Rhapsody takes on iTunes by ditching the DRM
By Erna Mahyuni
Real Networks launched its new Rhapsody MP3 store, free from digital rights management (DRM).
Perhaps Rhapsody’s taking a cue from Amazon and Napster. Neither of the two have DRM, in contrast to iTunes’s protected format that requires ‘authorizing’ machines and devices to play. CNet had the goods on Rhapsody’s move in its column MP3 Insider.
The new store has music from four major music labels - Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI. Previously, Rhapsody was known for being a subscription-based service that required users to subscribe monthly to listen to tracks online.
Other new features include integration with Verizon’s VCAST mobile phone music service. VCAST users should already have access to the service by June 30th, though Verizon is still ironing out little details like carrier fees.
Prices? Well, not much different than iTunes - albums generally retail at $9.99 per album or $0.99 cents per song. An unusual feature that the store offers is full previews of songs, unlike the standard 30-second snippet.
There is a catch - full-length plays are limited to 25 per month, after which previews revert back to 30 seconds.The first 100,000 people to signup before the 4th of July will get a free album.
Other news - Rhapsody’s signed deals with sites like Yahoo and iLike. iLike users will now have the option to directly purchase songs from iLike interfaces.
How will Apple react? Will they finally ditch DRM now everyone else has? With the iPod’s popularity hard to topple now, freeing iTunes from DRM might be better done sooner than later.
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