On Leaving Real Networks and Rhapsody
After seven years building Rhapsody and the technology that became the engine for Rhapsody, it is time to move on. It is hard to imagine that time has flown by so quickly. During those years, I've had the pleasure of working with some truly outstanding people while building the technology and the service that is now known as Rhapsody.
With the help of these dedicated and hardworking folks, spanning three companies, first at TuneTo.com, then at Listen.com, and most recently at Real Networks, we created something truly great that has forever changed the way people discover, access, and organize music.
On a personal note, I have accomplished everything I set out to do with the on-demand music service technology, especially now with the recently announced Microsoft-Real Networks agreement. When I conceived of the RAD/EA (file splitting and caching) and performance complement technologies (DMCA compliant client side customized radio play lists) in 1998, both of which are integral parts of what has made Rhapsody so successful, I remember telling nearly everyone who got the TuneTo.com pitch, “This technology ultimately needs to be acquired by either Real Networks or Microsoft”. It is unbelievably satisfying to see that Rhapsody has become a primary revenue driver for Real Networks, and now with the Microsoft agreement, Rhapsody is positioned to be the favored music subscription service for Microsoft too. It really is bigger than I dreamed it would be…and as anyone who got the pitch for TuneTo.com will recall, I had a grand vision for the technology.
Of course vision is important, but so is execution and none of this would have been possible without the many, many people who believed in the vision and contributed over the years to bring it to life.
With the help of these dedicated and hardworking folks, spanning three companies, first at TuneTo.com, then at Listen.com, and most recently at Real Networks, we created something truly great that has forever changed the way people discover, access, and organize music.
On a personal note, I have accomplished everything I set out to do with the on-demand music service technology, especially now with the recently announced Microsoft-Real Networks agreement. When I conceived of the RAD/EA (file splitting and caching) and performance complement technologies (DMCA compliant client side customized radio play lists) in 1998, both of which are integral parts of what has made Rhapsody so successful, I remember telling nearly everyone who got the TuneTo.com pitch, “This technology ultimately needs to be acquired by either Real Networks or Microsoft”. It is unbelievably satisfying to see that Rhapsody has become a primary revenue driver for Real Networks, and now with the Microsoft agreement, Rhapsody is positioned to be the favored music subscription service for Microsoft too. It really is bigger than I dreamed it would be…and as anyone who got the pitch for TuneTo.com will recall, I had a grand vision for the technology.
Of course vision is important, but so is execution and none of this would have been possible without the many, many people who believed in the vision and contributed over the years to bring it to life.
posted by Tim Bratton at 6:04 PM
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