Rhapsody DRM-free MP3 store takes on iTunes' dominance

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 01 July 2008 10:18

Business IT - Technology

Most albums sell for $US9.99 on Rhapsody, with individual tracks at $US0.99. This mirrors pricing at the iTunes Store, whereas Amazon downloads are usually $US8.99 or less for albums and $US0.89 for separate tracks, with Wal-Mart coming in between at $9.22 or less for albums and $US0.94 for single tracks.

However, iTunes' commercial success shows that price isn't everything.

Wal-Mart's download service is hampered by its refusal to recognise computers running anything but recent versions of Windows, ignoring the fact that the purchases can be used regardless of operating system.

Not only does Rhapsody provide unprotected tracks, it also provides a full listen-before-you buy service, rather than the 30 second previews available at the iTunes Store. While this is limited to 25 plays (after which 30-second samples are delivered instead), signing up for the Rhapsody Unlimited subscription service allows unlimited listening for $US12.99 per month.

As if that wasn't enough, RealNetworks has also made some deals with significant partners.

Verizon Wireless customers will be able to purchase music directly from mobile phones with over-the-air delivery. Purchased tracks will also be downloaded as unprotected MP3s to the buyer's computer.

And Verizon's not the only big name lining up behind Rhapsody - see page 3.