Last week, streaming media giant RealNetworks changed its Rhapsody digital music subscription service to better compete with Napster's Napster To Go service. Real will now offer three levels of Rhapsody service. The first, a free service called Rhapsody25, will provide subscribers with just 25 song downloads per month. The second, an update to the existing Rhapsody service, is a traditional digital music subscription service, and costs $9.99 per month. Finally, Real's Napster To Go competitor, called Rhapsody To Go (of course), costs $14.95 and provides the ability to copy downloaded subscription music to compatible devices such as the Creative Zen Micro and iRiver H10. I have no doubt that subscription services are the wave of the future. And let's face it: Napster To Go is ripe for the picking. My guess is that Real has a winner on its hands. I'll soon be comparing Rhapsody to Go with Napster To Go.
