Rdio previews music subscription service

Posted on 3 Jun 2010 at 11:00

A new music subscription service is on the horizon, created by the people who brought the popular Skype VoIP and video conferencing tool to the masses.

Dubbed Rdio, and according to GigaOM

currently running a private beta for US residents, Rdio aims to succeed where others have failed: charging a monthly flat fee for unlimited access to its entire music catalogue.

The service is expected to launch with a two-tiered pricing scheme: the default tier will cost $5 (around £3.41) per month, and offer users access to the music on their desktop machines and laptops; the second tier, priced at $10 (around £6.83) per month, offers the same access as the cheaper tier while also allowing access from mobile devices - said to include Apple's iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry.

Hoping to keep people's interest - and subscription fees - Rdio is looking to marry microblogging-style 'following' features as popularised by sites such as Twitter, allowing users to find music recommended by their friends in a similar way to free music streaming service Last.fm. A playlist based on the current most popular tracks is also available, for those who prefer to have their listening decisions made by the masses.

Rdio has not yet announced a firm date for when the service will go public - and neither has it said if its agreements with the music groups will permit it to offer access to users outside the US.

Author: Gareth Halfacree

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