Rdio Blog

Along with the rest of Twitter, we were watching Apple’s keynote earlier today, and are pleased to...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:16:17 -0700

Along with the rest of Twitter, we were watching Apple’s keynote earlier today, and are pleased to see that Apple continues to innovate.

Coolest was Apple now agreeing with us that music is better with people and launching their very own “social network for music,” Ping. (Hey, you’re clearly on to something big when Steve Jobs “follows” you.)

A couple of important distinctions worth noting between Rdio and Ping though:

1) Unlike Ping, on Rdio you don’t have to buy individual songs or albums to hear them. For $4.99/month, which is half the price of an album on iTunes, you can play, save and share all 7 million songs in our catalog, in their entirety, as many times as you want, completely ad-free.

2) In addition to iPhones, iPod touches and iPads, Rdio also works on Android & BlackBerry devices, so you can be social with everyone, not just with people who have one kind of phone.

So go on… what are you waiting for? Try Rdio for free today, and tell a friend about it too. If you’ve got any questions about Rdio, we’re listening on Twitter @Rdio.

New Music Tuesday: Extended

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:05:15 -0700

The last few weeks have resulted in some great summer contributions to Rdio’s catalog. We’ll expand our scope a bit this week to bring you the greatest variety of New Music Tuesday yet. What are you in the mood for: A new album? Some singles? A remix perhaps? If those don’t appease your ears, perhaps something from the past will work.

Queue up some of this music, review your fingers off, and let your friends know what your favorite new additions are. And don’t forget that when you’re done here, there’s more music in the New Releases section.

The name Philip Selway might not mean much to most people, until someone says he’s the drummer from Radiohead. Listen in on his first solo album, Familial.

Doug Benson is a man who purposefully recorded his comedy album on 4/20/10 and starred in the documentary Super High Me. Somewhere in between his illegal allegiance and edited Best Week Ever jabs, you’ll find Hypocritical Oaf.

Travel to far-off regions using only a pair of headphones. Travel experts from The Rough Guide have created albums dedicated to regional music like The Music of Afghanistan.

The Singles:

Snippets of upcoming greatness from your favorite musicians

Lloyd will give the world a present on Valentine’s Day with another album, King of Hearts, but first, Lay It Down.

Not content to contain his Pretty Boy Swag, Soulja Boy Tell’em wants you to start Blowing Me Kisses, the 2nd single from unreleased The DeAndre Way.

Side effects of listening to Cee-Lo’s F**k You may include incessant humming, foot tapping and the desire to watch the music video just one more time.

The gentle melodies of Turn The Dirt Over from last September’s Sea Wolf album, White Water, White Bloom, are offset by the electronic chords from Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning.

Who replaced Matt & Kim with the horn and drum line? If the single, Cameras, is any indication, we’re all going to love the new album.

Remixes:

Kaleidoscope got remixed by its own Tiësto as well as Ferry Corsten, Ali Wilson and Phillip D.

Neon Indian’s Psychic Chasms is re-imagined with track tweaks by Dntel, YACHT, and Twin Shadow.

Historical:

Want to make your Recent Listening look a little more retro? Queue up these old school classics and #1 hits.

Bringing together jazz and rock, the Miles Davis masterpiece Bitches Brew is now 40 years old.

It’s the best of the best, listen to Janet Jackson’s top shelf Best of Number Ones.

Rdio for iPhone: Now with Dashboard iPhone users, today is your...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:09:11 -0700

Rdio for iPhone: Now with Dashboard

iPhone users, today is your lucky day — the latest and greatest Rdio for iPhone app has been approved and is now live in the app store.

What’s new? The Dashboard — your faithful web companion is now on your phone and lets you see your network’s Recent Activity and Heavy Rotation. You can also see your own web Queue and Listening History. Other new features include high resolution graphics for the iPhone 4’s Retina Display, and some general bug fixes and tweaks.

So head to the app store, download the newest Rdio for iPhone app, and enjoy these new features.

Tuesday, Full of Music

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:42:00 -0700

It wasn’t hard spotting some of the more notable albums for today’s New Music Tuesday. If you’re in the mood for something fresh, dig in — you’ll find something to love.

Searching for upbeat break-up songs? Find all the uplifting heartbreak and modern motown you can handle on Fitz & The Tantrum’s debut album, Pickin’ Up the Pieces.

Isobel Campbell, who? She may be better known as one member of the lighthearted music collective Belle & Sebastian, but she is a talented songstress in her own right. Listen in as she continues her ascent as a solo artist in Hawk.

If No Age’s new EP, Glitter, is any indication, the world should brace itself for a more mature, less noisy, more refined sound in their next album, Everything in Between. These guys are still a rollicking good time, but they seem to have mellowed. Did you like the noise? Listen to find out if this new music is up to snuff.

The Trigbag Chronicles is a 10 track retrospective of Trentemøller, the Danish musician and producer. It compiles some of his brightest contributions to electronic music in the last decade.

While we still have to wait for Antony & The Johnsons 4th album, Swanlights, you can sample his upcoming offering with the Thank You for Your Love EP. Rounding out this release is a cover of the Bob Dylan song, Pressing On, and John Lennon’s Imagine.

You’ve met California Gurls and already glimpsed Teenage Dreams but now it’s time to dive in and fully embrace Katy Perry’s third full-length album.

Honorable Mentions:

The 72 song Nick Drake Box Set
Usher’s Raymond V Raymond bonus disc, Versus
a Capitol Records celebration of the Dandy Warhols, The Capitol Years 1995-2007
American Idol winner Fantasia’s 3rd album Back To Me

Pro Tip: If you’ve asked Rdio to have more Queen or Miley Cyrus available, you got it.

Still curious as to the new music we might have overlooked? Check out Rdio’s New Releases on your own, and be sure to share your favorites with your friends and followers alike.

Finding people to follow just got easier

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

If you think the ability to follow other people with similarly awesome taste in music is a key part of Rdio, then your network is about to get even better. Mouse over a user’s icon anywhere you find it on Rdio — a review, an album’s recent listeners, your friends’ followers — and you can easily see what is in their Heavy Rotation, their Top Artists and their collection details. And you can be a music snob in the privacy of your own computer and decide to follow them or not, right then and there.

Tuesday's New Music

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:25:00 -0700

Each week, it’s getting harder and harder to whittle down the albums, singles, and EPs we want to share with you on New Music Tuesday. Today’s selection is a balanced mix of new musicians and bands that have been around a while — find something new to add to your collection or share with a friend.

If you aren’t already familiar with her crystal-voiced EP, Why You Runnin’, take the time to introduce your ears to Lissie and her new full-length debut album Catching A Tiger.

Starfucker summed up B-Sides the best on Twitter: “all the bonus tracks from our vinyl are finally going digital on Tuesday as a 5 song EP. Not a new release, but something in the meantime.”

NOFX and The Longest EP is essentially 30 songs from the last 23 years, including outtakes, rarities and out-of-print tracks.

Produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla, Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin continues their tradition of indie rock with the third album Let It Sway.

Fan of the slightly bizarre Norwegian group Casiokids? Enjoy a treat today— like this new single En Vill Hest and two accompanying remixes from their most recent release, Topp stemning på lokal bar.

Behold, a new single from The Doobie Brothers called Nobody. Bet you didn’t know they had an album coming up, did you?

Pop Culture Bonus:

Fans of The Wire, you have a brand new album called Contemplations & Remembrances from your favorite actor/musician Lance Reddick, otherwise known as Lt. Cedric Daniels.

For more new music, head to Rdio’s New Releases section and take a moment to browse our ever-expanding catalog.

Rdio for Android: More Music, Less Typing

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:43:53 -0700

Google just announced an exciting update for Android phones — Voice Actions. Why is it so exciting, and what does it mean for Rdio’s Android users? Now you can use Voice Actions to tell your phone what you want to hear, without lifting a finger to your keyboard. Speak an artist’s name, album or song to your phone, and Voice Actions will begin playing it on Rdio. Presto!

To see Voice Actions for Android in action, check out Google’s video introduction to Voice Actions — pay close attention around 1:00:

Download the latest Voice Search from the Android Market to give it a try.

The Sound of a New Tuesday

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:51:00 -0700

Each week, Rdio’s catalog grows with more of your favorite tunes, both old favorites like Frightened Rabbit and the new music found in New Releases. Today’s New Music Tuesday is perhaps the most diverse yet. Hop from reggae to jazzy soul, indie rock to rap. Perhaps your next favorite album from 2010 is hiding in the ranks of this list.

Straight from a Polaris Music Prize nomination, Dan Mangan is ready to win you over with his second album Nice, Nice, Very Nice.

Former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry will soon release his upcoming album Olympia. He offers a taste of what’s to come with the You Can Dance EP, including remixes from Padded Cell and John Monkman.

Infuse your afternoon with some soul-jazz. Queue up The Budos Band’s new album The Budos Band III back-to-back with crooner Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed’s third album Come and Get It for hours of finger-tapping funk.

Whether you think he’s a madman, genius or just a musician, reggae legend Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry is at it again with Revelation, this time with some help from friends George Clinton and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.

After releasing his long-awaited Str8 Killa EP, rapper Freddie Gibbs wants you to hear his first single National Anthem.

Honorable Mentions:

Reissued 80’s classic: The Style Council’s The Cost of Living
Next project from Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine: Street Sweeper Social Club- The Ghetto Blaster EP

There’s more than just these highlights. Take some time and explore all of this week’s New Releases on the website.

Today: Rdio Grand Opening! The days of needing an invite to...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:00:00 -0700

Today: Rdio Grand Opening!

The days of needing an invite to join Rdio are finally over — starting right now, everyone can sign up and enjoy everything we offer. Simply head over to rdio.com and click one of the big ‘Try Rdio for Free’ buttons, and you’re off.

To make it extra-exciting for both new folks and existing subscribers, that’s not all we can announce today. We’ve got more of what you want: music. Yep, we inked new partnerships, and we’re proud to say that we’re busy adding music from IODA, a leading indie aggregator. IODA distributes music from such luminaries as London Symphony Orchestra, Arts & Crafts and Ghostly International. This is in addition to all the great indie content we already have from IRIS, Finetunes, INgrooves and The Orchard.

But wait, that’s not all! Our friends up north can now join the party, too — yes Canada, that’s you. Sorry it took a little while, but please come on in. Just visit rdio.com, sign up and try it out.

And of course, to play all that great music, we have a set of seriously awesome apps for iPhone (and iPod touch), Android devices and BlackBerry smartphones. They all play music in the background, so you can rock out when you’re writing emails or browsing the Internet. And they all let you sync music so you can play it even when you’re offline.

There are plenty of reasons to try Rdio:

Select any and all of our seven million songs and play them, on-demand, as much as you want.
Sync as many songs as you can fit on your phone, and play them even when you’re offline (and of course, play everything when you’re online).
Follow friends to find new music, rather than staring at an empty search box
Find friends from Twitter, Facebook and email
Discover music in industry insiders’ Collections and Playlists, such as Spin Magazine, Pitchfork, KCRW Radio, The FADER and XLR8R Magazine

Dive in and you’ll end up spending all day discovering new (and re-discovering old) favorites. It’s people-powered music.

Rdio is available as a free trial, and subscriptions start at $4.99/month for Rdio Web (web-only access), and $9.99/month for Rdio Unlimited which includes mobile access and sync. Try it today.

New Tuesday, New Music

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:59:00 -0700

Today is a big day and not just because of Rdio’s grand opening—it is also New Music Tuesday. Whether you’re brand new to Rdio or have been with us since the start, you’ll find something to love in this week’s batch of new music.

Just when you thought you had outplayed each and every last Lady Gaga song, here comes a breath of fresh air—The Remix. Here with the help of remixes from FrankMusik, Passion Pit and The Sound of Arrows, Lady Gaga’s breakout album The Fame has been reworked and is once again a new listen.

Squeeze re-records their old school classics. Can you Spot the Difference?

An enjoyable listen for the new, casual or hardcore Black Crowes listener, Croweology is full of the same elements that made them popular. Inspired by the 20th anniversary of Shake Your Moneymaker, these 20 acoustic tracks are culled from the band’s hits and lesser-known favorites.

Matthew Dear’s Black City is an unsurprisingly dark take on electronic thumps and trills.

Mulennium features the original 3-man Gov’t Mule line-up live from Atlanta’s Roxy. Whether you were there or not, experience the epic three-hour Y2K New Year’s Eve show . (Listen un-interrupted thanks to Rdio’s new gapless playback.)

Honorable Mentions

New Orleans fonk star Dr. John- Tribal
Hard rockers Buckcherry- All Night Long
Singer-songwriter Secondhand Serenade’s 3rd album Hear Me Now

For the full list of new music, check out other New Releases on the web.

Gapless playback on Rdio's web app

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:22:00 -0700

There’s an art to playback, especially when a classic like The Dark Side of the Moon rolls from track to track without interruption. It’s an important part of the listening experience—that’s why we recently rolled out gapless playback on Rdio.com. So give it a whirl, queue up your favorite gapless albums and let us know: does Rdio’s gapless playback stand up to the test?

Rdio for Android: Discover New Tunes and Keep Track of Your...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:10:14 -0700

Rdio for Android: Discover New Tunes and Keep Track of Your Music

Another day, another Android (update). Now on version 0.4.11, Rdio for Android (beta) has seen plenty of improvements over the past two weeks.

Here are the highlights:

Track your network’s music discovery with Recent Activity on the dashboard.
View Now Playing in a list.
Listen to Artist Radio from more places by long-pressing artist names in your collection.
Enjoy music longer with improved battery performance.

Please let us know how these new updates are working for you (and what you’d like to see in the future). Post your feedback in our Android forum.

The Android app changelog is also posted here.

Without knowing it, this week’s New Music Tuesday would fit nicely in a summer-themed playlist....

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:59:00 -0700

Without knowing it, this week’s New Music Tuesday would fit nicely in a summer-themed playlist. Surf-rock, catchy dance remixes and breezy jams are peppered between more moody love songs. Sample these new releases and put a little sunshine in your Heavy Rotation.

Brazilian crooner Seu Jorge and his band Almaz cover classics from Kraftwerk and Michael Jackson, to old Brazilian standards in their new album.

Noisy, upbeat, dramatic, sad—there’s bound to be something you like in Portland rockers Menomena’s 4th album, Minds.

The man behind Owl City puts away his electronic bleeps and bloops in favor of a more acoustic sound. Will you like Sky Sailing’s love-centric ballads?

If you’re looking for a summer roadtrip soundtrack, reserve The Best Coast’s Crazy for You for the beach portion of your journey.

You. Make. Me. Feel Like I’m Living A. Teen. Age. Dream. Thank you, Katy Perry, for indulging in our collective Teenage Dream, the second single from her upcoming album of the same name.

Just when you thought you overplayed LCD Soundsystem’s latest album, This is Happening, out comes I Can Change and You Wanted a Hit remixes from Tiga, Soulwax and Stereogamous.

Honorable mentions:

Starsailor’s On the Outside
the London Symphony Orchestra plays Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
ravey Swedish House Mafia’s One feat. Pharrell

If you want to see all the newest releases in the Rdio catalog, check out the New Releases page—queue, playlist and review the day away.

RT @wiseacre Big Lebowski fans and people on @rdio, you now have a definitive soundtrack; go and...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:28:10 -0700

RT @wiseacre Big Lebowski fans and people on @rdio, you now have a definitive soundtrack; go and partake: http://is.gd/dClD8

RT @squaregirl This ‘Commercial Appeal’ playlist on @rdio is the bombizzle diggity...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:57:31 -0700

RT @squaregirl This ‘Commercial Appeal’ playlist on @rdio is the bombizzle diggity shizzle fo’rizzle : http://bit.ly/9MqeAb

Rdio for Android: Now with your Dashboard Since the Rdio for...

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:32:00 -0700

Rdio for Android: Now with your Dashboard

Since the Rdio for Android (beta) was released, it has seen big changes. Our most recent update includes a dashboard with Heavy Rotation, Queue and History screens. You can also do more on artist pages—play artist radio, and view popular albums and songs. Head over to the Android Market and update to enjoy these new features.

Have you been using the Rdio for Android (beta) app? We’d love to hear how how it is working for you. Post your feedback in our Android forum: http://help.rdio.com/discussions/android

It’s Tuesday — embrace the week ahead with this selection of bright new tunes. This music is...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:22:58 -0700

It’s Tuesday — embrace the week ahead with this selection of bright new tunes. This music is ready to find a home in your Heavy Rotation or if it’s lucky, your Collection.

From the reggae + dancehall dedicated braintrust of DJ/producers Diplo and Switch, Lazers Never Die is Major Lazer’s newest EP featuring M.I.A., a Thom Yorke remix, Mr. Vegas and Buraka Som Sistema.

Rick Ross wants you to listen to his new album, Teflon Don. You wouldn’t want to make Rick Ross upset, would you?

Want to make your summer less like that boring 9-5 job and more like the Jersey Shore? Here’s the perfect collection of tunes straight from the scandalous t.v. show. It’s exactly what you’d expect, featuring music from Taio Cruz, Lil Jon and the show’s own DJ Pauly D.

Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox creates music as Panda Bear. His second album is almost ready and if these two songs are any indication, it can’t come out soon enough.

Tiësto breaks out Feel It In My Bones, a song from his latest album featuring indie pop sisters Tegan and Sara. If you liked it the first time, chances are you’ll love these remixes and alternate versions.

Child violin virtuoso grows up and does an album of classical music inspired rock songs from bands like Nirvana, Aerosmith and Metallica.

Honorable Mentions:

Gyptian’s newest reggae album Hold You
SheLoom’s indie rock Seat of the Empire
Prolific songwriter Richard Young’s Beyond the Valley of Ultrahits from Jagjaguwar.

If you want to find more great music, browse Rdio’s new releases, check out what’s topping the charts or see what’s recommended just for you.

Update: Rdio for Android

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:29:00 -0700

If you love the Rdio Android app, we’ve got great news for you — it’s even better! Our intrepid developers released an updated version to the Android Marketplace last night, so be sure to get the latest.

What can you expect?

Search and sort by albums, artists and songs, view all available albums on artist pages, and sync playlists by long-pressing the playlist title. Additionally, long-pressing albums and songs lets you add them to your collection or sync to mobile. And finally, you can add an Rdio widget to your home screen.

Sounds awesome, right?

Get that phone out and visit the Market right now to install the newest Rdio Android App.

We practiced last week but today we’re officially kicking off New Music Tuesday with four new...

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:17:00 -0700

We practiced last week but today we’re officially kicking off New Music Tuesday with four new releases, plus one bonus catalog gem. Swing by the blog every Tuesday for a smattering of the newest songs and albums playing in our ears and in the office.

Perhaps overshadowed by the untimely passing of Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous, Dark Night of the Soul remains an intriguing collaboration between Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse. Hear what they created with the help of The Flaming Lips, David Lynch, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Iggy Pop and many more.

If you liked her recent single, XXXO, M.I.A.’s newest album, /\/\/\Y/\, is ready for a test drive. Will her newest music vehicle be a lemon or an instant classic?

Perhaps you’re not familiar with Will Holland of Quantic. That’s OK — take the time now for a proper introduction to his newest project, Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno. Dog with a Rope might be the perfect warm weather soundtrack — a little bit mambo, hip-hop and reggae, and as NPR said, “These juxtapositions can be startling, but they never feel out of place.”

Darius Rucker… why does that name sound so familiar? To jog your memory, he was the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish! Since that time, he’s made a name for himself with a resurrected career in country music. Curiosity piqued? We’ve got his first new single, Come Back Song.

Wish you could vacation in Graceland? Are you Still Crazy After All These Years? Were you childhood best friends with Rhymin’ Simon? Then point your browser to Paul Simon’s artist page. You have the pick of his catalog right there. (Were you more of a Simon fan when he was with Garfunkel? We have that too.)

If you love what you’ve heard so far, be sure to check out New Releases on Rdio. These tunes are ripe for the picking—add them to your queue, a playlist or write a review to spread the good word.

Rdio for Android (beta) is here “Hey, when’s your...

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:45:59 -0700

Rdio for Android (beta) is here

“Hey, when’s your Android app gonna be ready?” is one of the questions we hear the most. And now we have a better answer than “soon” — in fact, we can say “today” because Rdio for Android (Beta) is now available in the Android Market.

Why beta?

It’s important to note that the app is in beta. Major functionality is available, and we’ve tested it on a variety of devices and versions of Android, but there’s still more to do — we wanted to get it in your hands as soon as possible. We’ll keep working on it so expect frequent updates, and don’t install it if you can’t live with the occasional quirk or even crash.

What does it do?

Rdio for Android (beta) lets you browse and listen to your collection and playlists. You can also search for (and play) any song on Rdio. Even better, you can sync music (songs, albums and playlists) and listen when you’re offline. So if your commute is an Internet-less subterranean subway ride, or you’re on a mile-high cross-country flight, Rdio will happily play the music you’ve synced.

How do I get it?

From your Android device, visit www.rdio.com or follow this link — it requires Android 1.6 or newer, though we’re working on 1.5 support.

You still need an invite to register for Rdio, but our mobile apps (including iPhone and BlackBerry) are available during Rdio’s free trial, and for all Rdio Unlimited subscribers.

If you’re already done with your free 3-day trial, you can verify your account to extend the free trial — or you can subscribe to Rdio Unlimited for $9.99/month. All subscriptions are month-to-month and you can cancel anytime, if you find it’s not for you. If you have an Rdio Web subscription, you can easily upgrade.

Feedback

We’d love to hear how Rdio for Android (beta) is working for you, especially if you’re encountering bugs and issues you can consistently reproduce. Please post your feedback in our Android forum: http://help.rdio.com/discussions/android