According to Playlistmag.com, Best Buy is apparently talking to San Disk and Real Networks to develop an online music store that will compete with the iTunes Store. The service is called the Best Buy Digital Music Store and is designed to help customers find the music they’re looking, purchase it and then download it to their digital device. Best Buy’s Digital Music Store is built on Real Network’s Rhapsody framework and the deal appears to include incentives for Real such as pushing their MP3 devices in the stores.
The Vice President of Music for Best Buy, Jennifer Schaidler is quoted as saying, “Look at it as Rhapsody 4.0 plus. You get all the stuff that’s there [on Rhapsody], plus more exclusive content.” This partnership might work provided it is able to loosen the strangle hold that the iPod and iTunes music store currently have on the digital music market. With ever-increasing market share for Apple, this will be no small feat.
