Rdio adds features and improves its free version
Rdio is our favorite music streaming service. And yesterday, Rdio released an update that includes many new features aimed at improving the overall experience for current Rdio subscribers. There are improvements to the iPhone app and the Web / Mac apps that make it even easier to find new music and to get to the songs you already have in your collection.
This update also opened up their free version quite a bit, giving non-paying subscribers access to all of Rdio’s stations. Paying the $10/month for a subscription opens up access to the entire catalog with the ability to listen to albums, create playlists, etc.
As a long-time Rdio user, the new changes are most welcome. After just 24 hours with the new “Home” and “Trending” sections, it’s clear that a lot of thought went into thees updates.
Here’s a look at exactly what has changed within Rdio to make it better for current subscribers.
1. Home
This section is aimed at giving you the best of Rdio in one place. The goal of Home is to be your starting point with Rdio. It’s designed to help you continue listening to what you’ve recently listened to, see what’s new and trending, and give suggestions based on artists and albums that you frequently listen to.
2. Favorites
Hitting the heart icon allows you to store any playlist, song, station, or album for easy access in the future. This is how you build your library within Rdio. Favorites replaces the previous Collections feature.
3. Trending
The Trending section is useful for discovering what’s popular right now. It combines the Heavy Rotation and Top Charts feed into one place.
4. Browse
Looking for some music to chill out to? Or need a new workout playlist? Browse is where you will find it. Some options include Moods and Themes, Top Stations, Decades, Country, and much more.
5. People
The people section is about finding new music. You can see what your friends are listening to or have listened to recently.
6. Downloads
This is the new term for the synced music section where you managed the music that you had downloaded to your iPad or iPhone for offline listening (an Rdio Unlimited feature only).
Anthony Bay, CEO at Rdio, told the New York Times that they believe the most successful models are freemium. The goal is to keep people using Rdio (even for free) and hope to upgrade them later to a paid plan. If you’ve been wanting to give Rdio a shot, today is your day.
The Rdio Help Center has more information on the update. You can read our full review of Rdio and the other major streaming services here.