Rdio Unveils Revamped Platform at SXSW

Bold New Design and Even More Discovery; Now With Access to Over 15 Million Songs

SAN FRANCISCO and AUSTIN, Texas, March 13, 2012 /CNW/ - Premier digital music service Rdio (www.rdio.com), started by the creators of Skype, today announced at SXSW the availability of a completely redesigned Rdio, providing an even faster, simpler and more social music experience. At an invite-only presentation held at the #FEED house powered by Twitter in the Austin Museum of Art, Rdio showcased the new Web and desktop apps and also announced that more than 15 million songs are now available in its global catalogue, marking another major milestone.

The new Rdio amplifies the music discovery experience that has made the service a favorite amongst influencers, media and music fans around the world. Truly powered by people, Rdio is helping music find fans and fans find music, quicker than ever. And beginning today, current and new Rdio subscribers in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal and Denmark can experience it.

"Rdio has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to design. With the new Rdio, we've gone even further, making it simpler, faster and more beautiful to create an experience that's all about music and people," said Malthe Sigurdsson, VP of Product, Rdio. "Listening to user feedback, we've made Rdio bigger and better with new features that really make discovery fun. This is more than just a redesign; the new Rdio transforms the boring, spreadsheet-like way of consuming digital music into something visual and dynamic. This new platform will allow us to continue breaking new ground."

The new Rdio brings all of the music and social connectivity that users have come to love into a cohesive, enhanced experience with new features including:

• New look and feel - More than just a spreadsheet of songs, the new Rdio puts music and people front and center.
• All in one place - Less time spent navigating leaves more time for discovering. Music, playlists and your network are now contained in one streamlined view.
• Browse even faster – Find music at lightning speed with pages that remember your place. Browse through a continuous stream of albums, explore one and easily return to the place you left off - no more repeated scrolling or saving multiple tabs in a browser.
• Adaptive layout – Rdio resizes intuitively based on browser window size. Music and content instinctively adapt across all screens.
• Listen with your network - From the People Sidebar, see what your network is listening to in real-time and listen along with one-click.
• Let your network inspire your listening - Wondering if you'll like an album in the charts or why it appeared in your Heavy Rotation? Hover over photos underneath every album on Rdio and see exactly who in your network has listened to it.
• Sharing made simple – Drag and drop music into playlists or collection and share with others on Rdio without missing a beat. Music can also be shared on Facebook, Twitter or via email.
• Create private playlists – In addition to public and collaborative playlists, now private playlists can be created and shared with just a select few, if desired.
• Add entire albums to playlists - Now add entire albums to playlists in an instant. One of Rdio's most-requested features is now a reality!
• Easily discover people to follow - Check out Rdio's latest music influencers in the People Sidebar and find others to follow such as artists, critics, record labels and brands. Instantly connect to Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm and Rdio will also recommend people to follow based on friends in those networks.

Rdio offers a truly massive catalogue, even more intuitive music discovery and a full suite of applications that fit seamlessly into people's lives. Now with the new Rdio, popular features are even more enhanced than ever. And best of all, it's ad-free and accessible across a growing number of devices and platforms including Web, Mac & Windows desktop apps, and apps for iOS (iPhone, iPad), Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone 7. Rdio is also available on Sonos wireless music systems, Roku streaming players, Kindle Fire and in the car with Pioneer AppRadio. Only an email address or Facebook account is needed to sign up.

Availability and Pricing:

The new Rdio is now available to all subscribers. Free Rdio users (in the US) and those in the Rdio Unlimited trial will gain access in the coming weeks. At any time, non-subscribers can sign up for any of Rdio's flexible plans to experience the new Rdio before it's available to the general public. Plan options include:

• Rdio Unlimited, $9.99/month: Unlimited Web and mobile streaming on all available devices, as well as wireless syncing to listen offline.
• Rdio Unlimited Family: 2 - 3 person Rdio Unlimited accounts on one plan for a discounted rate ($17.99 and $22.99 per month, respectively). The only plan of its kind on the market.
• Rdio Web, $4.99/month: Unlimited Web streaming and access through Mac/Windows desktop apps.

Visit new.rdio.com to learn more about the new Rdio.

About Rdio

Rdio is the groundbreaking digital music service that is reinventing the way people discover, listen to, and share music. With on-demand access to over 15 million songs, Rdio connects people with music and makes it easy to search for and instantly play any song, album, artist or playlist without ever hearing a single ad. Discover what friends, people with similar tastes, recording artists and more are listening to in real-time and share across Twitter and Facebook. Build a digital music collection that's available everywhere - on the web, in-home or in-car, on tablets or mobile phones, and even offline.

Launched in August 2010, Rdio is headquartered in San Francisco and was founded by Janus Friis, one of the creators of Skype. Currently available in the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal and Denmark, Rdio is funded by Atomico, Janus Friis through his investment entities, Skype and Mangrove Capital Partners. For more information and to sign up, visit www.rdio.com.

Follow Rdio and join the community on Rdio, Facebook, Twitter and the Rdioblog.

SOURCE Rdio

http://www.rdio.com