LISTEN.COM: THEY THINK, THEREFORE iM

Having nailed down music from all five major label groups and a score of indies, not to mention deals with the broadband units of DirecTV and AOLTW-owned cabler Road Runner, what can Listen.com’s streaming-music service Rhapsody do for an encore?

Well, it can jump off the desktop, for one.

That’s right, Rhapsody will now be available to users of iM Radio, the eclectic online-radio band and tuning system that streams from devices made by Philips, Panasonic and Creative.

Well, whaddya want? It’s a slow news week.

Anyway, iM Radio users will be offered a free 30-day trial of the service, and Rhapsody’s artist database will be integrated into the system’s overall e-commerce platform.

"iM Networks users are passionate broadband music consumers who want to discover new music," declared iM COO Elliot Solomon, who will continue to party like it’s 1999 for as long as he has a gig. "Our alliance with Listen.com enables us to deliver exceptional value and content to our listeners and our partners in the consumer electronics industry. And speaking of exceptional value, can I interest you in some AOLTW stock?"

"Listen shares iM Networks’ vision for enabling music lovers to enjoy high-fidelity digital music anywhere in the home," declared Listen CEO Sean Ryan. "Rhapsody is a perfect complement to their family of products, offering on-demand access to one of the world’s largest libraries of digital music, delivered in the high-quality sound iM Networks customers expect."

In other Listen.com news, the company announced a partnership to provide NETGEAR customers a 30-day free trial of the Rhapsody service. With NETGEAR's networking products, including wireless access points, routers and adapters, , customers will now be able to enjoy unlimited access Rhapsody’s catalog from virtually anywhere.

That’s great, Sean. We know another way music lovers can enjoy high-fidelity digital music anywhere in the home. It’s called a CD.