By golly, they're Real-ly Listening?
Generally, I concur with Marc Canter that Real Networks got a very good deal in its acquisition of Listen.com, which has a very usable and enjoyable service in its Rhapsody service. The consolidation of music services seems inevitable, but the distribution of music today in other non-digital channels is hardly monolithic. What Rhapsody+RealOne makes is a "radio in the sky" that ultimately competes more with satellite radio services than the audio CD channel.
When Napster re-launches and sells songs one at a time to people who can play them again and again, just like today's CD, but with the power to customize the listening experience (who needs those B-side songs, anyway? In fact, when was the last time you bought a single with a B-side?) the the proverbial excrement will hit the fan.
Posted by Mitch Ratcliffe at April 22, 2003 06:31 PM | TrackBack