Rhapsody (online music service)

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Rhapsody

Rhapsody 4.0 under Windows XP
Developed by	RealNetworks
Initial release	?
Stable release	4.0 (2006-10-16) _[+/−]
Preview release	none (none) _[+/−]
Written in	?
OS	Windows 2000/XP/Vista (32-bit & 64-bit), Linux
Available in	?
Type	Media player
License	Proprietary
Website	www.rhapsody.com

Rhapsody is an online music service run by RealNetworks. Launched in December 2001, Rhapsody was the first music service to offer streaming on-demand access to nearly its entire library of digital music. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, RealNetworks' version of digital rights management.

1 History
2 Features
3 Limitations
4 Harmony
5 See also
6 Notes
7 External links

History

In 1999, Tim Bratton, JP Lester, Sylvain Rebaud, Alexandre Brouaux, Nick Sincaglia and Dave Lampton were working on a streaming audio engine which allowed for remarkably high quality audio streaming. This engine was commercially deployed in the TuneTo.com customized radio service, and was also used in their "celestial jukebox" prototype code-named Aladdin (so named because the labels could not put the file-sharing genie back in the bottle and had to try something new).

In April 2001 TuneTo.com was acquired by Listen.com, a startup founded in San Francisco that had built a massive online music directory. The Aladdin prototype was transformed into the Rhapsody music service during the summer and fall of 2001 and was launched on December 3, 2001.

Rhapsody was revolutionary at the time because it was the first streaming on-demand music subscription service to offer unlimited access to its entire library of digital music for a flat monthly fee. At launch, Rhapsody's library was comprised mostly of content from Naxos and a number of independent labels. Over the next several months of 2002, Rhapsody was able to secure licenses from EMI, BMG, Warner, and Sony to add their music to the Rhapsody library. In July 2002, Rhapsody became the first on-demand music service to offer the complete digital catalogs of all five major record labels of the time (Sony, EMI, BMG, Universal and Warner).

RealNetworks announced plans to acquire Listen.com on April 21, 2003, one week prior to the launch of the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003. The transaction closed on August 3, 2003. The Rhapsody service was briefly known as RealRhapsody shortly after the acquisition, but has since shortened back to "Rhapsody".

Rhapsody is considered one of the canonical examples of The Long Tail theory. The service provided extensive data on consumer usage of the service for Chris Anderson's article "The Long Tail", which was published in Wired in October 2004, and subsequently provided updated data for Anderson's book of the same name.

In 2006, Power Metal band Rhapsody had to change its name to Rhapsody of Fire after running into a trademark dispute with Rhapsody parent RealNetworks, which owned the Rhapsody trademark in the United States. The band Rhapsody had been around four years before the launch of the Rhapsody service.^[1] As of February 2006, RealNetworks claimed more than 2.25 million subscribers of whom more than 1.4 million were music subscribers.^[2]

Features

Rhapsody exists as two different services with different featuresets, the Rhapsody.com streaming service and the Rhapsody Jukebox player.

Rhapsody has browsing features similar to those of its competitors, such as the ability to search by Artist, Album, Track, Composer, Lyrics, or Videos, as well as a Keyword search that attempts all of the above. Users are also able to browse through links to Artist Influences, Contemporaries, or Related Projects, as well as through multiple Genre hierarchies. Top songs and artists are ranked by popularity.

Purchase options

Rhapsody's main focus is on an a la carte subscription jukebox model, although it also supports per-track purchases. There are three main subscription plans: Rhapsody 25, Rhapsody Unlimited, and Rhapsody To Go.

Rhapsody 25 is a free, ad-supported version, allowing consumers to stream 25 songs on-demand per month and to access 25 Internet radio stations at no cost.

Rhapsody Unlimited is a paid subscription at $12.99 per month. This option permits unlimited selections of music from the Rhapsody catalogue and access to radio stations programmed by Rhapsody.

Rhapsody To Go is also a paid subscription at $14.99 per month. This option offers the same features as Rhapsody Unlimited plus songs can be transferred to compatible PlaysForSure portable devices without purchasing them. These "subscription downloads" (also called tethered downloads) can only be transferred to an Apple iPod if they are purchased due to rights disagreements. The recent announcement that EMI will let digital retailers sell DRM-free music downloads will enable Rhapsody and other companies to sell major-label songs that play on the iPod, provided that they make such arrangements with the individual record labels.

Purchased Music Non Rhapsody subscribers can purchase individual songs and albums directly from Rhapsody, in a way similar to the iTunes Store. Songs generally cost 99¢ each or $9.99 per album, depending on the agreement with the label. Rhapsody Unlimited and To Go subscribers receive a 10% discount on purchased music.

Rhapsody on TiVo Rhapsody subscriptions are now being offered by TiVO to be played through their DVR units.

Rhapsody on Nokia Internet Tablets In March 2007 Real Networks teamed up with Nokia to provide access to the entire Rhapsody catalog starting with N800-N810 series internet tablets running Internet Tablet OS 2007 & 2008 (Maemo). Within the range of a Wi-Fi access point and with the minimum Rhapsody subscription, users can STREAM (but NOT download, nor keep/purchase on the device itself) any song in Rhapsody's library in full-length CD quality sound. The Rhapsody client on the N8x0 does sync with Rhapsody playlists via the internet (which are stored on Real's servers) but does not sync encrypted content via the PC Rhapsody client, when connected via USB.

Rhapsody.com

Rhapsody.com is a web, streaming-only version of Rhapsody that is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux and Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari web browsers. It is installed through a browser plugin. Tracks are not purchaseable through Rhapsody.com, nor are PlaysForSure transfers possible.

Jukebox software

The Jukebox software contains all the features of the web-based version, but also some other additional features:

10-EQ band - allows you to tweak the sound of the music
Shuffle Play - play tracks randomly
Continuous Play - loop tracks
Playlist editor
CD Burner and Ripper

Other features

Pricing:
- Rhapsody 25: Free
- Rhapsody Unlimited: $12.99/mo
- Rhapsody to Go: $14.99/mo
Platform(s): Windows 98 and later for Rhapsody Jukebox

Microsoft Windows, Linux or Mac OS X for Rhapsody Web

Purchasing: U.S. $0.89 per DRM track (192 kbit/s RAX) or $0.99 for 256 kbit/s MP3 (Depending on the record label).
Streaming: 128 kbit/s WMA to PC clients and 192 MP3 kbit/s to Rhapsody Direct clients (e.g. Squeezebox)
- Rhapsody 25: Limited to 25 streams per month
- Rhapsody Unlimited/Rhapsody to Go: Unlimited per month
Radio
- Rhapsody 25: Unlimited access to select pre-defined stations
- Rhapsody Unlimited/to Go: Unlimited access to all stations and user-created stations
Format(s): Windows Media (proprietary), AAC
Digital Rights Management: yes
Preview: 30 seconds when using the service as a non-subscriber
- Rhapsody 25: when not signed in, or when all 25 song plays have been used (Rhapsody 25 only)
Trial:
- Rhapsody 25: 25 song plays/month, indefinitely. 30 second samples thereafter.
- Rhapsody Unlimited: 14 day trial, one per account.
Catalog: 5,000,000 ^[3]
Availability: US residents only, due to licensing restrictions.

Limitations

Files in RealAudio .RAX format cannot be played on most software media players.
Service is only available in the United States and its territories, except the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.
Downloaded songs are encrypted with Helix DRM unless the user specifies that they wish to download Windows Media Audio files in the program's preferences.
Music licensing agreements Rhapsody maintains with major record labels means that the database of available music is subject to change at any time.
Licensing is usually done by track and album, meaning that some tracks may be licensed for purchase only.
Subscription cancellation can be done by phone (toll-free) at 1-866-597-5465 (9am-9pm ET Monday-Friday, 10:30am-8pm ET weekends) or by email.

Harmony

Rhapsody customers using the Jukebox client may use the Harmony plug-in by RealNetworks to convert tracks purchased from the Rhapsody service into FairPlay AAC files for use on Apple's iPod line of digital audio players. Apple has countered this feature by modifying the firmware on certain iPods to prevent playback of these converted files without affecting tracks purchased via Apple's iTunes Music Store. Real initially responded by continually modifying the Harmony plug-in to restore compatibility.

RealNetworks also slashed the price of its songs to below that of iTunes and setup a web petition at www.freedomofmusicchoice.org.

“

Hey Apple! Don't break my iPod. Your company has long stood for innovation and open competition," the petition reads. "We're asking that you… support the right of your own customers to make their own choices about where they buy music for the iPod. We want Freedom of Music Choice! Don't lock us in to purchasing digital music from one source. That's bad for competition. It will stifle innovation. And it will slow the adoption of digital music devices like the iPod.

”

However, the campaign was largely seen to have backfired. Most petition comments were negative, with some accusing RealNetworks of astroturfing, while others pointed out that RealNetworks was hypocritical in not licensing its own DRM, despite pressing Apple to open up FairPlay. Apple accused RealNetworks of adopting "the tactics and ethics of a hacker" and said that it would examine the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) which some speculated would lead to litigation. RealNetworks no longer updates the Harmony plug-in, as SEC filings reveal that a lawsuit against them would be potentially costly.^[4]^[5]^[6]