Rdio Gets New General Manager of Canada to Grow Streaming Music Business

Rdio has announced Michael Orrbrooke has joined the company as their new general manager of their Canadian arm of the music streaming service, to help implement the company’s growth and strategy in this country.

Orrbrooke’s goal will be to continue to develop Rdio Canada’s profile as a leading streaming music service here while also help manage existing and create new partnerships.

“We are very excited to welcome Michael as Rdio’s new head of Canadian operations,” said Scott Bagby, President of International at Rdio. “The new role is part of Rdio’s commitment to Canada as one of our most important international regions. With his unmatched experience leading brands to new levels, Michael is a perfect fit for our team, and we look forward to his contributions to Canada’s growth and development.”

The streaming music service market is starting to heat up in Canada, as Spotify announced last week its service is coming to Canada and is available via an invite-only system at the moment.

Apple’s recent acquisition of Beats Music could one day see the service expand outside the U.S., but right now Canadians are still waiting for iTunes Radio to show up.

With various free music streaming services such as Songza (recently acquired by Google), Grooveshark, Deezer and even CBC Music to name a few, the race is on to get listeners to subscribe to a paid monthly service.

Also today, Shazam introduced full track playback in their iOS app, powered by Rdio.

What is your preferred streaming music service right now?