I mostly like it, there's very little that frustrates me, though some things do.
Written: Sep 10 '08 (Updated Sep 11 '08)
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If you love music, are inspired by it, intrigued by it, or want to learn more, Rhapsody is a great place to start. Admittedly, spending money right off the bat might not be the wisest thing to do for someone who isn't already enthused about music, but it does allow you to get a hold of almost any music you want for a price that rivals Amazon.com. In fact, Rhapsody's selection is better than Amazon's, in my experience. If I can't find some rare, obscure song anywhere else, I'm likely to find it on Rhapsody.
Example: I've recently become a fan of the song "Popcorn" by Gershon Kingsley, although, more accurately, I've become a fan of the Popcorn phenomenon. What am I talking about? Since 1969, when the song was released, cover versions and adaptations have abounded. First, KIngsley himself re-recorded it with his Moog Quartet, then one of the members of said quartet remade it with his band. And from there? It's been done countless times as an electronic/techno piece, it's been played on guitar, banjo, piano, and even beer bottles. The point is, I've been collecting versions that I enjoy for my playlist, and I managed to find quite a few on Rhapsody that were not on Amazon. The same is true of 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia". Many cover versions exist, some of which can be found on Rhapsody but not on Amazon.
There are bands and artists on Rhapsody that are not on Amazon, also. And once you find one, you can pull up a page with information on them, which also displays their top tracks. From a sidebar, then, you can select an album to listen to and go through it track-by-track. And you get to listen to the whole song instead of a 30-second sample!
This brings to mind one of my first problems with Rhapsody, however. I discovered relatively early on that the songs on Rhapsody are not copied to completion. What I mean is that they tend to be cut off just before the end in a lot of cases, and in some situations it's very obvious that a song ended a little too abruptly. For some it might not be an issue. You pretty much get the whole song, and if you're someone with a very short attention span (like most of America), you won't care. But for someone like me...it sucks!
The other thing is that some tracks are album only, and in other places they're not. One of the biggest reasons that I appreciate services like Rhapsody is that I don't have to buy a CD just to get one song, which in a lot of cases is the only song I want!
Minor problems aside, for 13 bucks a month, Rhapsody's a pretty cool deal. If nothing else, I can use it to listen to songs before I buy them on Amazon, and if I can't find the song anywhere else, I buy from Rhapsody. It's worth a shot if you love music. If you're not so much into digging and scratching for obscure stuff, I'd recommend sticking to Amazon.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
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