Rdio has been my streaming music site of choice for quite some time now, and earlier this week they released an awesome new feature!

While I enjoy being able to select bands, songs or albums to listen to, but sometimes when I am working I just want music to play and not repeat the same album over and over. Generally when I feel this way I just switch to Pandora.com and create a new station. Every once and a while I’ll even use the iHeartRadio app and listen to 93.3 KTCL on my phone. However I am never quite satisfied with the music that my Pandora station is playing. They either start to repeat songs, play too much of a single band or start to play bands I detest, like Red Hot Chili Peppers, which ruins my concentration.

Rdio has always allowed you to listen to ‘stations’ around an artist, but I was never satisfied with the bands that it thought were similar. They seemed limited to around five bands, so the variety was not really there. Now with the introduction of their Radio service, I automatically have my own ‘me’ station:

They look at the who I listen to the most (you know, the ones I have on repeat, for hours like ZZ Ward) and compile them into a station for me. I then have the option of having them just stick to what they know I like (familiar) or give them the freedom to find me new bands to obsesses over (adventurous).

I absolutely love that they let ME pick how off the wall they can be with their selections. Kudos to them for this feature. As with Pandora, I can thumbs up or down any song, but I can also create a new station off of that song. You can also add the song to your Rdio Collection, sync to mobile and more:

They also show you the band they played last, and show you who is coming up next. Before the song starts playing, you can thumbs down it, so you don’t even have to listen to the intro. Another perk of the Rdio Radio stations? No limits on skips or thumbs downing on songs!! Never sit through a song you despise again!

So how did they go from having a lackluster Radio service to being one of the best (IMO) out there? They partnered with Echo Nest. Who is Echo Nest? Well, Fastcompany recently said they make Pandora look like a transistor radio. That might be taking it a little far, but I’ve definitely been impressed with the Rdio Radio and already prefer it over Pandora. Also, Echo Nest was a sponsor for Denver’s first ever Music Hackday during UMS. Not only that, but they sponsor Music Hackday’s all over the world, just showing their commitment to improving the listening experience for everyone.

I have listened to nothing but the Monika FM station for the past 3 days, and I love how easy it is to integrate new music into my station. After listening to SmallPools album once through, they are already showing up in regular rotation!

What streaming music site do you prefer and why?