• USA Today , Wednesday, August 6, 2008 10:03 AM

Rhapsody music service, which offers access to over five million songs for a monthly fee, recently opened an MP3 store and began a new alliance with Verizon Wireless that puts its subscription music in front of nearly 70 million customers. Co-owned by Real Networks and MTV, Rhapsody is sallying forth against Apple's iTunes service -- which sells most songs for 99 cents apiece -- even after Yahoo Music announced it will shutter its subscription music service next month.

Verizon customers who subscribe to Rhapsody (they must also have an eligible data plan) get access to the songs in the Rhapsody catalog, and can move them to their phones via a PC -- but not through over-the-air access. The dream, Rhapsody gm Anu Kirk says, is for Rhapsody customers to get the urge to hear a song and pluck it directly into their phone from wherever they are, without a PC.

That day isn't here yet, due to Verizon's concerns that unlimited over-the-air downloads would slow down its network. Still, Kirk says Verizon -- and a new alliance that promotes the music service on social networks -- is Rhapsody's best shot in a long time.

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