via Digital Music News
While most of the country is currently out buying Shuffles and Nanos to put under the tree, there are some contenders to the throne, and we're not talking Zune. Real's Rhapsody service has doubled its install base since last year, up to about 8 percent. Since Rhapsody requires its own separate installation, its safe to say a good number of those are actual paying customers. MTV's Urge service has carved out a nearly 4 percent install rate, not bad for a service that launched into a crowded field in May.
Rhapsody has been aggressive with its promotions, with an actual advertising budget and cross promotions with Best Buy and Sandisk (whose Sansa players have also been selling well for the holidays.) Urge has the backing of MTV, which certainly brings no small clout, and has been introducing new features like a recommendation engine that will generate a playlist based on user preferences.