Rhapsody for iPhone updated, now takes its music offline (in a good way)
We heard back in mid-March that Rhapsody for iPhone was getting an offline mode for downloading music and playing at times of no reception (like most subway rides). Good news, folks, today is the day the app get this coveted update. Lest we forget, too, with this summer's OS 4 release finally enables background music, Real's aural offering just got even more enticing. Press release after the break, or hit up the iTunes link to download now -- don't forget, though, that a monthly subscription plan is still required for playback.
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PRESS RELEASE: Rhapsody Brings Subscription Music to the iPhone, iPod
touch and iPad
Fans Can Now Download Rhapsody Playlists and Enjoy Their Favorite
Music Anywhere, Even without an Internet Connection
SEATTLE – April 26, 2010 -- Rhapsody today launched a new version of
its popular Rhapsody for iPhone app with an important new feature:
music fans can now download their favorite Rhapsody playlists to their
iPhone™, iPod® touch or iPad™ so they can listen any time - even when
they're not connected to the Internet.
Rhapsody is the first U.S. service to enable people to download
subscription music to the iPhone. By downloading playlists directly to
their device, fans can enjoy Rhapsody anywhere: on the subway, on an
airplane, even on a submarine.
"Today marks a turning point for Rhapsody and subscription music,"
said Jon Irwin, Rhapsody's president. "By making Rhapsody accessible
anywhere people want to hear music --and not just the places where
they have an Internet connection-- we're giving music lovers a new way
to discover and enjoy music on the devices they love."
Version 2.0 of Rhapsody for iPhone is now available in the U.S. for
free from the Apple App Store. It is a new version of the iPhone app
that Rhapsody first launched last September.
Using Rhapsody for iPhone, subscribers can stream (and now download)
music from Rhapsody's catalog of over 9 million songs, listen to
Internet radio stations, create new playlists on the go, or access the
playlists they have already created through Rhapsody. The app also
makes it easy for people to buy songs from the iTunes® Store. In the
coming months, Rhapsody will add the ability to download individual
songs and albums (in addition to playlists) as part of an update to
the Rhapsody for iPhone app.
Using the app requires a Rhapsody subscription, either to the
$10-per-month Rhapsody Premier offering Rhapsody introduced earlier
this month (which provides access to Rhapsody on one mobile device) or
to the $14.99 Rhapsody Premier Plus plan (which lets people access the
service on up to 3 mobile devices). More info on those plans is
available at http://www.rhapsody.com/-discover/plans.
In its most recent forecast on the U.S. digital music market,
Forrester Research predicted that over the next four years the number
of people subscribed to services like Rhapsody will double to more
than five million, up from approximately 2.1 million today*. Wireless
subscribers will be one of the major drivers for that growth.
Rhapsody is now the only on-demand music service available on the
iPhone platform. Earlier this month, the company also launched a
mobile app for the Android platform. In addition, the company is
developing a mobile app for BlackBerry® smartphone users that will
launch this summer.
* Source: Forrester Research forecast "US Music Forecast, 2009 To
2014" by Sonal Gandhi with Mark Mulligan, Seth Fowler & Laura
Wiramihardja: http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/us_music_forecast%2C_2009_to_2014/q/id/55347/t/2
About Rhapsody
Rhapsody is a digital music service that lets you listen to any song
you want, wherever you are. For a flat monthly fee, subscribers can
access Rhapsody's catalog of over 9 million songs anywhere they want
to hear music, including from their PC, laptop, home stereo, TV, MP3
player and mobile device (including the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and
Android-powered handsets). Rhapsody is based in Seattle. For more
information, visit www.rhapsody.com.
