p2pnet - rss feed: RealNetworks Best Buy deal
p2pnet.net News:- Will RealNetworks become the first successful corporate operation offering corporately-priced corporate downloads, ’successful’ being a relative term?
Apple’s iTunes has long held that distinction, but it’s far more of a promo-cum-frontend loading vehicle for iPod than a genuine music service, and Napster has never really figured. But Real now has millions of Microsoft dollars and Microsoft PR behind it and following news that it’s done a deal with SanDisk on a music player, it’s announced Rhapsody 4.0, the latest in its music downloan and sales software, and an “expanded” partnership with Best Buy under which the latter will have Rhapsody behind its own online music store, slated to open this month,
Until the Organized Music family, Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG, lower their exorbitant wholesale prices, the world of online music will continue to be dominated by the free p2p networks, independent services and the new file sharing applications which let air into the vacuum left by the industry enforced closure of the former commercial companies, their potential competition.
As well, increasing numbers of artists, many of them famous, are, with huge successes, opening their own online sales sites, or using social networking web pages, to promote themselves and their music and other artistic offerings.
The Big Four’s various so-called ‘trade’ organizations such as the RIAA continue to claim they’re making progress in the new 21st digital century environment by trying to sue their own customers into submission, and by crushing all opposition.
But it’s empty rhetoric and the Big Four being forced to use the willing might of the US government to maintain some kind of presence in the mainstream media, who still act as the principal means of information for the offline public.
Because appearances are what it’s all about and the music industry is flooding the traditional press with PR bumfluff to create the illusion that consumers are willing to rent music on a monthly basis from the likes of RealNetworks, or to fork out a dollar and more to buy digital files which are only worth a few cents.
With more and more people logging on every day, the entertainment cartels absolutely must make people believe, and they’re spending literal fortunes on propaganda campaigns.
The vast majority of online music lovers are, however, still telling the corporations to poke it, leaving the tiny core of uses who don’t mind paying Apple well over the odds for their music, as the marketing targets of choice, and Real hopes to make a dent in this group.
“One of the biggest new additions is Rhapsody Channels, which is essentially a more customizable version of Rhapsody’s music radio service that was offered in previous versions of the software,” says TG Daily.
“They’ve also taken a cue from iTunes and added a simplified interface for music transfers to portable players. Rhapsody 4.0 implements the increasingly popular drag-and-drop functionality for this.
“One more new feature is Dynamic Playlists, an automatically generated list of songs based on song, artists, and genres that are in a user’s play history. More notably, the new version of Rhapsody also adds support for more MP3 players, according to RealNetworks.”
According to Bloomberg News, the Best Buy service will mirror the existing Rhapsody prices of $15 a month for unlimited access to the site and $10 a month, “for a more narrow access”.
Individual buys will cost 90 cents for subscribers (renters) and $1.00 for others, says the story.
One wonders how the would-be players in the as-yet virtually non-existent online corporate music market expect to make money offering, as they do, the same ’services’ peddling the same ‘product’ supplied by the same, tired corporations at the same rip-off prices?
Also See:
never really figured - Napster tries Japan, October 3, 2006
Microsoft dollars - Real Rhapsodizes on the Web, December 5, 2005
music player - RealNetworks, SanDisk deal, September 18, 2005
willing might - US mugs AllofMP3.com, October 5, 2006
TG Daily - Rhapsody upgrades with 4.0 store, optimized MP3 players, October 5, 2006
Bloomberg News - Music Service to Be Launched by Best Buy, RealNetworks, October 6, 2006
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October 6th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
artists need to be paid, people want to listen to lots of music for as little as possibble. if free is not an option than i think subscription with the option to buy anything you really need to “own” is the best solution. i could use p2p. in canada it’s suppossebly legal for downloading(not the uploading) yet i feel uneasy doing so.