Rhapsody now plays on Linux and Mac machines

Keywords: Match:

Dec. 06, 2005

RealNetworks' new Rhapsody Web-based streaming music service went live on Monday, expanding its formerly Windows-only US music subscription service to include Linux and Macintosh users. Users running any flavor of Linux are now able to log into the service and download the Firefox plug-in necessary to stream the music data, spokeswoman Ronda Scott told DesktopLinux.com.

"We have done extensive testing on Linspire 5.0, Fedora Core 3.0, and SUSE 9.3, and we know that the plug-in works well on them," Scott added. "We just haven't done a lot of [official] testing on other distributions, but we know it will work on many of them. We just can't guarantee it will work with all distributions."

Scott said that RealNetworks believes Rhapsody.com is the first major music-streaming site available to Linux users.

"There are other sites that stream music, but it's really hard to do it as well as we can, because of our large library," Scott said.

Streaming only, no downloads

However, unlike Windows users, Mac and Linux subscribers will not be able to buy songs or transfer music to a portable player from the Rhapsody service. They are currently restricted to streaming music only through their browsers, and will remain so for the near future.

"This is because you need a client to download the music," Scott said. "We, of course, had to focus on the Windows market first when we developed the client (called Rhapsody Music Jukebox). We have no metric as far as determining if or when we will develop a similar client for Mac and Linux users.

"It has to make sense for the company, and we need to see an organic interest from the (Mac and Linux) communities involved."

Pricing based on tiered service

Rhapsody.com offers unlimited streaming access to its music catalogue of 1.4 million tracks for a monthly fee of $9.95. For $14.95, users can obtain the Rhapsody To Go package, which allows users the ability to buy and download songs for 89 cents apiece, burn CDs with the music, and transfer them to portable devices.

Rhapsody.com's free version allows 25 streamed tracks per month and access to 25 Internet radio stations, in exchange for registering with the service.

For Mac users, at least, there seems little or no incentive to switch from iTunes, a free service from Apple, which offers music downloads (for 99 cents apiece) and Internet radio.

RealNetworks also offers RealPlayer 10 for Linux, based on the open source Helix multimedia player, which is now available for free download. RealPlayer 10 is currently the second-most popular desktop media player, behind Windows Media Player, according to IDC.

Access to the Rhapsody Web Service v 0.1 here.

Related stories:

(Click here for further information)

7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.

4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.

Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.

Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.

Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.

Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.

Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.

Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.

Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.

Got a HOT tip? please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Popular recent stories: • OpenSUSE 11.0 arrives • AMD/ATI touts faster Linux drivers • Banshee achieves first stable release • VirtualBox: The best hypervisor you've never heard of • Gutsy Geeks take Linux to the airwaves • Ubuntu "MID Edition" ships • World's cheapest Linux-based laptop? • Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users • Microsoft pushes India toward Linux All-time Classics: • Choosing a desktop Linux distro • Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes • The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better • Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu • Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives • A simple Linux backup method • The well-tempered Debian desktop • What's the best Linux for beginners? • Linus versus GNOME • Hunting for the perfect Linux Media Center	Desktop Linux books Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums: • Moving to Linux • Linux/Windows debate! • Linux Q&A . . . and more

BREAKING NEWS

• Judge Kimball rules. Ho, hum.
• Writer tells Penguinistas to chill on closed source
• Linux 2.6.26 enhances desktop Linux
• BeOS-like distro focused on content creation
• OpenSUSE rolls out auto-build service
• Best Buy, Amazon selling Ubuntu for $20
• Wine, Bordeaux ship
• New Gentoo updates installer, revises profiles
• Graphics board vendor touts faster Linux drivers
• Private St. Louis school goes Linux
• Xandros quietly acquires Linspire
• Microsoft pushes India toward Linux
• "Intrepid Ibex" plucks up courage for alpha release
• Military-grade USB key supports Linux desktops
• CentOS 5.2 ships with enhanced virtualization

Linux-Watch headlines:
• Judge Kimball rules -- the sequel!
• Microsoft tactics push India toward Linux
• Bell, SuperMicro sued over GPL
• "Business intelligence" software goes GPL
• Will Atom bomb?
• LF Summit videos posted
• Linux gains "embedded" maintainers
• Virtualization on tap in SLES and RHEL upgrades
• Linux gets security black eye
• Verizon chooses Linux "platform of choice"

Visit the...

news feed

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.