Is RealNetworks Just Stinky Cheese?

[James Fee]

http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,688412,00.html

"Real is trying to wage a grassroots battle to shame Apple into working with it. The company posted an online petition titled "Hey Apple, Don't Break My iPod," which urges Apple to open its proprietary music copy-protection technology to RealNetworks. But the petition backfired, attracting little interest from anyone besides the Apple fanatics who write obscenity-filled screeds. Real comes off as anything but a hero. "Real doesn't understand it's fighting a brand battle," says Bradley Peacock, president of Chicago-based marketing consultancy Peacock Nine. RealNetworks, with its complicated downloads and annoying pop-ups, has never been adored, and it is going up against an aspirational brand that is. (That's why people wear the pocket-size device outside their clothing and use the distinctive white earphones even though other earbuds offer better sound quality.) "Apple offers a superior product addressing genuine consumer wants and needs," says Drew Neisser, president of New York-based Renegade Marketing. "Real was never beloved by its users, only tolerated. Even by presenting itself as a bargain brand, it can't overcome its inherent limitations. A stinky cheese smells regardless of how little it costs."

I tend to agree with the argument. Real isn't a viable choice for most people and those who buy iPods don't want to stick the RealPlayer on the computers just for cheap music. There is no push from iPod users to make Apple open up the player to other music stores and even if they wanted it opened, I'm sure support for Real's music choices wouldn't be high on the list.

[James Fee]

http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,688412,00.html

"Real is trying to wage a grassroots battle to shame Apple into working with it. The company posted an online petition titled "Hey Apple, Don't Break My iPod," which urges Apple to open its proprietary music copy-protection technology to RealNetworks. But the petition backfired, attracting little interest from anyone besides the Apple fanatics who write obscenity-filled screeds. Real comes off as anything but a hero. "Real doesn't understand it's fighting a brand battle," says Bradley Peacock, president of Chicago-based marketing consultancy Peacock Nine. RealNetworks, with its complicated downloads and annoying pop-ups, has never been adored, and it is going up against an aspirational brand that is. (That's why people wear the pocket-size device outside their clothing and use the distinctive white earphones even though other earbuds offer better sound quality.) "Apple offers a superior product addressing genuine consumer wants and needs," says Drew Neisser, president of New York-based Renegade Marketing. "Real was never beloved by its users, only tolerated. Even by presenting itself as a bargain brand, it can't overcome its inherent limitations. A stinky cheese smells regardless of how little it costs."

I tend to agree with the argument. Real isn't a viable choice for most people and those who buy iPods don't want to stick the RealPlayer on the computers just for cheap music. There is no push from iPod users to make Apple open up the player to other music stores and even if they wanted it opened, I'm sure support for Real's music choices wouldn't be high on the list.

[Felix Torres]

There are two aspects to this particular song-and-dance:

1- Real is the wrong outfit to be waging this fight, right though their position may be; they are simply too despised to be credible to Apple or their customers. Their fundamental position is "we believe MS is doing the right thing but since we hate their guts and are trying to take them to the cleaners we can't use their technology so we have to use Apple's".

2- The people and company Real is trying to save don't *want* to be saved. As the article points out, the Pod is an aspirational product that derives a good portion of its user satisfaction from the coolness factor.
Being a pod person is cool, hip...
It is as important to be known to be cool and hip as it is to have all your music at your fingertips. And of course, the coolness factor is devalued if there is even the slightest hint that the pod might someday cease to be cool. So Real's message that "someday you'll want to listen to your songs on another player" falls on deaf ears. Because what they are really saying is that the pod won't be cool forever.

Stinky cheese indeed.

[Jason Kravitz]

I have not installed a Real Player in years - I got sick of the forced marketing annoyance - most people offer a quicktime or windows media player stream anyway so it has not been a problem.

[Phoenix]

I never install Real. All it is, is big, fat, bloated junk. :lol: For real (no pun intended).

But there are some things that I listen do that demand Real, but I still won't install it. I install Real Alternative. Plays Real content without the ads, bloat, and all the other junk.

It's always worked like a charm and can be found here:

Click Here - Real Alternative