There’s a whole lot of shakin’ going on in Canada’s streaming music environment. Following recent news that rival streaming music services Spotify and Google Play Music are entering the market, Rdio Canada announced this week that it has appointed a new general manager of Canadian operations.
Michael Orrbrooke joins Rdio from luxury pet supply retailer Bark & Fitz, where he had been president and CEO since 2007. Before that, Orrbrooke held a series of brand management and strategic sponsorship roles with several telecom and technology companies.
He will report to Rdio’s president of international, Scott Bagby.
Rdio told Marketing that Orrbrooke is not currently doing press interviews, but said in a release that he will be tasked with developing the San Francisco-based company’s profile as Canada’s leading streaming music service, while expanding and managing existing partnerships.
Earlier this year, Rdio forged a strategic partnership with Calgary’s Shaw Communications that spans marketing, content and promotion. The companies said that the venture would “likely allow” for the placement of local ads, facilitated by Shaw, within Rdio’s free streaming tier on mobile and web.
As part of the deal, Shaw invested an undisclosed sum in Rdio’s parent company, Pulser Media.
Today, Shaw announced that Rdio will be a presenting sponsor of a free concert in Calgary associated with the Shaw Charity Classic Champions Tour golf tournament. The July 18 concert will feature Canadian rock icons Bachman & Turner and The Sheepdogs performing on the Rdio Stage at Calgary’s Shaw Millennium Park. The concert is the first in a series of marketing initiatives intended to establish Rdio as the country’s preeminent streaming music service.
Rdio has entered into similar strategic agreements with Atlanta-based Cumulus Media and Brazilian media conglomerate Grupo Bandeirantes, which houses seeral of the country’s leading TV and radio stations, as well newspapers, magazines and out-of-home media.
Rdio does not disclose subscriber numbers, but Canada is its second largest market and has been described by CEO Anthony Bay as a “huge priority” for the company.
According to Media Technology Monitor, two-thirds of Anglophone Canadians regularly streamed online music last year, up from 61% in 2012 and 57% in 2011. Use of streaming music services has doubled in the past two years, with one of ever three regular music streamers saying they used at least one service.
