Rhapsody opens fire against iTunes with DRM-free MP3s
Rhapsody will sell MP3s in a new digital download store launched Monday for U.S. consumers, an offering that will pose fresh competition to Apple's highly successful iTunes Music Store.
The songs will not have DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology, which puts restrictions on how music can be transferred between devices and PCs, and will be compatible with Apple's iPod line.
Music will come from most of the major record labels, which have increasingly moved to offer tracks without DRM in order to boost the attractiveness of buying music online.
Rhapsody, which is owned by RealNetworks, will match Apple's pricing: US$.99 per song, or $9.99 per album.
Rhapsody one-upped Apple by letting users listen to an entire song before buying. Apple only lets users sample a 30-second clip. Rhapsody lets users preview 25 entire songs per month, or an unlimited number for registered members.
Rhapsody will continue running a music subscription service that is incompatible with iPods. Users pay a monthly fee, starting at $12.99, for access to a large catalog of songs, which can be transferred to a portable device but are rigged with Windows Media DRM to disappear if the subscription lapses.
IDG News Service
Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world
On Twitter now
online music services
Powered by Twitter
Esther Schindler
If the comments are ugly, the code is ugly
claird
SVG a graphics format for 21st century
pasmith
Take Chrome OS for a test spin
Sandra Henry-Stocker
Solaris Tip: Have Your Files Changed Since Installation?
jfruh
Android fragments vs. the iPhone monolith
mikelgan
What Gizmodo missed about the Pro WX Wireless USB disk drive
Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News
Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
- mburton325
Join the conversation here
Quick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.
Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.
