Thanks Webgraph for this one, RealNetworks-backed MusicNet is giving a sneak-peek at the digital music subscription service the music industry hopes will help replace online song-swapping services such as Napster and MusicCity.
Strangely enough, it looks and feels much like those same file-trading services, which the record industry has spent two years in court trying to eradicate. But that could turn out to be a benefit, especially if they are to woo a generation of digital music aficionados weaned on Napster and its rivals.
The preview version provided by MusicNet--a joint venture between RealNetworks, AOL Time Warner, Bertelsmann and the EMI Group--is only a taste of what consumers will actually see, however. America Online and RealNetworks each are building the technology into their own services deeply enough that the actual interface and set of features could be very different.