Rhapsody Ads Eric Clapton

The TV commercial for the Sansa Rhapsody MP3 player caught my attention because it features Eric Clapton. The folks behind Rhapsody Online service may have captured certain market share by getting this major artist endorsement. Although he doesn't say anything specific about their player, the ad draws interest, especially for EC fans.

Plus his new release album with J.J. Cale is featured, The Road To Escondido, which is a smart marketing ploy; it's obvious the competitors are out to kill the iPod. The Rhapsody website also has a cool looking timeline where you can follow Clapton's musical journey.

The Sansa Rhapsody player adds some cool features, like the voice recorder and built-in microphone and FM tuner. Like the iPod, you can purchase various storage sizes; 2, 4 & 8GB (on the Sandisk version.) The large 1.8 inch screen and control wheel give it a friendly user interface, and remind me of Microsoft's Zune player, which has added WiFi connectivity so users can swap songs and photos. They both play video, which is now required functionality.

It's nice that the Rhapsody comes preloaded with hundreds of songs, but that can be viewed as a nuisance, like shareware pre-installed on a new computer. Just how many of those "freebies" will last once you upload and arrange your songs into personal playlists? I'm not too fond of the subscription only service, which costs $14.99 a month and synchs "channels" of music based on your preferences.

Having received an iPod nano earlier this year, I'm not about to spend big money for another player. I'd much rather invest in making my current music collection mobile, adding new songs, and maybe purchasing one of the cool add on external speakers. I'm currently using iTunes, but always looking for a better music service. I wouldn't really mind paying a monthly fee for a good subscription service, if I could just find the classic songs I want.

Related Tags: Music, Rock and Roll, Classic Rock, iPod, iTunes, Sansa Rhapsody, Zune, Eric Clapton, J.J. Cale, CybersMusic

Posted by Mike