Takeover bid? What takeover bid? We're just doing business as usual here at Yahoo!
Or at least that's how it seems from today's news that Yahoo will shut down its music subscription service, Yahoo Music, and signed a deal with Real Networks' owned Rhapsody. Offering a free, ad-supported subscription plan, as well as a paid subscription (Rhapsody Unlimited) which includes access to Rhapsody's radio stations and unlimited selection of music from Rhapsody's catalogue, Rhapsody will be a solid replacement for Yahoo's own service, and yes, just like Yahoo Music, it also has the DRM bug all over it.
All Yahoo Music Unlimited subscribers will be able to convert their music libraries to Rhapsody somewhere in the middle of 2008; for a limited time they will pay Yahoo's subscription fee ($8.99 per month), and then they will be required to convert to Rhapsody's payment plan, which is a bit more expensive at $12.99 per month.