RealNetworks debuts Rhapsody music service

We all new that Apple's new music service was too good to be true, now Real Networks is following in their footsteps with Microsoft shortly behind.

RealNetworks announced a new music service, RealOne RHAPSODY, a co-branded version of the popular RHAPSODY digital music subscription service. RealOne RHAPSODY offers consumers unlimited, ‘all youcan eat’ access to the broadest library of major and independent label music with more than 330,000 tracks available for on-demand listening and more than 200,000 songs available for transferring toCD, aka ‘burning.’ At only 79¢ per track, RealOne RHAPSODY offers subscribers the lowest per-burn price available to U.S. consumers through any of the new generation of digital music services.

In addition, RealOne RHAPSODY subscribers can burn full albums or custom mix CDs, build their own custom Internet radio stations, listen to professionally-programmed stations, and browse extensive music information and editorial recommendations. Offered with a 14-day free trial, consumers can sign up for RealOne RHAPSODY for $9.95 a month. Subscribers to RealNetworks’ other subscription services will be able to sign-up for RealOne RHAPSODY service with one click. Please visit http://www.real.com/ for details on how to sign up for RealOne RHAPSODY.

“We are thrilled to introduce RealOne RHAPSODY which offers consumers what they want – a deep library for on-demand listening, a customizable radio service and extremely affordable burns for those songs they just can’t live without,” said Merrill Brown, senior vice president, RealOne Services, RealNetworks. “We are especially excited about the availability of burns to CD for a mere 79¢ – we believe this is a great offer to consumers who are now realizing the power of online music services.”

“We are extremely pleased to join RealNetworks in introducing the newest RealOne service, RealOne RHAPSODY,” said Sean Ryan, CEO, Listen.com. “RHAPSODY’s unlimited listening model is already a hit with subscribers, who listen to more than 250 unique songs a month on average. Adding 79-cent CD burning will enable subscribers to easily buy and own copies of songs they like the most at the lowest price anywhere.”

Last month, RealNetworks announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Listen.com. Listen.com introduced the RHAPSODY music service in 2001. The parties expect the acquisition to be final in the 2nd or 3rd quarter. With this acquisition, RealNetworks will own two of the Internet’s best subscription content services, the critically-acclaimed and market-leading RealOne SuperPass, which offers leading news, sports and entertainment programming, and the award-winning RHAPSODY music service. There are more than one million subscribers to RealNetworks’ subscription services.