Rdio announced Tuesday it was expanding beyond digital music streaming to include a live radio broadcast feature with nearly 500 U.S. stations onboard through partnership with Cumulus Media. Los Angeles’ 95.5 KLOS, San Francisco’s KFOG, and New York’s NASH FM 94.7 are all among the stations now operating on the Rdio platform.
The expansion comes as a bridge between digital and broadcast formats, providing broadcast listeners the option to mark a song as a favorite, share it, start a custom station based on the track or view more material from the artist. Paying Rdio subscribers can also download that song for unlimited listening.
Rdio’s new live broadcast radio programming also includes sports content from local stations through the Cumulus Media-owned radio network Westwood One, with plans to roll out new features to enhance sports content on the platform.
“We are committed to providing Rdio customers around the world with easy access to the audio content they want to hear through innovative features that enhance listening,” Rdio CEO Anthony Bay said in a statement. “Broadcast radio brands and talent continue to be the dominant tastemakers in music, so integrating live broadcast radio into Rdio’s critically acclaimed customer experience is an exciting development that we are thrilled to introduce.”
In 2013, Rdio and Cumulus entered into a partnership to provide Rdio reach and resources and give Cumulus an additional online platform for its content.
