Rdio, popular digital music service has announced they would to acquire Dhingana, one of India’s popular online music streaming service, that stopped the service recently. Dhingana’s team in India would be joining Rdio to extend their musical catalog, that has over 1 million songs in 42 languages and Indian genres. Dhingana founders Snehal Shinde and Swapnil Shinde will join the executive team at Rdio, to expand the service to India as well as other emerging markets.
Dhingana was in transition period during the time they stopped their service last month, so the new move was not disclosed to media, says Dhingana. Rdio has over 20 million songs and is available in 51 countries worldwide. The app is available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Online streaming. The free version offers Rdio stations on Phone and PC and Albums + Playlists on PC. The paid version ($9.99/ month) Albums + Playlists on Smartphones and Ad-Free experience.
Spotify for iOS and Android went free globally few months back with a new shuffle play feature. But still Spotify Premium in India. Rdio might launch premium feature in India, cheaper than Saavn Pro and Gaana+ from its competitors.
Commenting on the new transition, Snehal Shinde, Co-Founder of Dhingana, said,
Over the past seven years, Dhingana has worked hard to build a music platform that allows millions of users around the world to enjoy the diverse music of India, including a massive Bollywood catalog. We’re excited to continue this mission and further our reach with Rdio.We look forward to working toward a unified launch in India through the Rdio brand in the near future.
Anthony Bay, Rdio’s chief executive officer, said,
We are honored to work with Snehal, Swapnil and their stellar team to build upon the success of Dhingana as a part of Rdio. India is a tremendously vibrant market for music and culture and one of the largest and most important in the world. We are one of very few global companies that can provide a great music experience to an expanding international audience, , and it is our objective to bring that experience to India and to non-resident Indians and fans around the world.
Rdio India will launch later this year, but there is not exact time frame when the service is expected to launch.