Rhapsody Comes To iPhone

Apple’s approval of the Rhapsody app for iPhone marks the first time a music streaming service has been approved for use in the U.S. on the popular handheld. On-demand Brit streamer Spotify is available in the U.K. and other countries, but not in America.

The initial launch of the app doesn’t provide the complete Rhapsody service for iPhone. Sure, you can stream music from Rhapsody’s servers to the mobile, but purchasing and downloading isn’t included in the app’s debut. However, RealNetworks says that feature should arrive by Christmas.

In the meantime you can stream to your heart’s content. Current Rhapsody subscribers are good to go, while newcomers get a seven-day free trial before having to join the ranks of paying customers at $14.99 per month.

What’s the big deal? Current music streaming services available for U.S. iPhone users are more along the lines of Internet radio. That is, you can tailor a channel to your tastes, but you don’t have complete control over the music.

But Rhapsody’s service is on-demand. Got a hankerin’ for “Free Bird”? Just select it through the application and Rhapsody streams it to you as long as you’re connected via WiFi or 3G.

That means you can jack your iPhone into your home or car stereo system and never touch a CD or radio dial again. Ever!

Up until now Rhapsody has provided its subscription service for compliant, non-iPhone MP3 players where customers can download tracks that are “tethered” to the service. Cancel your subscription and the tracks stops playing.

But with Rhapsody’s streams now available on iPhone, and with the download service yet-to-come, the iPhone universe just got a little more competitive and iTunes a little less monopolistic.

“This breaks us out of the non-Apple MP3 player segment and now we can reach the iPod and iPhone audience that was unavailable to us before,” said Neil Smith, Rhapsody of America’s VP of Business Management.

Click here for the Rhapsody Web site.