The Rhapsody audio download service combines both the elements of a stand-alone music player (which is free to use) with the ability to listen to and to buy all kinds of music.
There are over a million songs listed on the service across all genres so there is a great choice for users on this site.
The company has really thought about how you can get the best out of the software here. You can simply use the music player which is real easy to download, install and use. The player also gives you the ability to manage your own music collection, listen to radio stations and create your own stations, burn CDs and hook up with portable audio players. You can even link Rhapsody up to your stereo and play the catalog from there if you like.
Alternatively, you can buy the music on site that you like. This can either take the form of buying tracks individually (most tracks are priced at $0.99 and most albums at $9.99) or, if you join up to one of their subscription services, you can choose from three options to really enjoy more music at your fingertips
Your first option is purely to listen to premium radio. The second gives you unlimited access to the music catalog on site and the third allows you to load up a portable music player such as an MP3 player whenever you like and as often as you like. Joining a subscription plan also gives you a 10% discount if you decide to buy any tracks from the catalog to burn to CD permanently.
There are a few issues to look out for with this service. If you’re interested in the subscription plans that allow you to load up a portable audio player, for example, then you’ll need to be running Windows XP on your PC.
Also, the subscription service won’t work on all MP3 players (take a look at the site for more information on compatible players). This will probably change as new players are released but if you have an older model then the chances are you’ll be out of luck with this particular service.
For example, iPod users can use some of the services on offer but not all. You can, for example, use the player as an MP3 manager and buy tracks from the library to listen to on your iPod. However, you won’t be able to join up with the subscription service as it isn’t set up to work with iPods at the moment.
You may also find that not all tracks are available to purchase for CD burning when you want them. Different record companies and artists have different views on the rights involved with digital music purchase so the site may not be authorized to sell some tracks and albums in this way.
If you’re not sure whether to use this service or not then do be aware that the site is perfectly happy to give out free trials for their plans. This is a great way to assess if you will get what you want out of the services on offer – most free trials last for 14 days which is a good time to assess what it’ll do for you.
Bear in mind as well that you can get some great benefits from just using the site’s player. Sign up for this and you’ll be given free access to Rhapsody 25. This lets you have 25 streams a month at no cost from the library. You can also pick and choose what you do with the streams – listen to a favorite track 25 times, listen to 25 different songs or just do whatever you fancy!
Also see subscription music download services for more details.