I've been a system integrator for over ten years and have always searched for the magic solution to affordably allow customers to manage their music. Early on it was the mega CD players and now we have reasonably priced media servers such as Russound's SMS3 and ReQuest. While the media servers come the closest to a "perfect solution", I'm beginning to question the very need to even own music in today's environment.

Services like Rhapsody allow you to have instant streaming access to over 1,000,000 songs and their software allows you to burn and integrate CDs you own into the "My Library". Thus, if Rhapsody doesn't have the artist/track you want, you can supplement your library with "owned" music.

The disconnect that had plagued Rhapsody was that it was not portable as you had to have a broadband connection to listen to the service. While you can buy and burn music in Rhapsody, like iTunes, it meant portability came at a price above the monthly recurring fee.

Now, however, Rhapsody has a new service called "Rhapsody To Go" which is $15.00/month. This model allows the user to fill their MP3 player with as many songs as their player will hold (Note: Only some MP3 players work with the service. iPod is NOT one of them:( ). Thus, you can fill a 15GB MP3 player with as many songs as you want for $15/month. As a consumer, I'm happily willing to pay for this.

Understanding the Rhapsody model, is the concept of buying CDs dead?

I'm not trying to be a spokesperson for Rhapsody, but have had the service for over a year and love it. I have introduced the service to a number of clients and have had mixed reviews. The concept is almost like TiVo. People who get, get it and think it's the best thing ever.

For my clients that get it and love it, I've used media adapters like the Prismiq to serve as a TV interface so they don't feel compelled to have to use the PC whenever they wany to pick an artist, track, or playlist.

Sonos has a new player that allows the album art to show up on the wireless controller, making the Rhapsody service fun and easy to use.

Anyway, I appreciate those that have read through this thought and look forward to reading the views of others.

Fortunatly, Some people still care about Sound Quality......... RHapsody, (ANd MP3 in general) lack SQ.........

And secondly, the number of people comfortable with using a PC for their only source of music is pretty damn small.

I appreciate the feedback.

While I'm a big music fan, I'm not the absolutist you are. I prefer mass selection over a few HD-quality CDs. I've found that most of my clients feel the same way. Since I make my living by selling and installing residential technology solutions, I need "tools" that fit the masses in addition to the few that are absolutist.

In regards to the small number of people using the PC for music, I absolutely disagree. The millions of iPods and other MP3 players sold in the US substantiates this. Most of my clients have multiroom audio systems and like the ability to choose different sources (DirecTV/Comcast MusicChoice, XM/Sirius Radio, AM/FM radio, etc.). Thus, I never meant to imply that Rhapsody was the end-all, be-all of music content. As the subject reads, "is the concept of OWNING/BUYING music dead?"

I only buy my music on CD, it is the only way to guarantee for me that the artist that recorded it gets a cut of the money and that nothing illegal is going on. My wife downloaded one song of the internet so I formatted my computer, I do not believe in free anything.

It's not just sound quality. Unsigned artists, underground label's out of print rarities, none of these will be found on rhapsody, since they don't have brittany spears / 50 cent popularity. (slight exageration)

I still buy cd's all the time in small record stores here in seattle. I'm always amazed to find a bands that have been creating amazing music that I never new exhisted.

What truly bothers me is that I am now made to feel that I don't own cd's and dvd's that I have purchased. If Kaleidescape looses thier case, we might as well all sign up to rhapsody, since we will no longer have the right to do what we want with what we have bought.

You guys are missing two important issues regarding Rhapsody.

1. Rhapsody has license agreements with many of the major/indy labels including Sony, BMG, and EMI. Thus, the labels, bands and artists available on Rhapsody ARE getting their cut. The software is spam/Adware free and the service is 100% LEGAL.

2. Rhapsody allows you to integrate the CDs you own into its interface and store them in .ACC MP4 format (lossless). So, if you can mix your purchased music, in a lossless format, to an additional 1,000,000 songs, where is all of the crying coming from.

How about some perspective?
You can relax about that one a little bit now that The Supremes have declared that your house and property can be seized if some other private party can use it in a way that raises more taxes than your tax-inefficient home. Wait; let's not get emotional here: house.

What is absolutist about wanting a recording in high fidelity instead of mp3? MP3 is the BOSE of recording and reproducing techniques! Great press, lots of fans, and just does not live up to the standards of high fidelity!

I think Rhapsody may become the replacement for radio as far as hearing new music. All kinds of people upload what they are listening to, Not some Clear Channel programmer. I'm thinking of signing on just to have a way of staying up on new artists.
I remember when radio stations used to play whole albums at night, and some people I knew would record it and be happy. I bought the albums for the better sound, and for the cover and the liner notes.

I bet that Rhapsody and Itunes pay the artists better per song because the tracking is better than radio stations.

I used to love uninterrupted listening, through a high quality system, of an artists entire album that I'd just purchased.

BUT, now I have noisy kids, a busy house and I only spend about half my week here anyway as the rest of it is spent putting music in other peoples homes.

For me... Rhapsody is exactly what modom said. A way to keep up with new music. Radio in Seattle (cell service as well) basically sucks. The terrain has you changing stations often. I use my car as my listening environment because its about the only time I get alone (thats IF I turn my appendage known as the cell phone off). I know you can have a high quality car stereo but road noise etc. have the same effect as the home cacaphony. It seems that sound quality is going by the wayside and that this generation is less concerned with it.

I still have my 1400+ CDs and 800+ vinyl records plus a collection of local music on cassette tapes (heck I even have a reel to reel and a Betamax) but I also have a huge hard drive full of my favorite stuff in lossless format and i think its a great way to distribute my music through the house and yard (anything to help drown out those noisy kids!!)

MP3s are the modern version of the 8-track. They are fine for novelty songs and any music that has the same shelf life as fresh fish but real music deserves a real playback medium.
When I play music I listen to music it is not just background noise. Putting the disc in the player or the LP on the turntable is part of the experience.
I also enjoy going to the record store and buying music. It's fun to flip through the racks to see what they have. I still order music at the record store if they don't have what I'm looking for.
The internet is always my last choice for buying music.
I'm a little surprised to hear a pro talking about internet sources for music. It seems that once a week someone here complains about a customer wanting to source his own equipment because they can buy it cheaper on the internet. I'm sure some of you have reatail outlets where people just walk in and buy equipment . If they can buy music on the internet why not a reciever? You can't expect your customers to buy locally if you won't.

I think that's a bit off the mark. music does not need setup, training or any of the other things we do. This is about content, not gear. I'm an audiophile, which means I pretty much hate MP3 and everything it stands for but internet music access is big and just going to get bigger.