Rdio now offering free music streaming

Rdio's new free service will offer a limited allowance of streaming music for six months

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Popular subscription music service Rdio has announced that Australian users can now stream free music on the Web, bringing the service in line with the US.

From 8am tomorrow Australian Rdio users will be able to stream music for free at rdio.com or through the desktop app on a PC or Mac, with no credit card details or payment required. The free service will offer a limited allowance of streaming music for six months, without ads, after which a subscription to one of Rdio's paid plans will be required.

A meter at the top of the Rdio Web page will let users of the free service know how much music they have available to stream each month. However, an Rdio spokesperson told PC World Australia the company couldn't confirm the monthly limit on free music due to "legal reasons".

"Unfortunately we're not able to go into any more detail/specifics on number of songs due to legal reasons."

The free streaming service also allows users to following friends and artists, create playlists and share music through Facebook and Twitter.

Rdio was previously unavailable to use in Australia without a subscription cost. The company offers an $8.90 per month payment plan for unlimited Web and desktop streaming and a $12.90 per month payment plan for unlimited mobile device streaming and compatibility with Sonos and Roku devices. Both pricing plans remain unchanged despite the launch of the free service.

Rdio has provided free streaming in the US since October 2011 but did not offer the same service internationally. Major competitor Spotify also offers a free Web and desktop streaming service, but is ad-supported.

In addition to Australia, the free Rdio streaming music service is now available in the UK, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.