Rhapsody goes DRM Free...

Add Rhapsody to the ever-growing list of digital music retailers who have stripped DRM from their catalogs.

The joint venture between RealNetworks and MTV Networks today (June 30) converted its entire database of five million songs to the unprotected MP3 format, both for music accessible on its client-based application, as well as that on a re-launched Web-based store.

The move is part of a multi-faceted initiative that the company hopes will make Rhapsody the default music provider on the Internet by facilitating the act of streaming and buying music from multiple partners -- such as iLike, MTV, Verizon Wireless and Yahoo.

As part of the announcement, Rhapsody finally laid bare the details of its much-heralded partnership with Verizon Wireless. Under the agreement, Rhapsody will operate the online VCast Music store, where users can buy and downloads music online, as well as Verizon's wireless over-the-air music service.

A copy of any song purchased from a Verizon phone will be available DRM free from the online store, and users will be able to transfer any subscription-based Rhapsody tracks to up to 10 models of Verizon phones. Tracks downloaded to the phone will remain protected with DRM.

Most significantly, Verizon subscribers can opt to upgrade to the Rhapsody subscription service and place the monthly cost on their mobile phone bill.

Users will not be able to download subscription-based music OTA just yet (just a la carte tracks for now), but that capability is planned for the future. About 99% of the Rhapsody catalog will be available for purchase from mobile phones, and Verizon executives expect to finalize licensing deals with the remaining 1% soon.

But this is only the wireless element of the plan. Going DRM free, combined with the existing practice of letting non-subscribers stream 25 songs per month for free, allows Rhapsody to take a wholly Web-based approach to streaming and selling music online.

Without DRM, Rhapsody can now stream and sell music via a new Flash-based player simply, which does not require any software download or customer login. The 25-song limit is tracked by computer rather than individual. The player also offers a "buy this" option to acquire the track (however, users will need to set up an account to buy songs).

The company hopes this combination will allow it to act as a sort of music engine for the Internet, an initiative dubbed "Music Without Limits." Fans browsing partner Web sites will soon be able to stream in full any song listed on those sites (under the 25-song a month limit) and also have the option to purchase the song right there without having to launch a dedicated music store application like iTunes.