Retailer in pact with RealNetworks

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Monday, Aug. 18, 2003 | 9:15 a.m.

SEATTLE -- RealNetworks Inc. and electronics retailer Best Buy plan to announce a deal today in which customers can try out and sign up for RealNetworks' online music service at Best Buy's 560 stores across the country.

The deal, which unites traditional sales with the fledgling Internet business of digital music, boosts competition among companies racing to distinguish themselves in the market for legally downloading songs and albums over the Internet.

RealNetworks has been aggressively inking deals with high-speed Internet service companies to drive customers to its Rhapsody digital music subscription service, which it acquired in its recent purchase of San Francisco-based Listen.com. More are to come, said Dan Sheeran, RealNetworks' senior vice president of marketing.