I was an early adopter to Spotify. I loved it, told everyone about it and even became a subscriber (mostly to get rid of those awful ads). Over time, there was a lot that frustrated me about Spotify, such as:
- Music Management: I grew up in the time of albums and I still like to organize my collection that way. In order to save an album for future listening, you have to create a playlist for each album. This just doesn’t work.
- User Interface: Spotify is clunky, ugly and not very intuitive.
But that’s only two things! Right, but it’s the only two things that matter. This is where Rdio (pronounced ‘r-dee-oh’) excels.
- Music Management: See an album you like? Just add it to your ‘Collection’. This is then treated much like if you had an actual, physical album but with the added bonus of being able to be sorted and searchable.
- User Interface: Rdio really does have a beautiful interface that actually makes you want to browse your collection. When playing music, you can have the album art front and center, over a blurred background of the same.
This is the playlist I created from The National’s show in Indianapolis, August 2013:
What about cost? You can get unlimited web streaming for either service for $4.99/month.
Both services do playlists well, allow sharing, etc. I will say Spotify has more resources and access to some artists that Rdio doesn’t. However, Rdio has a tremendous selection and I’m never at a loss for something to listen to, whether it’s an old favorite or something I’ve just heard about.
I’ve used them both and Spotify frustrates me every time I use it. Rdio is just fun to browse and has a clean, easy interface. If you listen to online music, I think Rdio should be your choice. Follow me there!
TL;DR: Rdio has the best way to organize your music collection and it’s the most fun to use.
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