Rdio becomes another free streaming music option for Canadians

To those who have long tuned in to AM or FM radio, the idea of a music service that’s going free being a big deal may be pretty ridiculous. But for those who have turned to digital music services and become fans of ad-free music, today’s announcement is a very welcome one.

Starting today, Rdio’s streaming music service is free to access on mobile devices in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. Traditionally a subscription-based service, Rdio gives its users access to 20-million-plus songs, chosen by algorithms that tailor the music to the listener’s tastes.

In a blog post announcing the change, Rdio says that they’ll also be adding a ‘Station Sharing’ feature to allow users to post what they’re listening to on social media, and stations based on playlists and albums to add to Rdio’s already extensive channel selection.

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While it’s an exciting move for music listeners, especially for those who weren’t ready to pay the $10/month subscription fee for access to the service, free music services like this have been available in Canada for some time now. The updated apps for Rdio will go live for iOS and Android devices later today, but in the meantime, here are some other options to consider, for you streaming music pleasure:

Songza: A personal favourite of mine, this free service lets you pick a music channel based on the time of day and what you’re doing (“It’s Thursday afternoon. Play music for: Working to a beat.” You get the idea). You can also pick from any of their stations curated by “music experts,” but the novelty of a mood-based music selection is often too fun to pass up. Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices.

CBC Music: If you’re looking for some truly Canadian musical gems, check out our national broadcaster’s official music app. You can listen to CBC’s music stations, CBC Radio Two and CBC Radio Three, as well as a plethora of other stations organized by genre, or channels curated by CBC personalities like Jian Ghomeshi. Available for iOS and Android devices.

Rogers Stations: Going digital doesn’t mean giving up traditional radio stations entirely; it does mean, though, that you can listen to radio stations from all across Canada. Rogers owns dozens of smaller local radio stations, and you can listen to many of them through this app. Available for iOS and Android devices.

There are notable absences in the music scene in Canada, namely Spotify and Pandora. Licensing issues have made it difficult for these companies to bring their services here, but hey, we can always hope.

Right Click readers, if you have a favourite free music streaming option for when you’re on the go, be sure to share it with us in the comments!

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