The Rhapsody Challenge

Michael Gartenberg | October 05, 2006, 10:50 AM

David Card nails the issue dead on. One of the biggest challenges for Real going forward with Rhapsody is going to get folks to focus on the holistic benefits of the service, otherwise reviewers just compare device to device. The power of Rhapsody lies at the core of the differentiation of their whole business model, subscription services vs. single song downloads. The fact that they have a credible mobile story in the guise of the partnership with Sandisk and a credible home solution with Sonos are the other parts of that experience. Unless Real starts to work to evangelize the market on that different fundamental experience, they are going to face more reviews like this one.
In reading other comments, I also realized that there’s going to have to be not only a lot of education in terms of the benefits of a the subscription model but also shattering some of the myths. For example, in one review I read today, the author states that if you stop paying subscription fees, your entire collection stops working. That’s not accurate, only the content you’ve been renting will stop working.
I’m not suggesting that Rob Glaser needs to don a black turtleneck and take the stage in SF but Real is going to have to really start doing some work on messaging the entire Rhapsody experience if they’re going to make the inroads they aspire to.