Nearly two years after Cumulus acquired an ownership stake of streaming music service Rdio, the company is adding its local station streams to the service.

In addition to the nearly 500 stations that will be available on Rdio, Cumulus will launch streaming exclusive channels such as “Nash Next” featuring emerging Country artists, channels dedicated to major sporting events carried by Westwood One, and on-demand streams for CBS Sports Radio programs. Personalties from select Cumulus owned stations will curate playlists on the service. Streams from non-Cumulus stations and in international markets are set to launch later this year.

Cumulus had inked a deal with iHeartRadio in 2011 that had made that service its exclusive national streaming platform. No word yet if Cumulus will now pull its stations from iHeartRadio.

Rdio, a leading global music streaming service available in 85 countries, today introduces live broadcast radio beginning with nearly 500 stations throughout the United States – making Rdio the best streaming app for integrating every way to enjoy music: algorithmic and expert-curated stations, more than 35 million songs on demand and live broadcast radio.

Rdio is pioneering a new mobile listening experience by bridging live and local radio with a fully interactive streaming service. The new broadcast radio feature provides listeners instant access to their favorite stations and offers advertisers new ways to target their preferred audiences.

When listeners hear a song they like on a live broadcast station, they can quickly and easily mark the song as a favorite, share the song, start a custom station based on the song or view more music by the artist. Paying subscribers to Rdio’s $3.99 and $9.99 plans or those on a free trial can download the song for unlimited listening, add it to a custom playlist, listen to related songs from that artist or recently played songs on that station as often as they want. This combination leverages live radio’s time-tested discovery qualities while giving listeners the freedom and flexibility to explore newly discovered artists in more depth.

In addition to the new live broadcast stations, all Rdio listeners have access to endless algorithmic stations based on artist, song or genre; expert-curated stations to suit any mood or activity; and You FM™, their own personalized station. Paid subscribers also have access to any song on demand. Rdio Select is the only $3.99 monthly subscription service for songs on demand (up to 25 per day), reflecting Rdio’s commitment to being the most customizable streaming platform that accommodates the individual listener’s needs.

“We are committed to providing Rdio customers around the world with easy access to the audio content they want to hear through innovative features that enhance listening,” said Anthony Bay, CEO of Rdio. “Broadcast radio brands and talent continue to be the dominant tastemakers in music, so integrating live broadcast radio into Rdio’s critically acclaimed customer experience is an exciting development that we are thrilled to introduce.”

“Bringing our national platform of stations to Rdio allows us to instantly create broader access for our listeners and new opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audiences,” said Lew Dickey, CEO of Cumulus. “The combination of our premier broadcast assets with Rdio’s acclaimed user experience and music discovery features creates a full-service listening experience that is unparalleled.”

Beyond music, Rdio’s new live broadcast radio programming includes sports content from local stations as well as through Westwood One, the leading national audio content platform. Rdio will roll out new features to enhance sports content on the platform, which includes: 24/7 stations focused on major events such as NCAA March Madness, The Masters Golf Tournament® and The Kentucky Derby®, and on-demand access to popular Westwood One sports shows, including the The Jim Rome Show, Tiki & Tierney and The Doug Gottlieb Show.

The new live radio feature also includes profiles of local stations and DJs that recommend specific playlists and suggest emerging artists. Popular stations that will be featured include Indianapolis’s 93.9 The Beat, LA’s 95.5 KLOS, Nashville’s 95-5 NASH Icon, New York’s NASH FM 94.7, San Francisco’s KFOG and more.
Additional radio stations will launch later this year in the U.S. and in a number of international markets served by Rdio.

Rdio listeners enjoy a unique mix of access to:
Live radio station broadcasts, including original NASH Country content and top sports programming from Westwood One
Songs on demand from Rdio’s catalog of more than 35 million songs
Custom streaming stations algorithmically programmed based on the listener’s choice of song, artist, genre, activity or mood
Expert-curated stations fine-tuned to specific interest or region
Rdio’s live broadcast Internet radio is fully licensed, developed in partnership with labels and other rights holders and available on all Rdio tiers:

Rdio – ad-supported streaming radio automatically customized around any song, artist, genre, activity or mood

Rdio Select – the only $3.99/month service that provides access to ad-free streaming, unlimited skips and 25 on-demand song downloads per day

Rdio Unlimited – $9.99/month for ad-free streaming, unlimited skips and unlimited songs on demand

Rdio Unlimited Family – ranging from $14.99/month for two Rdio Unlimited accounts to $29.99/month for five Rdio Unlimited accounts