Rdio

Rdio: a Social Music Revolution?Thanks to Luke, I’ve been able to enjoy Rdio for a day now and I like it so far, but I’m not sold on it.

Follow me on Rdio.

There are three ways to use Rdio: a mobile app (Blackberry, Android or iPhone), a desktop (AIR) app, or via the web. I downloaded the AIR app and synced my local library. (It checks to see if songs you have are available on Rdio. It doesn’t actually upload your files.) Your friends can then see what kind of music you listen to you. As you add friends you’ll start seeing what’s hot in your network’s rotation. This is arguably the most interesting aspect of Rdio. As you add songs to your Collection or to playlists, your friends will see this in a social stream.

Pros:

  • Subscription plans are flexible. Either opt for web-only for $4.99/month or $9.99 for mobile access + sync.
  • It’s easy to discover new music based on what your friends are listening to.
  • If you’re listening to something via web browser and open the AIR app, it matches what’s playing in the browser. (You can then close that tab or browser window.)
  • Listen to your music anywhere.
  • Add any song to your collection.
  • Last.fm scrobbling supported!

Cons:

  • There is no free plan. Competitors like Pandora or Last.fm have free plans. You can try Rdio for three days, but after that you have to choose a subscription.
  • The AIR apps “Match Collection” feature revealed that only about half of my library was available through Rdio. If you have a large collection of music, Rdio may not have everything available.
  • I found a lot of albums had Clips only. I’m sure this will get fixed in time.
  • US only. For now.
  • As far as I can tell, there is no way to play a collection or playlist from the AIR app. If you hit play, it plays from your Queue. If you want to listen to anything else, you have to initiate it through the website first.

So, should you subscribe to Rdio? I’m still torn. Are you using it? Do you plan to subscribe? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Oh. And I have one invite left. ;) If you’re itching to check Rdio out, tell me why. Best answer gets it.