Rdio - iPhone App Review

Music/concert reviews and discussion

Moderators: Drolgin Steingrinder, Truant

Post Reply
User avatar
Winnow
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 27525
Joined: July 5, 2002, 1:56 pm
Location: A Special Place in Hell

Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by Winnow »

This is related to audio and computers but I'm putting it in Audio.

I've been spending some time comparing Spotify, MOG and Rdio. These are all Online Music Services that allow you to access millions of songs directly.

All three have iPhone Apps. All three look great. So far, of the three, I like Rdio the best, both for PC and iPhone use.

Took some screenshots on my iPhone to help explain it:



Image

Rdio's home page on the iPhone. Most are self explanatory but I'll go through them anyway!



Image

You are able to add songs to your Collection or a Playlist. The Collection works just like iTunes sorted by Artist. The thing to note here is that if you've downloaded/sync'd the song to your phone so you can play it offline, you'll see the little orange icon by the album/song. In the screenshot above, Shakira is collected but not synced. It will still still play over wifi or 3G.



Image

This is a sync in progress. You can download using wifi or 3G. 3G sync is defaulted to off, just toggle it on if you have the bandwidth.



Image

You can sync anything. Here's a playlist I was screwing around with to test it. You can sync the entire playlist if you want, albums or just songs.



Image

Heavy Rotation lists the most popular recently played songs/albums. You can filter Everyone, Your Network (who you follow), or Yourself



Image

Listening History shows the songs and albums you've played as well as any Radio Stations you created in the timeline. yeah yeah, I was selecting some random stuff for testing purposes!



Image

New Releases if you want to check out the latest.



Image

Top Charts allows you to search the top songs, albums and also Playlists.



Image

Recommended is kind of neat. It takes your recent play history and recommends songs. You can see the artist it's based off under each recommendation. I'd only played a handful of songs at this point.


Image

Activity page is a little creepy. It shows what people are doing real time. You can select anyone in the stream to view their profile.



Image

There's quite a bit of info in a profile. First, I wouldn't use your real name which a lot of people seem to do.

You can view all of their songs, playlists, who they follow and who follows them.

Image

You can see their recent activity, what they listened to, their most popular songs, and what they will be listening too...TMI!

That's why I suggest not using name. Don't think you really want someone seeing exactly what you're doing...along the same lines as not wanting someone to see if you're playing an MMO at 4 in the morning then call in sick, etc.



Image

This lady's most popular recent songs.



Image

People following her



Image

I grabbed her 5K plus playlist in seconds. That part is kinda cool for browsing.




Image

Same with playlists.



Image

Doing a search brings up Artists, Albums, Songs, Playlists, People...all nicely categorized.


Image


Selecting an Artist allows you to create a Radio Station based off of that Artist, select albums, or lower on the page, starts listing their songs by popularity.


Image

Example of a 25 song playlist created from The Cars. If you don't like it, just hit the Radio button again and 25 more songs are randomly generated.


Image



Image

All songs and albums have + signs next to them which allow you to add them to your Collection, Sync (which adds to Collection as well), or add to a playlist.


Image

Tap the screen and you have a song time search bar whether it's sync'd or being streamed.


Image

As for the web based Rdio functions, this bubble thing is interesting. Shows song/listens in visual format. This is mine for the handful of songs I've listened too.

Impressive for iPhone. (you can get it on Android as well) The web based service is also nice. I'm liking it better than Spotify or MOG that I've tried out for comparison. Everything you do whether on web or mobile syncs quickly back and forth.

http://www.rdio.com/

It's free for a one week trial with no CC required. Just need to provide an email address.
User avatar
miir
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 11501
Joined: July 3, 2002, 3:06 pm
XBL Gamertag: miir1
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Re: Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by miir »

Applications like this seem completely pointless to me.
I've got 99 problems and I'm not dealing with any of them - Lay-Z
User avatar
Winnow
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 27525
Joined: July 5, 2002, 1:56 pm
Location: A Special Place in Hell

Re: Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by Winnow »

miir wrote:Applications like this seem completely pointless to me.
To you maybe. Some people don't have their own collections of music. What's pointless about being able to access the majority of songs available anytime you want? I don't care enough about music to buy my own collection or even to pirate it which I easily could, but I do appreciate being able to access songs when memory brings one to mind, or someone suggests a song. I'm not into radio. I don't stream music in the background much. Podcasts have replaced radio for me. There's music podcasts as well. Atmospheres is a good example if you like New Age, ambient, world and Celtic music. Radio is gone for me except for traffic checks and sports.

There are tons of options for limitless music now. There is no reason to pay for anything if that's what you want or you can buy your music from a bazillions services as well. Even then, this would serve as a great way to listen to music legally before deciding to buy instead of a short preview.

There's nothing pointless about music services. It seems perfect for my needs which is as an appreciator of music that likes to listen to specific songs and discover new ones that I may or may not ever listen to again. The recommendations and community parts definitely help me discover music that I would not go searching for myself.

The last thing I ever collected physically was comics. I sold my collection in the 80's and made a killing as a kid on my first investment. I don't regret selling them as I can grab any issue I want digitally these days. As with music, some things are hard to come by or hold more personal value. Harvey Comics (Richie Rich) are worthless yet hard to find and zero people here besides me and few others elsewhere care about them. I spend my time collecting those but could give a shit about the mainstream comics I could find in seconds...same holds true for music. Easy access with nice features. Having access to thousands of playlist is nice for me so I can take advantage of someone else's efforts that cares more than me. Rdio is perfect for that tier of people that appreciate music but not enough to be dedicated collectors and want to hear specific albums and songs.
User avatar
miir
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 11501
Joined: July 3, 2002, 3:06 pm
XBL Gamertag: miir1
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Re: Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by miir »

Let me bold some specific words in my comment
Applications like this seem completely pointless to me.
Nothing you can say will convince me that there is any value in paying for an algorithm tell me what music I should be listening to..
I've got 99 problems and I'm not dealing with any of them - Lay-Z
User avatar
Winnow
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 27525
Joined: July 5, 2002, 1:56 pm
Location: A Special Place in Hell

Re: Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by Winnow »

miir wrote:Let me bold some specific words in my comment
Applications like this seem completely pointless to me.
Nothing you can say will convince me that there is any value in paying for an algorithm tell me what music I should be listening to..
huh? What algorithm? It's not a radio station. Radio is a minor option of this service. It's direct access to whatever you want. You can visit your favorite emo music forum and then go get the songs on Rdio if that's what you like. This is not like Pandora or Slacker Radio that pick your music. Anything having to do with assisting in finding music is secondary to having the majority of it all available. You can completely ignore all of those other discovery options.


And you said "to me" not "for me" so that's why I explained it. It may be pointless for you to use but it shouldn't be pointless to you. I can see the point to food stamps but they're pointless for me. (well, they might stop someone starving for food from breaking into my home...and with the new required drug testing in order to get food stamps, might cut down on crack babies) I know music snobbery runs deep. Everyone thinks they're an expert. That doesn't matter. This is offering as much music as possible legally for you to listen remotely via stream if you want, and organize.
User avatar
miir
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 11501
Joined: July 3, 2002, 3:06 pm
XBL Gamertag: miir1
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Re: Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by miir »

Winnow wrote: You can visit your favorite emo music forum
Again with an 'emo' comment?
Are you a closet emo fan or something?
:?
I've got 99 problems and I'm not dealing with any of them - Lay-Z
User avatar
Winnow
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 27525
Joined: July 5, 2002, 1:56 pm
Location: A Special Place in Hell

Re: Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by Winnow »

Try it out dude. You've got nothing to lose. It's free with zero commitments or CC info for a week. You don't even have to request to cancel. It's automatic. Grab the iPhone app as well. Cutters also welcome if you know any!
User avatar
miir
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 11501
Joined: July 3, 2002, 3:06 pm
XBL Gamertag: miir1
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Re: Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by miir »

I already have checked it out and it's simply a waste of for the music I listen to.
Sure, the major label north american releases are available but singles, independent and minor label releases are not.
It seemed like 75% of the tracks I'd even want to listen to were tagged Currently unavailable for full-length streaming in your region due to NA/EU copyright restriction.

I kinda just gave up after seeing that they didn't even have any Above and Beyond available.
Those guys are probably closest to mainstream of all the music I listen to.
I've got 99 problems and I'm not dealing with any of them - Lay-Z
User avatar
Winnow
Super Poster!
Super Poster!
Posts: 27525
Joined: July 5, 2002, 1:56 pm
Location: A Special Place in Hell

Re: Rdio - iPhone App Review

Post by Winnow »

Fair enough!

Maybe give it a few years. As these services become more popular, the little guys might want their tunes on Spotify, MOG, Rdio, etc. These days, I'd want to get my music in front of as many people as possible. May as well get some exposure so you can sell a few concert tickets. I realize some musicians are non conformists and have their big dreams and some, like Prince, think the internet is evil. Good for them. If they want to maintain their little audience and are happy (or as talented and kooky as Prince), it's their choice. I won't hear them and I doubt they care if I do. Prince is from another era. New big time artists won't have that choice. There's no chance in hell things will go back to how they were. Most people will settle for 15+ million songs (and growing) and forget about the rest or buy the few holdouts that they want. Non cloud artists will eventually fade away over the years as no one will hear them, lessening their popularity quickly. I give it 10 years or so.

Apple has legalized piracy with their iCloud music matching service. The record companies get money from iCloud, MOG, Rdio and Spotify. They aren't going to bother listening to someone trying to fight the man.

I'm having great success finding New Age/Celtic stuff that I like. Found some Ambient stuff although I have an outstanding iPhone/iPad combo app for that:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ambiance ... 38312?mt=8

It's $2.99 and you can download 1,000+ free , high quality, seamless loop ambient sounds with 10 free new ones added each week. Truly a kick ass app. I love to fall to sleep to various sounds of rain. Best 2.99 you'll ever spend if you like that sort of thing.
Post Reply