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Posts with tag VerizonVCast

Rhapsody, Verizon Finally Selling DRM-Free MP3s

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 1st 2008 at 10:01AM



In the past, Rhapsody has put all of its efforts behind an all-you-can-eat, subscription-based music service, which is great for the insatiable music enthusiast who never leaves his or her desktop, but bad for the always on-the-go iPod addict. Now, Rhapsody is preparing to launch a downloadable MP3 store so it can directly compete with iTunes and hopefully attract more customers with its new iPod friendly format. These MP3s will be without DRM, which means they are free of the digital rights management (DRM) layer that prevents music files from being played on different types of players (like iPods).

Rhapsody's catalog of four million songs will also be available through partners like Yahoo! Music and Verizon Wireless' VCAST Music service, which will be selling DRM-free MP3s for $1.99 over-the-air (or 99 cents on your PC). This will certainly be a boon to Verizon VCAST Music customers, who heretofore were stuck with heavily-DRM-laden WMA files that were hard to move from one player or computer to another.

While the move from competing with Apple to embracing MP3s and the iPod may sound good on paper, the Web is scattered with the remains of those who tried to take on Apple's store and its iconic media player. Wal-Mart, Amazon, Napster, E-Music, and now Rhapsody, are all stuck fighting for the table scraps left over from iTunes' more than 70 percent market share. [Source: Reuters]

Verizon's VCAST Gets ESPN MVP

by Tim Stevens, posted May 16th 2007 at 9:35AM

The corpse of ESPN's ill-fated partnership with Sprint, ESPN Mobile, is still warm, having been killed off in December largely thanks to ridiculously expensive service plans. ($35 a month for 100 minutes? No thanks!) The service was expensive, but also offered unique and comprehensive features for sports fans.

Luckily for those who want the latest sports information in their pockets, ESPN hasn't thrown in the towel on the mobile game. Today, the network announced a partnership with Verizon Wireless to deliver a wealth of sports content through the carrier's VCAST network. Called ESPN MVP, the new service includes video highlights from ESPN shows like 'SportsCenter' and 'Pardon the Interruption,' live access to fantasy sports leagues, team schedules, player updates, and of course a plethora of scoreboards.

Essentially, it's all the great stuff you got on your ESPN Mobile phone, but now you can also access the multitudes of other offerings on the Verizon deck.

The best part is there's no additional cost beyond the current V CAST subscription fees, which range between $15 and $25 a month depending on whether or not you want all-inclusive video. Between this and Universal's new Movie Minutes, Verizon is looking like the place to be for those who need their mobile content.

Gallery: ESPN MVP



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