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REALNETWORKS LAUNCHES REALONE RHAPSODY MUSIC SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
RealOne RHAPSODY Offers 79¢ Transfer to CD and Access to the World’s Largest Online Library of Major and Independent Label Music
CARLSBAD, CA, D: All Things Digital Conference - May 28, 2003 RealNetworks®, Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK) today announced a new music service, RealOne RHAPSODY®, a co-branded version of the popular RHAPSODY digital music subscription service. RealOne RHAPSODY offers consumers unlimited, ‘all you can eat’ access to the broadest library of major and independent label music with more than 330,000 tracks available for on-demand listening and more than 200,000 songs available for transferring to CD, aka ‘burning.’ At only 79¢ per track, RealOne RHAPSODY offers subscribers the lowest per-burn price available to U.S. consumers through any of the new generation of digital music services.
In addition, RealOne RHAPSODY subscribers can burn full albums or custom mix CDs, build their own custom Internet radio stations, listen to professionally-programmed stations, and browse extensive music information and editorial recommendations. Offered with a 14-day free trial, consumers can sign up for RealOne RHAPSODY for $9.95 a month. Subscribers to RealNetworks’ other subscription services will be able to sign-up for RealOne RHAPSODY service with one click. Please visit www.real.com for details on how to sign up for RealOne RHAPSODY.
“We are thrilled to introduce RealOne RHAPSODY which offers consumers what they want – a deep library for on-demand listening, a customizable radio service and extremely affordable burns for those songs they just can’t live without,” said Merrill Brown, senior vice president, RealOne Services, RealNetworks. “We are especially excited about the availability of burns to CD for a mere 79¢ – we believe this is a great offer to consumers who are now realizing the power of online music services.”
“We are extremely pleased to join RealNetworks in introducing the newest RealOne service, RealOne RHAPSODY,” said Sean Ryan, CEO, Listen.com. “RHAPSODY’s unlimited listening model is already a hit with subscribers, who listen to more than 250 unique songs a month on average. Adding 79-cent CD burning will enable subscribers to easily buy and own copies of songs they like the most at the lowest price anywhere.”
Last month, RealNetworks announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Listen.com. Listen.com introduced the RHAPSODY music service in 2001. The parties expect the acquisition to be final in the 2nd or 3rd quarter. With this acquisition, RealNetworks will own two of the Internet’s best subscription content services, the critically-acclaimed and market-leading RealOne SuperPass, which offers leading news, sports and entertainment programming, and the award-winning RHAPSODY music service. There are more than one million subscribers to RealNetworks’ subscription services.
For More Information: Erika Shaffer, RealNetworks, 206-892-6191, eshaffer@real.com Matt Graves, Listen.com, 415-934-2159, mgraves@listen.com
About RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading global provider of network-delivered digital audio and video services and the creator of the technology that enables digital media creation, distribution and consumption. Consumers use RealNetworks' RealOne Player and our content subscription services to create and play free and premium digital content. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks' products and services to deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks' consumer software at http://www.real.com. RealNetworks' systems and corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com.
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RealNetworks, RealOne , and SuperPass are trademarks or registered trademark of RealNetworks, Inc. Listen.com, the Listen.com logo and RHAPSODY are trademarks of Listen.com, Inc.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to: (a) the future acceptance by consumers of online music services; and (b) the closing of the acquisition of Listen.com by RealNetworks in the second or third quarter of 2003. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted include risks regarding the pace of development and consumer acceptance of legal online music distribution services, the continued growth of “free” peer-to-peer services, general macroeconomic trends, and whether and when closing of the acquisition of Listen.com by RealNetworks will occur. More information about potential risk factors that could affect RealNetworks' business and financial results is included in RealNetworks' annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002, and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2003, and from time to time in other reports filed by RealNetworks with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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