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Web Based Rhapsody Targets Linux
Asklepius M.D. writes "According to Marketwatch, RealNetworks is releasing a web based version of Rhapsody called.....Rhapsody.com that will function on other-than-IE browsers including Firefox and Safari. The article quotes Jupimedia analyst Joe Wilcox as saying "...it brings the first real subscription music service to Mac and Linux-based products.""
This is a subscription service, iTunes is not.
-everphilski-
Yes, Real today launched the beta Helix-powered www.Rhapsody.com, a Web version of the music service that offers consumers a free and legal way to play full length songs from all the major music labels. Any US-based consumer can freely access up to 25 songs/mo, via the new www.Rhapsody.com site and for the first time Linux and Mac users can experience Rhapsody.
The music service enables your favorite browser (IE, Firefox, or Safari) to instantly find, listen, and share, for free, up to 25 full tracks (from 1.4M+ songs) per month. Consumers also get free, unlimited access to 25 commercial-free radio stations.
There is NO credit card registration required to begin using the service and the music industry is compensated for each song played via Rhapsody.com
Real also introduced its new Rhapsody Web Services initiative, which will enable Web sites to access Rhapsody music services. Web portals, community sites, music sites, and other web sites wanting to integrate music services into their web experience can now access services such as song playback and editorial content.
The new Rhapsody Web Services initiative will enable websites to integrate Rhapsody music services. Tools for Web sites to create links, called "Rhaplinks," to individual music tracks, full albums, and radio stations that can be integrated into their Web sites and that enable immediate playback from Rhapsody.com;
* XML feeds, including RSS, of Rhapsody editorial information about music, which third party Web sites can integrate directly into their sites -- such as new releases, top 10 tracks, and top 10 albums.
* A blog for developers to participate in the future roadmap and development of the Rhapsody Web Services initiative.
More information can be found at http://www.rhapsody.com/webservices.
Initial companies supporting Rhapsody.com and the Rhapsody Web Services initiative include Comcast, RollingStone.com, and MSN. Specific implementations include:
* Comcast became the first service provider to launch a new Web-based Rhapsody radio service. The Comcast Rhapsody Web Radio service is currently available to Comcast's 8.1M broadband customers. The service further complements Comcast's online music offering, which also includes: Rhapsody Radio PLUS, Rhapsody Unlimited, and Rhapsody To Go. Comcast Rhapsody Radio provides 50 commercial-free, genre-based stations (www.comcast.net/music).
* RollingStone.com, the official online presence for pop culture icon Rolling Stone, has integrated Rhapsody web services technology throughout its site. The new site, http://www.rollingstone.com/ enables visitors to sample full length free tracks in Rhapsody and view music videos along with the magazine's archive of groundbreaking music news coverage, feature articles, interviews, photos, movie/album reviews and in-depth political reporting.
* In the coming weeks, Rhapsody.com will be available within Microsoft's WiMP 10, and in the coming months, MSN will be using Rhapsody Web Services to integrate Rhapsody into its MSN Search, MSN Messenger and MSN Music services.
For more information, visit http://www.rhapsody.com./
Kevin Foreman
Using konqueror, it says:
"Incompatible Browser
We're sorry. We currently only support the following browsers: Internet Explorer 6 and higher, Firefox 1.0.1 and higher, Safari 1.3 and higher and Netscape 8 and higher.
Firefox 1.0 users, click here to upgrade"
Ok, let's try using Firefox 1.5:
"To play music, you'll need to do a quick install
Just follow these two easy steps.
1.
Install Rhapsody Music Engine
Click the button below and follow our direction on the next screen.
2.
Register Free
Get a free Rhapsody Account.
No Credit Card required.
We're sorry but the combination of your operating system and Firefox 1.5 is not currently supported."
Will Linux users use Real's product?
If you use Xandros the RealPlayer comes as the default media player. This is not a bad deal either, because the Linux player is not crammed full of ads- it does what a media player should: play media. I give the Xandros guys a lot of credit, too, because ever since they started bundling the RealPlayer with their distro, they've been the ones to actually make the install work. Prior to that, Real had (still does I think) it listed as an alpha.
I would think more Linux folks would be attracted to Real, actually, because they have the open source version of the player and server, Helix and last I checked neither Apple nor MS have made their player OSS.
R(k)
I've used Rhapsody for a year or two now. It's a decent service. Ignore their "programming". Listen to what you want to listen to. As far as it being in a browser, their windows based program pretty much implements a browser in the app itself...which is kinda slow and kludgy...i think trying one that is actually stand alone browser-based might improve things.
;)
...helps me decide what music i wanna track down to stick on my ipod.
NOTE: I don't buy music through rhapsody. I use it to sample new releases, catch up on things I might have missed before, track down the odd song from my youth, and listen to stuff that is available on usenet before I download it.
For the $9/month (or around there, i haven't checked in a while) its the easiest way to listen to music that i don't already own (the only exception is the old days of audiogalaxy. Best. Site. Ever.)
-p
"...it brings the first real subscription music service to Mac"
If you ignore EMusic.. which has had an OS X download client for some time now
[place
Not sure the DRM applies here- the music is streamed into a player, not downloaded for playback later.
R(k)
Since it's a subscription service, yes. It is intended to be more or less streaming only. The player will cache content so that you don't have to stream it *every* time, but encryption is required to make it a subscription service rather than a free download site.
On the other hand, if you use the Windows app and purchase content, you'll download CD-quality tracks that you can burn, and have all the rights you'd have to any audio CD.
I used Rhapsody on Windows, (when I still ran Windows) and I liked it a lot. But no linux, no rhapsody. I'll be following this closely.
Barbara
Debian unstable Registered Linux user #226117
My blog:Real Health
what are you talking about? I went to real.com (it loaded up just fine on firefox". Clicked on the listen for free button. Downloaded the plugin for firefox. Signed up. And it started playing music. Seems like an okay execution. No problems for me (except ofcourse the 25 play limit / mo).
1. Download the plugin here, and SAVE TO YOUR HARD DRIVE: http://forms.real.com/real/player/download.html?f= unix/rhapx/RhapsodyPlayerEngine_Inst_Linux.xpi
/usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/
2. Open it with Ark or something and copy nprhapengine.so to
3. Restart Firefox.
4. Spoof Firefox 1.5's UA with User Agent Switcher extension to be Firefox 1.0.7 instead:
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8) Gecko/20051111 Firefox/1.0.7
5. Use Rhapsody.
I have used this method to make it work in Mozilla 1.7.2, I don't see why it wouldn't work in Firefox.