5 Reasons I'm Dumping Rhapsody and Going Back to Yahoo Music and Last.FM
Yesterday, I cancelled my Rhapsody subscription after a couple of months of running it side by side with Yahoo Music. Of course, the cancellation required that:
- I actually call them rather than do it online.
- Argue for 10 minutes with "Daryl" in an offshore callcenter about whether I had actually understood the service.
- Listen to and decline the last-ditch pitch for a free month if I just wait until November to call "Daryl" again and cancel.
If I hadn't been certain of my decision before the call, I was determined beyond all doubt after arguing.
Anyway, the reason I cancelled is mildly convoluted, but makes sense to me. It all stems from the reason I signed up in the first place: to get access to my listening history via API.
The Rhapsody API gave me that, albeit limited in form. It was on the lines of the "Last XX" tracks. That's not ideal (I want access to complete history), but was a step in the right direction. Given that one of my favorite things about these online subscription music services is that I can listen to any new album that comes out, new artists, etc. without knowing in advance whether I'll like it or not. Unfortunately, that's already resulted in several instances where I listened to an album, liked it and couldn't remember who it was a week later.
Then, I found a plugin for Yahoo Music that submits the listened to tracks over at Last.FM. Those API's are also hooked into by other players as well, providing a much better place to store the musical attention history.
That left the 2 services open to a more fair comparison and Rhapsody lost out on pretty much all other counts.
- I hate the Rhapsody interface and see no way to ever change it. It's that ugly, black interface that is desperately screaming "I'm a media application". I just want a simple interface and, if I took the time to build one for Yahoo's skinning API, I could have exactly what I want. But, even the default one is much more subdued and fits into my desktop better.
- I never figured out a reasonable way to get the Rhapsody songs onto my MP3 player. I know it's possible because I paid for the "ToGo" account, but it wasn't as simple as it was for Yahoo's. I pretty much could just put the songs on and the licensing was taken care of.
- Rating songs, albums and artists in Rhapsody is a joke. On Yahoo, the little stars are right next to the playing title and don't make any changes to the page. You just darken the stars.
- Yahoo's way of getting a list of recommended songs into a playlist is just more intuitive. Beyond that, their personal radio station is a way to just get "good" music on random. I missed that on Rhapsody.
- Rhapsody's customer service sucks. When I had a problem with the number of PC's Yahoo thought I was using, I sent an email and had the PC count reset in a matter of hours. To cancel Rhapsody, I had to call an offshore call center, during "business hours". That's absurd, given that operating that call center during Eastern timezone business hours means that the operators are working at night. I just barely made it in time or I would have had to wait until today to do it.
So, I'm dumping Rhapsody. I'll be porting over the What I'm Listening To page to the Last.FM API instead. Otherwise, I'm just back to using Yahoo and will likely keep that subscription for a long time.
That's because, for the cost of 1.5 albums a month on iTunes (for tracks that I could only listen to on a specific MP3 player and a couple of computers), I can get ongoing access to thousands of albums on a few computers and a specific *class* of MP3 players. Given that I used to easily buy 2-3 new CD's a month, this is cheaper and I can still get the obscure CD's I want in addition.
September 22nd, 2006 at 7:27 am
Bonus reason: My multimedia keyboards on the home theater and at work will play/pause/stop etc. on Winamp, Yahoo Music, Windows Media Player, MediaPortal, etc. but not Rhapsody. Given that I frequently need to pause to go do something or answer the phone or talk to someone who comes to my desk, having to switch to the gaudy Rhapsody interface to pause just pisses me off.
October 5th, 2006 at 12:21 am
How did you get the Last.FM to interface with your "What I'm Listening To" Page like that?
Proprietary code? Care to share?
October 5th, 2006 at 5:21 am
I actually wrote it up on Tuesday:
http://www.wynia.org/wordpress/2006/10/02/grabbing-musical-attention-data-from-lastfmaudioscrobbler/
October 6th, 2006 at 5:16 am
help!!I need the tel # to cancel, i cant even get to manage my account.they are charging me for an account i cancelled a year ago for my daughter thanks
October 7th, 2006 at 9:18 am
I Want To Know
If Ican DownLoad Some Music
andHow Can IDo That With Out inId
andPleaseEmail Me Petew38@hotmail.Com
and I Live At117CarloCresent andMy PostalCode IsP1B8A9 and My Phone Number Is 1705-4769588
November 24th, 2006 at 10:17 am
For a different perspective:I have been using Rhapsody since about two months after it debuted (2002 or thereabouts), and I have always thought highly of it. In fact, except for Napster (which at the time Rhapsody came online, was an illegal music sharing site), there was pretty much no one else doing this to the extent Rhapsody was.At that time, there was no "portable music" problem because there were next to no MP3 player; MP3s were pretty much "computer only" media. Rhapsody WAS a bit behind the curve when it came to "music to go," and there FAQ entry for "when can I download music" for the longest time was "we're working on it."However, back a few years ago I glommed onto Replay Music, a stream recorder, and that was how I started my now-rather-extensive MP3 collection (large enough at least that I have a new 80GB iPod completely full, and still had to leave a whole lot of stuff off), with Rhapsody + Replay Music. Of course, doing it that way, I have never had any DRM issues with which to contend. My only regrets have been related to artists that don't appear on Rhapsody.Now, I'm an "old guy," 49 years of age, so my main focus has been less on "new music" (except for a few artists, mostly jazz), and more on "catching up" with the vast continent of stuff I (a) haven't ever heard before but wanted to have, (b) was familiar with but didn't have in recorded form, (c) stuff I USED to have in recorded form – mainly vinyl – but have no longer, and (d) stuff I have in recorded form but only on vinyl, cassette tape or on CD from before the "digitally remastered" craze began.Anyway, Rhapsody has always served my needs very well from that perspective, and I wouldn't dream of changing. I've looked a little bit at some of the other services, but they don't seem to offer ME any advantage over Rhapsody, so I stand pat.
February 15th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
You're lucky J.
I've been through the same cancellation torture, including
the long and pointless argument with the offshore call center.
I finally received my cancellation number, but Rhapsody
still keeps trying to charge my card twice a day.
Fortunately I left zero balance on the card just for such
occasion. I wonder if Rhapsody will ever get tired of trying
to rip me off. Anyone who is considering to sign up with
Rhapsody, be prepared. it's a commitment for life,
they may never let you go.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I think that I've wasted an hour or two trying to connect to Rhapsody's 'phone. The ability to subscribe and then not be able to unsubscribe does definitely qualify this organization as a scam. I spent many years in investigative work, and know many ways to neutralize these scumbags. It won't happen tomorrow, but just be patient; it will happen. And, legally, too!
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Hey, nothing to do with your current blog (though I did read it, and I think you should write more on consulting gigs – it was helpful).
Something way more important than money and work – do you still do Yahoo Music? I wanted to buy the SanDisk Sansa for the Yahoo subscription I have, but the Yahoo To Go site seems to have been removed.
Is it still working?
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:18 am
I ended up shutting my account down a while ago when I started using more Linux machines than Windows machines, and I think they've since shut down the service as well.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Do you have a subscription service now?
February 5th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Looks like we're all going to be stuck with Rhapsody now.
"Yahoo is selling its digital music subscription service to Rhapsody America – a partnership of Real Networks and MTV Networks – as it revamps its music strategy.
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Yahoo Music will continue to offer music videos, Internet radio and music downloads. But customers of its monthly Yahoo Music Unlimited service will be migrated to Rhapsody. No firm timetable has been set. Yahoo, which expects the deal to close by the middle of year, did not disclose terms."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20080204/tc_usatoday/yahoosellingmusicservicetorhapsodyamerica
February 11th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I was simply heartbroken after hearing about Yahoo's decision to sell YahooMusic to Rhapsody.
As a former MusicMatch subscriber, I already felt like a poor red-headed stepchild when MusicMatch sold to Yahoo… now we are getting sold again. Each time the price goes up too, and this time, way up!
I sure hope a miracle happens and the deal goes sour and Yahoo pulls up before it's too late. This is a prime example, in my opinion, why Yahoo is loosing dominance. Just when they get something right, someone gets a wild hair and drops the ball. By getting rid of their wonderful music service they are REALLY dropping the proverbial ball.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:08 am
How are they getting away with making us go through the phone call (uh, whut??) to cancel Rhapsody, something for which you sign up online? I know this is a scam to deter people from canceling. Some of us have a little trouble spending a half-hour on the phone during the work day!! So what can we do about it? I want to let everyone in the free world know about this, to spare them what many of us have already gone through.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 am
I had Yahoo Music and loved it, now that they've merged and I'm stuck with Rhapsody (which DOES NOT have the equivalent music selection as Yahoo Music, as we were assured by Yahoo's Answer page, grr!), I want out so bad.
Is there an alternative music source out there other than iTunes and Rhapsody? If there's a decent one, I'm so there. My subscription is up in May 09, and I'm NOT paying Rhapsody for another year's worth of misery.
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
HELP ME!!! My Songs (which are about 160) Are All Stuck On Rhapsody. I Have An Ipod Nano And I Would Like To Put Them BACK ON MY IPOD. It Says I Have 0 Songs, Some plzzzz help Me!!!
January 6th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Rhapsody lasted only a few days for me I took the free trial and checked it out for 2 days, Everything seemed easy enough . Now with 3 teenagers in my household a music service is something pretty needed. So I went for Rhapsody to go figured we could keep all 3 of their MP3 players loaded with tunes and I could listen to what I want while sitting at my Desk. They charged me the $14.99 right away along with an additional $8.91 that they couldnt explain and wouldnt refund when I called the Offshore Call center. Now thinking a little ahead I did pay for it with PayPal by generating a single use secure card, Now after all that only 2 days later they try and charge me another $14.99 and naturally the charge is denied and I get an Email saying my subscription has been discontinued until I pay them again. I call the Offshore call center again and they try hard to convince me that my 30days subscription had past even though I had only started it 3 days prior in fact only 5 days if you include the free trail days.
DONT call the call center unless you have no other choice these are the stupidest people on the planet and it will annoy you almost to tears
January 29th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I hate this company and their players. I've have a Rhap. player for about 2 years now and upgraded to the Ibiza. I have had problems with my last player of theirs, and now have even more and so mad at them! This player (the Ibiza) wont trasnfer songs, (very suddenly all this happened), wont play songs, and customer service is awful. The Tech people in India do their best, but are still pretty incompetant unless you deal with a supervisor. The american tech people directly at the company are horrible. The woman I've talked to twice is rude and listen to this: I'm trying (was) to exchange my player under the manafacturers warranty and she said I have to MAIL IN the receipt before I can even begin! Oh and she wouldn't give me the address to mail it to them, per company 'protocal'. What the?!? It's not worked proplerly for 2 months and now I have to wait for snail mail?!? This upsets me as I travel alot and now I wont have an MP3 player… (believe me, I need it with as much as I do!) My husband's works, maybe I just got the lemon, but seriously after dealing with the incompetancy I just am gonna find 'something' else I think. My husband is gonna have to work hard to replace this stupid thing and for me to keep using it as he still likes it. Me, HATE IT. Seriously if you have alot of music on your computer, dont get this. not worth the extreme headache.
March 29th, 2009 at 5:51 am
How is Rhapsody still in business? Why hasn't there been a class-action lawsuit filed for their unethical billing practices and deceptive sales of products & services? Somebody Please tell me how this company can put so many people through so much misery for so many years without any ramifications whatsoever?
March 29th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Do yourself a favor: Dump Rhapsody NOW;
Cut your losses, run, and don't look back;
Numerous sites reflect the same charges against Rhapsody; Most Importantly: Do NOT under any circumstances rely on a Cancellation Number from Rhapsody! A cancellation number will NOT prevent Rhapsody from resuming monthly charges a year later! Reporting your credit / debit card as lost is your ONLY protection!
PLEASE FORWARD A LINK OF THIS SITE TO ALL RHAPSODY MEMBERS YOU KNOW.