Streaming music plays in real time while it is temporary copied to a user's computer. While services such as Apple's iTunes Store sell digital music that must be fully downloaded in order to be played, Rhapsody allows users to listen to an essentially infinite database of music on demand. Once a streaming session is terminated, the temporary file is automatically erased from the user's computer.
RealNetworks maintains digital copies of each song available on Rhapsody. These digital files are stored on high-powered computers called servers, which are connected to the Internet. When a customer chooses to play a song by clicking an associated link or icon, a request is sent to the appropriate server. That server responds by sending a copy of the stored digital file.
At over 50 megabytes each in their raw form, digital audio files are too big to stream. To reduce size, those files are compressed. The level of compression is reflected in the term "bitrate." Files with higher bitrates are less compressed than those with lower bitrates. Compressing a digital audio file often results in lower audio quality. Rhapsody streams its music at a bitrate of 256 kbps in MP3 format, which is generally considered upper-tier audio quality.
A Rhapsody streaming subscription is a cost-effective way to gain access to a vast library of music from many eras and musical genres. For about $13 a month, Rhapsody subscribers can explore the service's full catalog without having to make decisions about what to buy. Since the average cost to download a song from other services is about $1, someone who listens to a large amount of music stands to save considerable money by utilizing streaming technology.
An active Internet connection is required to stream music, and people who connect to the Internet with dial-up or slow connections may experience intermittent pauses in playback, called buffering.
Additionally, streamed music cannot be transferred to portable music devices such as iPods or burned to CDs, because it is leased to the customer for a specific period of time rather than sold outright.
Rhapsody-to-Go is a service that allows users to transfer Rhapsody music to a compatible portable media player, similar to the way iTunes Store downloads can be added to an iPod. Unlike an iTunes download, however, Rhapsody music is leased and the media player must be connected to the Rhapsody servers every 30 days to confirm the customer's subscription. Rhapsody-to-Go's preferred portable device is the Sansa line of MP3 players by SanDisk; the service does not support iPods.