“It makes sense that RealNetworks and MTV are partnering with one another–they have a lot in common,” Ina Fried reports for CNET News.
“Both companies linked up with Microsoft and had high hopes for the marriage. But both found their partner to be less than faithful. Jilted by Redmond, they hope to find in each other a more stable companion,” Fried reports. “Of course, the RealNetworks-MTV alliance, called Rhapsody America, is not about the one they have loved and lost, but the one who has rebuffed them altogether–Apple.”
“For years, companies big and small, alone and with various partners, have sought to rival the iPod-iTunes combination. Yet, they have had little success. Having sold 3 billion songs, Apple is not only the largest digital music store, but one of the biggest music stores in the U.S., surpassing Amazon.com and Target,” Fried reports. “Indeed, it was Microsoft’s desire to dethrone iTunes that led it to RealNetworks in the first place, and later to MTV.”
“As of July, Apple was citing NPD statistics stating that only Wal-Mart Stores and Best Buy still sell more albums than iTunes. When it comes to online music stores, NPD found that iTunes captured 70 percent of the market share for single-track downloads to PCs in 2006; eMusic, which sells only songs without digital rights management software from independent labels, came in second with 10 percent, and Napster came in third with 4 percent. Rhapsody and MSN Music tied for fourth place with only 3 percent of the online music market share,” Fried reports.
Fried covers the history of some of Microsoft’s jilted partners and their wholly unsuccessful attempts to crack Apple’s dominance here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Adam W." for the heads up.]
Two wrongs still don’t make a right.
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