Napster vs. Rhapsody: Pros, Cons and the Fine Print
Both offer music downloads for a flat monthly rate. Both have a huge selection of music. But which is the better buy? We’ll delve into the fine print behind the marketing campaigns of these two music download services to find help you determine your best buys.
| Service | Napster | Real Rhapsody |
|---|---|---|
| Current Promotion | 7-Day FREE Trial with UNLIMITED Access! | 14 Day Trial and 5 FREE Songs! |
| Payment Plans | $0.99/track $9.95-$13.95/album $13.95/month Subscription |
$0.89-0.99/track $8.99-9.99/album $14.99/month Subscription |
| Pros | Can download MP3s | More intuitive interface |
| Cons | More limited selection | Cannot download MP3s |
| Songs Available | 2 million | 3 million |
| The Fine Print | If you cancel your subscription you may lose acess to some downloaded music | Monthly fee is for listening only-- downloading music costs extra |
| Best Buys Choice | If your MP3 player is a permanent fixture (you need to download MP3s), you may enjoy the ease of downloading with Napster. | We liked Rhapsody for its more intuitive interface and greater variety of songs. If you generally listen on your computer, we choose Rhapsody |
| Sign Up | Click here to sign up for Napster now! | Click here to sign up for Rhapsody now! |
Napster vs. Rhapsody: Limitations
There are hardcore fans on either side of Napster vs. Rhapsody debate, but there are others who have spoken out about the real issues with the two music download companies. The biggest complaint among those who have tried Rhapsody is slow download time and poor quality of music with .wma files.
On the flipside, the most common gripe among those who have tried both Napster and Rhapsody is the fact that Napster tends to have a more limited selection than Rhapsody does. Plus, people who have tried both services tend to feel that Napster has a more cumbersome interface.
One of the biggest limitations of Rhapsody is that you can’t download MP3s. Instead, you’ve got to burn them to a disc, and then turn them into MP3s. The wording on Rhapsody’s website is a little tricky on this fact and if you were to read it too quickly, you may think that you can in fact download MP3s directly. Take a look at this verbiage from the Rhapsody website:
Can I burn CD's and play my MP3's with Rhapsody?
Yes and yes. Using the free Rhapsody Music Software, you can burn tracks that are purchased from Rhapsody onto CD. You can also use the Rhapsody Music Software to burn CDs created from your personal MP3 collection. Streamed and downloaded (but not purchased) membership tracks cannot be burned onto a CD.
Napster vs. Rhapsody: “Radio” Stations
Rhapsody offers a cool feature called “radio stations” where you can listen to a bunch of streaming songs on your computer from various artists that are similar to an artist that you already know you like. This is a great way to discover new music and also to hear music that isn’t currently available on any music download services because of licensing rights.
Napster
also has a radio station feature that will build songs based on several
songs of your choosing. The downside is that these songs are selected
from the current inventory, which we’ve already mentioned is smaller
than Rhapsody’s, and therefore doesn’t include music that is otherwise
available on music download sites.
Best Buys: Napster vs. Rhapsody
We liked Rhapsody for its more intuitive interface and for the radio station feature that offers access to a greater variety of songs that can’t be accessed any other way through the site. On the other hand, those who live for their MP3 players were turned off by the extra steps required to get the songs onto their player. What your best buys choice really boils down to is how you listen to your music. If you generally listen on your computer, we choose Rhapsody, but if your MP3 player is a permanent fixture, you may enjoy the ease of downloading with Napster.