Rdio
Socially integrated on-demand music streaming service
About Rdio
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.
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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.
At a glance
- Status
- Acquired
- Founded
- 2008
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, United States
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 55.2/100
- Industry
- Music
- Sector
- Consumer Services, Music, Radio
- Client focus
- b2c
- Investment activity
- 2 companies, latest Jul 2014
- Capital deployed
- —
- Preferred round
- ACQUISITION
- Links
- Website
Latest news
Press, funding announcements and product moves mentioning Rdio.
Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACQUISITIONOther financing | Nov 2015 | $75M | $75M | Pandora | — |
| GROWTH EQUITY VCOther financing | Apr 2014 | $25M | — | Cumulus Media | — |
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for Rdio is 60 monthly website visits, down 84.6% over the last three months.
Similar companies
Company identity and context are open; selected comparison metrics preview what is available on the platform.
Investments and acquisitions
Recent portfolio relationships for companies that also act as investors or acquirers.
TastemakerxSan Francisco, United StatesEnables users to create and share their music playlists in social networks
$5Mvaluation
DhinganaSunnyvale, United StatesA music service that enables its users to discover indian and bollywood music across the globe
$28Mvaluation
Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Seed3 investors entered at this stage
Janus Friis
Atomico
Skype
Series B and later2 investors entered at this stage
Mangrove Capital Partners
Cumulus Media
Other known investors1 additional known investor
Pandora
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
Market sentiment
An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about Rdio on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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