you listen to at all times, or streaming music constantly all day – having just 25 songs per day is probably doing to annoy you at some point.

    If you want to see if this plan works for you, Rdio is offering a free 60-day trial.

    Image via Rdio, Twitter

  • Crackle And Rdio Launch Chromecast Support [Update: So Does Vudu]

    Update: Vudu has also launched Chromecast support.

    Google already has a hit on its hands with the Chromecast, and it’s only going to get better as more apps support it. Google launched the SDK out of beta just last month, essentially giving developers the license to go wild and make their own products Chromecast-ready.

    Today, Crackle and Rdio both announced support.

    If you’re unfamiliar with Crackle, it’s a unit of Sony Pictures Television, and features free movies and shows, and even some originals. Crackle says:

    Google Chromecast owners can now watch Crackle’s curated collection of hit movies and television shows, including genres like action, comedy, crime, horror and sci-fi; as well as original Crackle series such as Jerry Seinfeld’s Emmy nominated “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” “Chosen,” starring Chad Michael Murray and Rose McGowan and “Cleaners,” starring Emmanuelle Chiriqi and David Arquette. Fan favorite shows available on Crackle include “Seinfeld,” “The Shield,” “Damages” and much more.

    Crackle has apps on Android, iOS and Chrome for Windows and Macs.

    Rdio is a service for listening to, discovering and sharing music. It’s available on iOS and Android.

    “Rdio on Google Chromecast marks another milestone in Rdio’s commitment to delivering the best music experience everywhere,” said Rdio CEO Anthony Bay. “Music fans can access Rdio’s massive catalog of over 20 million songs or start a station easily, all from Chromecast on their TV.”

    Chromecast recently expanded into the UK. Meanwhile, the competition is heating up.

    Image via YouTube

  • Rdio Goes Free (Ad-Supported) on the Web

    Rdio Goes Free (Ad-Supported) on the Web

    In a move to boost its competitiveness in a crowded field of streaming music services, Rdio has just announced that anyone can stream any song in its library for free on the web.

    “[S]tarting today Rdio is free in the U.S. on the web. That means you can listen to 20 million songs plus all the albums, playlists, and stations you love anywhere there’s a computer. Absolutely free,” says Rdio.

    It’s important to note that this is only for web streaming. If you want free mobile streaming, you’re going to have to opt for Rdio Unlimited, the company’s paid option that gives you mobile on-demand streaming and is ad-free (it’ll run you $9.99). Rdio Free allows you to listen to music via mobile, but only stations.

    Of course, with “free” streaming services come ads. Here’s how Rdio explains theirs:

    “As part of this update, we’ve added in-stream messaging to Rdio on the web. These new ads are short and sweet. Free listeners will hear a mix of new feature announcements, messages from partner brands, notifications about exclusive content, and other helpful tips.”

    Nothing you’re unfamiliar with.

    The timing of this announcement seems deliberate when you know what rival Spotify recently unveiled. Yesterday, Spotify got rid of streaming time restrictions in all markets across all platforms, and just last month they decided to offer free mobile streaming for the first time ever.

    Image via Rdio

  • Rdio Makes First Move into Asia, Now Available in 31 Countries

    Rdio Makes First Move into Asia, Now Available in 31 Countries

    Subscription-based streaming music company Rdio has just announced an expansion that will see it move into 7 new countries.

    Starting today, Rdio will be available in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Colombia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Poland.

    This marks the company’s first move into the Asian market, as well as a deeper expansion into South America and Europe.

    This brings the total number of Rdio countries to 31.

    Rdio is currently offering six months free to new users. After that, the web version of the service will run you $4.99 a month. You can bump that up to included unlimited music on the web and mobile for $9.99 a month.

    It’s a crowded world out there for streaming music services. Apple just announced iTunes Radio, which will surely make a big splash when it launches this fall. But Rdio’s true competitors lie in streaming music platforms that let users play tracks on demand – for a subscription fee. This includes Spotify and the newly-launched Google Play Music All Access.

  • Billboard Adding Digital Music Services To Chart

    Billboard Adding Digital Music Services To Chart

    There is no doubt that digital music streaming is here to stay. In fact, there’s been no doubt for a couple of years now. Services like Spotify, Rhapsody, Pandora, and more draw millions of users who find digital streaming a better alternative to listening to traditional radio stations.

    Now it looks like Billboard is finally catching up to the digital music age. The magazine’s editorial director, Bill Werde, told the Wall Street Journal yesterday that Billboard’s song charts would start including certain digital music services in the data it uses to compile the charts. Charts are usually compiled based on radio plays and digital downloads. Digital music streaming risen significantly in recent months, and Werde said that it has “recently hit a critical mass,” prompting Billboard to start including it as a basis for their charts.

    A total of six services are being incorporated into Billboard’s chart data: Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio, MOG, Muve Music, and Slacker Radio. Notably absent from the list are Pandora and YouTube.

    Are you glad Billboard is including streaming data? Should they have made this move before now? Are there any services you think they should add that aren’t on the list? Let us know in the comments.

  • Rdio Unveils “New Rdio” At SXSW

    Rdio revealed a new version of the Rdio site and desktop apps today at SXSW. Included is new drag and drop playlist creation, more personalization features and the ability to create private playlists.

    There’s also a new look and feel, a single view for music, playlists and users’ networks. Users can see what their networks are listening to from the People sidebar.Users can also see who has listened to an album by hovering over it.

    Users can also now add entire albums to playlists. The company says this has been one of its most requested features.

    The new version will come to all accounts in the “near future,” but you can upgrade it now if you use a web or unlimited subscription.

    If you want to see the actual unveiling of the service, you can watch the Rdio press event at livestream.