RDIO GETS PERSONAL (AND GLOBAL)

Streaming service Rdio is rolling out a fleet of new stations curated by labels and “influencers,” based in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, India and Asia.

Users of all of the streamery’s tiers—free, Rdio Unlimited and Rdio Select—will have access to the stations.

An initial launch featured stations from such musical brands as Def Jam, Verve, Astralwerks, Domino, Sub Pop, Merge and Rhino. Debuting today are streaming offerings curated by Glassnote, Blue Note, XL, Ultra, Barsuk and DFA, among other labels. Influencers with branded stations include artist Hunter Hayes, Hype Machine, Yelp, Country Weekly, Consequence of Sound, Hostess Asia, Vogue Brasil and Rock in Rio. All stations (along with Rdio’s genre, mood and activity-based offerings) can be found in the Stations section of the service.

Rdio anticipates a number of artists will follow Hayes’ example, and has developed a tool, Rdio DJ, to facilitate brands creating and sharing their own stations.

“Rdio is committed to making music discovery fun, easy and personal,” says CEO Anthony Bay. “We are proud to partner with key influencers and the label community to program their own branded stations. These stations not only help extend each labels’ brand presence but they also let our listeners anywhere in the world discover music from credible brands that they trust and respect. And for those of our users unfamiliar with the term ‘record label,’ I refer you to Wikipedia.”

Added Global Head of Artist and Label Relations Joe Armenia, “This is a unique opportunity for passive discovery by listeners and greater interactivity for labels and other brands. And I am totally twerking to this Indian music.”