Rhapsody In Bloom With Verizon, DRM Free Downloads
Previously, the service offered by Rhapsody, a joint venture between RealNetworks and Viacom's MTV Networks, offered a subscription service that allowed users to stream music for a flat fee. A subscription for streaming music, a model that once caused Steve Jobs to famously quip, "People want to own their music."
With the Apple iTunes store recently surpassing 5 billion downloads and owning between 70 to 80 percent of the music industry, it seems Jobs was right and Rhapsody decided to take notice.
Neil Smith, vice president of Rhapsody, agrees that the model Jobs and Apple are putting forward is more successful than what his company had been offering.
Speaking to Reuters, Smith said, "We're no longer competing with the iPod. We're embracing it."
Indeed, Rhapsody has decided to sell digital rights management (DRM) free MP3s to users that will finally be able to play on the popular mobile music device. The decision to go DRM free opens up the service to users who want to own the music they've paid for and have the freedom to play it on any device they choose.
In addition to iPod compatibility, Rhapsody's partner Verizon Wireless adds another twist to the music downloading arena. Verizon customers will be able to download songs and albums to their phone through the VCAST Music service. After purchasing a track or album on a mobile device, the music won't be confined to just that piece of hardware. Verizon customers will then have the option to download the purchased music to their computer where they can, presumably, load it on to their music player of choice.
In a move to entice potential consumers, the Rhapsody service will allow users to preview an entire song before paying to download it. Apple's iTunes store currently only offers users a 30 second preview of a track before cutting it off. Unregistered Rhapsody users will be able to preview 25 songs a month, while registers members will be able to preview an unlimited number of songs.
Rhapsody also takes a shot at Apple's iTunes store by matching price: individual songs can be purchased for $.99 and whole albums can be bought for $9.99.
