Rdio 'Stations' now free in hopes of challenging Spotify and Pandora

New free listening option will hopefully build a user base that can convert to paying subscribers

Streaming music service Rdio is opening up its "Stations" radio service to everyone starting today, meaning that you'll no longer need to pay a subscription to use the base level service. Much like Pandora and Spotify, Rdiois now lowering the entry point for its service to everyone, giving unlimited listening of randomized stations based on artists, albums, genres or tracks for free. Stations are now free in the US, Canada and Australia, and at the moment are ad-free as well.

To coincide with Stations going free, the Rdio app has also received a few new features that help tweak your listening experience. In the new Stations, you can now "tune" the station to be more adventurous with its selections or more strictly stick to one artist. There are also new playlist views if you're a paying subscriber.

Just as you would expect, Rdio is hoping that by building its user base with a free radio option it can transition some portion of those new customers into paying subscribers eventually. In a market that has several big players above it, Rdioshould be willing to give a few new things a try.

Via: The Verge

Via: Rdio 'Stations' now free in hopes of challenging Spotify and Pandora