Rhapsody’s DRM-free music store offers little to excite

Rhapsody launched its own MP3 store today, joining the ranks of Amazon MP3, Napster, and a slew of others competing in the unprotected digital music market. Rhapsody’s MP3 store is available in public beta form today, and sells music from the Big Four (Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, and EMI) in addition to a slew of independent artists. Individual songs can be purchased for the typical 99¢ apiece and most albums land around $9.99, on par with most other online music services.

The move is part of what the company refers to as its “Music Without Limits” initiative—something that just as easily be called the “Assault Against iTunes” initiative. Rhapsody says that it wants to “turbocharge” the industry by moving away from proprietary DRM, and “empower” fans by allowing them to buy music in interoperable MP3 format.

Full story: arstechnica.com