Since Apple killed Lala, I’ve been looking for a worthy successor. This is especially important since virtually all of my music is currently stuck in the old hard drive of my now-dead computer, so my choices have been either listen to Pandora or listen to an infinite loop of Trent Reznor’s new EP until I can get my husband to recover it for me.
So, when I got an invite to try out Rdio, I was super-excited. Rdio lets you stream the music of your choice on-demand to your computer, sort of like Lala did. To help you discover new music, it also includes a social aspect similar to what Lala had going, where you can find people to follow and then see what they are listening to. You can write reviews for albums, make playlists, and research artists.
You can get instant, on-demand access to songs for free simply by adding them to your Rdio collection. If you want to own a copy of the song. you can pay for a download. Prices range from .99 for a song to $10-$16 for an album. Stuff from some artists, like Metallica, is only available as a download.
Plus, Rdio has a nifty desktop app that syncs with whatever you’re doing in the browser but keeps playing music even if your browser crashes. If you, like me, tend to have a zillion tabs open at once in your browser, you’ll like the desktop app because it makes it much easier to pause the music if you get a phone call. There are also mobile apps for the iPhone and Blackberry, so you can listen to your music on the go. I can haz Android app, please?
Also, when you download the desktop app, Rdio will scan your hard drive and add all the music you have that’s part of their collection into your Rdio collection. However, unlike with Lala, if it’s not already available for streaming/purchase on Rdio, you can’t upload it to your Rdio account to include in your playlists. Rdio seems to have a pretty decent collection overall, but there are some pretty big holes in it as well. For example, they don’t have anything by Tool, and the inability to create playlists that include Tool just might be a deal-breaker for me. I haven’t decided.
Also unlike Lala, Rdio is a subscription-based service. It’s $4.99 month for unlimited web access, and $9.99 for web and mobile access. I have 10 invites to the private beta, and I think I’ll give them away to the first 10 people who retweet this post on Twitter.
What do you think of Rdio?
Our Rating of Rdio
Categories:web
Tool of the Day: Rdio: Lala fans, you might like this. Invites for the 1st 10 peeps who RT! http://su.pr/2LlJaW
RT @usefultools: Tool of the Day: Rdio: Lala fans, you might like this. Invites for the 1st 10 peeps who RT! http://su.pr/2LlJaW
Cool New Apps: Your Music Made Portable:
… http://bit.ly/a2FpUd
Peek inside Rdio + invites : http://bit.ly/brRdxj Comments: http://bit.ly/aXNneO
Rdio – Your Music Made Portable – UsefulTools.com http://bit.ly/a2FpUd
Rdio – Your Music Made Portable – UsefulTools.com http://bit.ly/a2FpUd
Still have some invites left for Rdio. RT this post if you want one! http://su.pr/2LlJaW
RT @usefultools: Still have some invites left for Rdio. RT this post if you want one! http://su.pr/2LlJaW
RT @usefultools: Tool of the Day: Rdio: Lala fans, you might like this. Invites for the 1st 10 peeps who RT! http://su.pr/2LlJaW
Still have some invites left for Rdio. RT this post if you want one! http://su.pr/2LlJaW
RT @usefultools: Tool of the Day: Rdio: Lala fans, you might like this. Invites for the 1st 10 peeps who RT! http://su.pr/2LlJaW
RT @usefultools: Tool of the Day: Rdio: Lala fans, you might like this. Invites for the 1st 10 peeps who RT! http://su.pr/2LlJaW
From Blogs: Rdio – Your Music Made Portable – UsefulTools.com: For example, they don't have anything by To… http://bit.ly/a05AMW #twitter
http://su.pr/17auA5 – Your Music Made Portable
Welcome innovation
http://su.pr/17auA5
Peek inside Rdio + invites – http://su.pr/ACUWfY