brando

Rhapsody's New e-Music Download Service Takes on iTunes

You obviously don't know much about music, and even less about the music business. Nobody is trying to out-iPod Apple...not Rhapsody, not Napster, not Amazon. These music stores are vying for slices of what is hoped will be a larger overall legal music pie (the real problem is piracy and why the law is not shutting it down -- but I digress). iTunes sales are plateauing as people realize Apple's content is locked by its proprietary DRM into Apple devices. Secondly, you sound like what the technology community refers to as a "fanboy", i.e. neither logic nor reason can infect your love of anything Apple. Lastly, subscription music is not "a really bad idea." I and thousands of others who subscribe to Napster's and Rhapsody's subscription product think it's a really good idea and love the value proposition. What people need to understand is that subscription music isn't necessarily a replacement for owning a collection of music (although I choose to use it in that manner). It drives my home stereo system, my son's stereo in his room, and another system we have by the pool. It also fills and re-fills 3 different mp3 players that my family shares, one of which happens to be my cell phone that also can purchase tracks over the air via ATT. All this for $15 per month. It's the best entertainment value proposition I know. I tried Rhapsody and it's fine, but I like Napster better. They have over 6 million songs and you can purchase them DRM-free if you like.