(CelebrityAccess News Service) – RealNetworks, the global leader in digital media services and software for consumers and businesses, reports that consumer usage of the Rhapsody Internet jukebox service jumped sharply again in October. Rhapsody subscribers streamed more than 28 million on-demand songs in October, an average rate of over 900,000 songs per day and an increase of more than 33% in subscribers' on-demand listening since September.
Rhapsody subscribers also crossed a major new threshold earlier this month by streaming over one million on-demand songs in a single 24-hour period, further evidence of consumers' growing interest in Rhapsody as the natural successor to illegal file-sharing and the best way to enjoy digital music online. Today's news comes just one week after RealNetworks announced that more than 250,000 consumers subscribed to its premium music services at the end of the company's fiscal third quarter (September 30), including Rhapsody and the RealOne RadioPass Internet radio service, making RealNetworks the clear leader in providing subscription music services to online consumers.
"Rhapsody has caught on with music fans because it gives them access to the 30,000-album music collection they've always dreamed about and lets them listen as much as they want without paying $1 per song," said Sean Ryan, vice president of music services, RealNetworks. "This 'all-you-can-eat' model has helped make Rhapsody the leading music service for consumers with a fast Internet connection, a healthy dose of musical curiosity and the desire to listen to their favorite artists, albums and playlists from any Web-connected PC."
Rhapsody's Top 10 artists in October were Outkast, Dido, Coldplay, Eminem, Sting, Limp Bizkit, The Rolling Stones, 3 Doors Down, 50 Cent and Pink Floyd.–Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
