In conjunction with the launch of its new Windows 8 notebooks, Lenovo is putting Rara.com, the British-based music streaming service, in heavy rotation. Lenovo systems will feature Rara's Windows 8 app in the Start screen, and consumers who purchase a Lenovo notebook will be able to subscribe to Rara for $0.99 for the first three months, and get unlimited access to its 18 million music tracks.
Along with the release of its Windows 8 app, Rara is also launching a brand new iOS app and an update to the web service and Android app. The new user experience focuses on music discovery by providing and recommending professionally curated playlists based on moods or events. The web and mobile apps are very visual, moving away from the Excel spreadsheet style list as used by iTunes and taking cues instead from sites such as Pinterest.
Rara is now available in 27 countries after recently adding support for Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Africa and Portugal. The music streaming service, which typically costs $4.99 per month, strives for "global localization," customizing the music experience and recommendations based on each individual country's unique tastes, regardless of how large and global the company grows.
This new partnership with Lenovo compliments an existing partnership with HP and will serve to bring this music streaming service to even more devices. And, with greater international support than rival Spotify, might be the best option for globe trotting music lovers.
