Rdio Blog

Rdio Sessions: Ivan & Alyosha

2013-05-22T13:00:00-07:00

We were the first to share the debut album of Seattle’s hotly tipped folk pop/indie rock outfit Ivan & Alyosha, and the band has now given our community even more love with a live performance for our exclusive series Rdio Sessions. The five-song set includes songs like “Easy To Love” and “On My Way” and was recorded live at The Driskill in Austin during this year’s South By Southwest extravaganza. Give it a whirl and stay tuned for more Rdio Sessions recordings from The Driskill.

Rdio Sessions as an ongoing series of unique, recorded performances with hand-picked artists on the rise. The SXSW edition of Rdio Sessions was recorded at The Driskill during SXSW by the engineers from Sound Stage.

New Features Come to iOS and Android Apps

2013-05-22T10:00:00-07:00

We’re thrilled to introduce updates to both iOS and Android apps, bringing a unified Rdio experience regardless of platform. Among various UI improvements, you’ll find the following new features:

Find People — We believe music should be social which is why following other listeners is now easier on our mobile apps. Tap Find People, a new addition to the side navigation, to see a curated list of recommended friends and their music taste (based on your connected Twitter and Facebook) alongside hand-picked artists and influencers like Questlove of The Roots and NPR Music.
Label Pages — Just like on our web and desktop apps, you can now search for a record label and find its top albums and artists.
Updated Side Navigation — The side navigation features a new blurred background and a cleaner interface, making it easier to access your profile, sort through playlists, and more.

Get hands-on with the new features yourself — download Rdio for iOS or Rdio for Android now. Drop us a line on Twitter and Facebook to share your thoughts!

Show George Strait Some Love

2013-05-22T09:00:00-07:00

Ever notice how often country hero George Strait is referenced in other songs? It’s not even limited to country hits, either — just ask Drake! Our For The Love of George Strait playlist includes the rapper’s namecheck (on “HYFR”) and other contemporary artists like Tim McGraw, Gretchen Wilson, and Brooks & Dunn showing George some big time affection.

Did we forget to include your favorite George Strait-tributing tune? If so, please comment on the playlist and let us know if we’ve missed anything.

And if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to check out his latest album Love Is Everything.

New Music Weekly - May 21, 2013

2013-05-21T09:00:00-07:00

Many of the new releases that are dropping this week have been highly anticipated for quite some time, including the huge debuts from hot New York rapper French Montana and retro-rocker Willy Moon, the third album from quirky indie trio Shannon & The Clams, and the latest solo effort from Darius Rucker of Hootie & The Blowfish.

We’ve listened to every last note of new music that’s out this week and put together this New Music Weekly playlist that represents the absolute best of what we’ve heard. Spend some time with it and then consider taking a hop over to the Rdio New Releases to put together your own new playlist of just-hatched tunes.

PLAYLIST NOTES

Alpine - A Is For Alpine
The debut from the Australian indie pop act is bringing a taste of the Melbourne scene to the world.
Thirty Seconds to Mars - Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams
Jared Leto and his eyeliner get steamy on the fourth album, the first since the band earned the distinction of having the longest tour in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
The robots are back, this time with a fresh take on easy 1970s vibes and guest spots from Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, Panda Bear, and Julian Casablancas.
B.O.B. - “Head Band (feat. 2 Chainz)”
The Florida rapper most known for teaming up with Paramore’s Hayley Williams enlists 2 Chainz for a guest verse and puts DJ Mustard on the beat for a bit of ratchetness.
Queens Of The Stone Age - “My God Is the Sun”
Josh Homme and crew drop a taste of the upcoming album ....Like Clockwork.

Take a Bite of Burger Records

2013-05-17T11:00:00-07:00

Burger Records is an Orange County institution that encompasses a Fullerton-based record shop and an amazingly diverse label of artists blurring genre boundary lines. For nearly five years, Burger has crafted a fine reputation for nurturing and discovering new artists as well as supporting established acts like The Pharcyde and Ty Segall. Many of these releases originally came out on cassette, but now you can enjoy the sound of Burger digitally.

To celebrate this tasty arrival to Rdio, Burger Records has made a retrospective playlist of label highlights to share with you. Press play to discover artists such as Gestapo Khazi, Burnt Ones, and The Memories.

4AD Artist Indians Performs for Rdio Sessions

2013-05-16T10:00:00-07:00

Copenhagen-based artist Søren Løkke Juul, better known as Indians, has accomplished a lot in just one year, including the release of his debut album Something Else and playing live shows around the world with the likes of Beirut, Bear In Heaven, Dan Deacon, Lower Dens, and Savages.

This past February, Indians swung by San Francisco to perform an exclusive four-song set just for Rdio listeners. His Rdio Sessions, featuring “Magic Kids,” “I Am Haunted,” “Cakelakers,” and “Bird” is now ready to be enjoyed below.

New Music Weekly - May 14, 2013

2013-05-14T09:00:00-07:00

This week, New York rapper Jim Jones releases a new album on his own label Vampire Life, Portland indie pop duo Wampire serves up a full-length debut, and the latest from Trace Adkins and George Strait represent the country music scene. These and other top artists appear in our New Music Weekly playlist of handpicked songs. If you’re the type of listener that wants MOAR right now, you’ll find Rdio New Releases to be a big ol’ playground of fun.

PLAYLIST NOTES

R.E.M. - Green (Anniversary Edition)
The album that introduced classic hits like “Stand,” “Orange Crush,” and “Pop Song 89” celebrates its 25th birthday with a remastered edition.
Demi Lovato - Demi
The former Disney star’s fourth album was recorded to comfort girls who have also suffered bullying and offers a sequel to her blockbuster hit “Skyscraper.”
MS MR - Secondhand Rapture
The debut from this New York dream pop duo explores the notion of “Dark Doo Wop.”
Escape the Fate - Ungrateful
Once known for being emo, the fourth album keeps the Vegas band firmly in post-hardcore territory.
The Transplants - “Come Around”
The punk supergroup, which features Rancid’s Tim Armstrong and Blink 182’s Travis Barker, shares a glimpse of the third album In a War Zone, due out this summer.

Scissor Sister Del Marquis Reveals Inspirations Behind Slow Knights

2013-05-13T10:00:00-07:00

Del Marquis is best known as the lead guitarist of the Scissor Sisters, but he also rocks out with his side project Slow Knights. In honor of the debut album Cosmos, Del has created an exclusive Cosmos Inspiration playlist for Rdio that reveals the many inspirations behind his funky solo recording.

His work channels the best elements and expresses a nostalgia for that time in the Eighties when R&B was so adventurous, it was practically intergalactic. Give Del’s mix a spin to hear classic gems from the likes of Rose Royce, Cherrelle, Prince, and Chaka Khan — and then take a trip to Cosmos.

The Great Gatsby Comes Alive in Sonos’ Party-Perfect Playlist

2013-05-09T13:00:00-07:00

One of the most anticipated movie releases of the season is The Great Gatsby, a romantic drama inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. Directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet), the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Isla Fisher.

We got tired of marking off dates on the calendar in anticipation of this movie and decided to team up with the digital music system specialists at Sonos to create this playlist of songs Inspired By Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. The set features artists such as Jay-Z and Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, Jack White, Miike Snow, and AlunaGeorge.

Take An Early Vacation With The Blank Tapes

2013-05-09T10:00:00-07:00

Don’t the days seem slower and longer when you’re waiting to go on vacation? No one likes waiting for their time off to hurry up and get here, but luckily The Blank Tapes can sympathize. The Los Angeles-based garage pop band founded by Matt Adams has given Rdio an early listen to his new album Vacation. It’s the first LP with a band to bolster Adams in what was previously a solo venture and also the first to not be recorded on Adams’ eight-track; like the title suggests, it’s a welcome departure.