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Rdio

Consumer Services · San Francisco, United States · Founded 2008

Rdio was an online music streaming service founded in 2008 by Skype creators Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, with Carter Adamson also credited as a co-founder. The platform officially launched on August 3, 2010, headquartered in San Francisco. Rdio's core offering was a subscription-based, on-demand music streaming service that emphasized social discovery, allowing users to see what their friends were listening to and follow their activity. The business operated on a subscription model from its inception, which later proved challenging against competitors like Spotify that offered a free, ad-supported tier. To compete, Rdio eventually introduced a free, ad-supported plan in 2014 and a lower-priced ad-free option. The service was available across multiple platforms, including web browsers, desktop applications for OS X and Windows, and mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone. The platform's library included content from all four major record labels and various aggregators. A key feature was its well-regarded user interface, praised for its design and ease of use, which helped cultivate a loyal user base. Throughout its history, Rdio made several strategic moves, including an attempted expansion into video with Vdio in 2013, a service that was shut down within the same year. The company also pursued partnerships, notably with Cumulus Media in 2013 to integrate with terrestrial radio, and acquired companies like Indian music service Dhingana and social discovery platform TastemakerX in 2014. Despite these efforts and raising significant funding, Rdio struggled with marketing and user growth. On November 16, 2015, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced that its key assets and intellectual property would be acquired by Pandora for $75 million. The Rdio service was officially discontinued on December 22, 2015. Keywords: music streaming, on-demand music, social music discovery, digital music service, online radio, Rdio history, Janus Friis, Niklas Zennström, Pandora acquisition, music subscription, playlist sharing, music technology, mobile music, desktop music client, ad-supported streaming, social streaming, Vdio, Cumulus Media, Dhingana acquisition, TastemakerX