Search Capabilities:  

Rhapsody offers all the search capabilities we expect to see in a top-rated music download service, including artist, album and title. We enjoyed using the search box because Rhapsody’s search engine will suggest artists and albums as you type; this is great if you are unsure of the correct spelling of an artist’s name. However, when a name is typed incorrectly, Rhapsody doesn’t suggest other possible options or spellings.

If you don't know the song or artist, or if you just want to browse, you can search by genre and subgenres. We found everything we were looking for with ease.

This service also offers interesting information and reviews from Rhapsody and Rolling Stone.     

Feature Set:  

Rhapsody comes with its own integrated music player, which allows you to download and listen to music faster. We found the player to be exceptionally easy to use and importing music that is already on your hard drive is almost automatic. You can also import your own CDs. You need this music player if you subscribe, but it is not necessary if you are just purchasing music.

If you are only interested in the MP3 download store, it is suggested, but not required you install Rhapsody’s MP3 download manager. The download manager is a small application that helps manage the songs and albums you download from Rhapsody’s MP3 store. Once your songs are downloaded, the manager will automatically add your music to Real Player, iTunes or Rhapsody’s music player. The Rhapsody download manager is only compatible with Windows operating systems.

Songs downloaded through the subscription service are protected using DRM. They are only compatible with Microsoft PlaysForSure devices like Creative Zen, Samsung and SanDisk. Rhapsody’s subscription service is not compatible with iPod or Zune. However, music downloaded from the MP3 store will work on all MP3 portable devices including iPod and Zune. MP3s are encoded at a 256 bit rate.

Rhapsody also has a free account that allows you to listen to 25 songs in their entirety for free, not just 30 second clips.

Unfortunately, Rhapsody does not offer additional digital media like movies, television or audiobooks.