Rdio: First Screenshots Leaked of Skype Founders' New Music Service

Written by Marshall Kirkpatrick / November 9, 2009 1:49 PM / 12 Comments

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We've been lucky enough to get our hands on leaked screenshots from one version of Rdio, the forthcoming music app from Skype, KaZaA and Joost creators Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis. Zennstrom and Friis were the original financiers behind peer-to-peer file sharing site KaZaA, but Rdio won't be following a free-for-all sharing model. Instead, Rdio will be a subscription music site similar to Spotify.

What will the men behind some of the most successful software of the online era do when it comes to music? Check out what we've discovered so far.

Currently being tested by a very small number of people, Rdio is an on-demand streaming service where users pay per month for unlimited music and connect to share playlists and music reviews. The company plans on creating an additional revenue stream via 99 cent song downloads and $10 album downloads.

These screenshots look cool at first glance, hopefully more retro than ugly. It will be interesting to see how the iPhone app looks and how it interacts with the touchscreen.

According to Rdio's Get Satisfaction page the service will offer a desktop client, a Blackberry application, an iPhone app and a web interface. The company's Blackberry application (that's what's pictured here) is already available to beta testers. Users can control their community dashboard, listen to playlists, find other music in heavy rotation and stream collections.

According to the company's blog, the application offers mobile playlist caching like Spotify's iPhone app and MOG's upcoming service. Rdio's iPhone and Android apps will offer the same functionality where users can continue listening even when they don't have access to a wireless network.

On Saturday, TechCrunch wrote an article about the company's engineering team. Given Rdio's ties to Imeem, Songbird and KaZaA, the team is more than equipped to build a decent streaming music site with a download client. Its success will probably depend on how it differentiates from other subscription products like Rhapsody and Spotify Premium.

The company has already closed deals with Warner Music and smaller labels like The Orchard; however, deals with EMI, Sony and Universal have yet to solidify. In order for Rdio to stand a fighting chance against others with catalogues of more than 6 million tracks, the company will have to negotiate licensing deals with all four major labels. Its rumored that Spotify is hoping to accomplish the same feat before launching its US service.

Rdio hopes to launch in 2010 but will presumably go live shortly after securing licensing deals. We're excited to see that happen.

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Comments

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I am still waiting to check out Spotify for iPhone

Posted by: Nithin | November 9, 2009 3:44 PM

I am looking forward to really giving this a try but in all reality if it doesn't innovate heavily for the good then I don't see many people switching over from systems they are used to.

Posted by: Mike Joseph | November 9, 2009 4:03 PM

I agree that it’s premature to call Rdio a “Spotify killer”, but while I’ve often been called a “Spotify fanboy” I think it’s also premature to crown them kings of the ad-supported unlimited streaming music market.

Rdio will be viewed by many as coming from a similar tech-startup background to Spotify, so will have to really differentiate itself to get people to use it. I think Sky’s forthcoming “Spotify killer” could surprise a lot of people, as it already has the route into people’s homes and established brand that startups don’t.

Posted by: camcorder taschen | November 9, 2009 7:40 PM

Seriously? These can't be real. They've hired Skype's former designer and these look like something a 14 year old did on photoshop, even the albums are blurry and poop quality.

Posted by: Adam | November 9, 2009 10:28 PM

Seriously? These can't be real. They've hired Skype's former designer and these look like something a 14 year old did on photoshop, even the albums are blurry and poop quality.

Posted by: Adam | November 9, 2009 10:28 PM

This thing is dead on arrival. Yet another music site/app. Yawn. Spotify-killer? Who cares. Like 10 people know what Spotify even is in the real world.

This will not change the world. The skype boys are aiming very low this time compared to their past businesses.

Posted by: Joe | November 10, 2009 5:05 AM

Don't forget that these guys laid the egg called "joost" so not everything they touch turn to gold.

Posted by: johnk | November 10, 2009 7:16 AM

There's a really cool app in here that uses p2p[1] to stream everyone's local music to everyone else combined with Last.FM's community features. But all this talk of licensing, Rhapsody, Pandora, Spotify makes me think that this isn't going to be it.

Last.fm is still the first and best. And still free in at least some countries.

[1]Will Rdio now have to license Joltid back from Skype?

Posted by: Julian Bond | November 10, 2009 8:26 AM

@jbond - Joltid is not owned by Skype.

While I think rdio is a great idea to bring music to more platforms. I still don't see the need for such a service.

I personally use iTunes to buy music, and the problem with all these music start ups are the fact that its all US based, why not launch in Australia first?

I guess I see the downside of being a startup in Australia, it is alot harder to get investors and financing. But I know from my work, that the rewards are great.

I wish rdio all the best.
Oh they must of PAID alot of money to own that misspelling of radio - Just shows you what money buys.

Posted by: Russell Harrower | November 13, 2009 2:54 AM

Russell your comment about being US centic is spot on. Or is that Spotify on? Anyway, there is room out there for a service that looks to the rest of the world instead of looking at only doing business in the US.

The biggest hurdle of that happening is that you can't make money anywhere else in the world. The only geographies that you can make money in are US, Canada, UK, Australia and some parts of Europe, but the netsocialist leanings of the rest of the world, or the zero to no spare change, or the zero to no credit cards in the rest of the world keep any website/business from making money. And in some parts of the world you might as well turn them off since you can't even get money from advertisers.

But you are correct, there is a niche, that is hopefully growing, that is not being served by most.

Wake up and Smell the Coffee...

Posted by: FireBrand | November 18, 2009 10:51 AM

When you team up with guys like Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis it must be good. The swedes are good!

Posted by: Link Directory | December 25, 2009 6:49 PM