Real’s Mantra to Success: Free Music?

RealNetworks’ Mantra to Success: Free Music?

Apple is the current leader in the digital music segment. They sell more songs on the net than any other service through their iTunes Digital Music Store and iPod happens to be the most popular digital music player on the planet. Many players in the market have tried to snatch away a chunk of their market but failed. Apple has excellent marketing strategies and even Microsoft has failed to match their efforts.

However, not everyone is giving up. First, it was Napster to launch subscription-based services. Now it is the old foe of Microsoft RealNetworks. They launched their Rhapsody Music Subscription service. However, the more interesting part of the deal is the freedom they give to the new users to listen to 25 songs for free. The aim is to target Apple who only offers the customers a 30-second preview of the song.

They released the new version of their application Rhapsody on Tuesday which this enhanced capabilities. It is different from the normal streaming options some stations provide, as the music offered in the 25-song package would be available on demand. Real CEO Rob Glaser is quite excited about this offer as he spoke to the media: “We think this will be transformational. If you say to people, ‘Go try it, with no obligation,’ that’s incredibly powerful.”

The company does not even require the customer to fill in the credit card information for verification. They have gone into collaboration with partners in search engine giant Google and auto major Chrysler to help them handle the project costing. Research has proved that customers are more likely to buy a product after having tried it for free. And the concept of free music from Real just might be work out.