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Music Unlimited

Subscription services give you legal access to the largest music collections on the planet. And new options are making them more tempting.

By Eric Hellweg, PCW Print   

Features Comparison

Rhapsody Delivers Streaming Music Nirvana

Features such as blogging and playlist browsing set the Rhapsody service (and its player software) ahead of the competition.

SERVICE

Price

Selection1

Sound Quality

Free trial period

Extra features

Musicmatch On Demand

$9.95 per month2

Over 800,000 songs

Good

7 days

E-mail your playlists to anyone; Music Discovery Engine makes good guesses about music you'll like.

Napster

$9.95 per month

Over 700,000 songs

Fair

7 days

Peek into other members' playlists or share your own; see what other members are playing in real time; communicate via message boards.

Rhapsody

$9.95 per month3

Over 800,000 songs

Good

14 days

Blog your playlists and comment on others'; Share your playlist or browse and listen to others' playlists; e-mail your playlists to anyone.

Virgin Digital

$7.99 per month

Over 1,000,000 songs

Good

14 days

Stream most of the library or download protected files; some songs are download-only and cost a dollar each beyond subscription fees.

Footnotes: 1The stated size of the music library is provided by the vendor and could not be independently verified. 2The service costs $9.95 per month if billed monthly; $8.95 if you pay in 3-month, $26.85 blocks; and $7.95 per month if you pay for 12 months at once ($95.40 total). 3$8.32 per month if you pay in 3-month, $24.95 blocks.

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