Rhapsody looks to steal some Spotify magic with sleek new iPad app

Streaming music service Rhapsody has launched an attractive new iPad app that could steal a little attention from its biggest rivals, the company announced today.

Rhapsody reached one million paid users in the U.S. far before Spotify did, but Spotify has attracted more attention during the past year or two, thanks to celebrity endorsements and a push to rapidly innovate its products. Spotify has five million paid subscribers and 15 million free users around the world. Rhapsody, on the other hand, has been more methodical — it only offers its service to paid users in United States and focuses on their needs.

While Rhapsody has had an iPhone app for a long while, today’s launch of an iPad app could bring a few more people over its service, especially those who like lounging with their iPads at home. Paul Springer, senior VP of worldwide product and design for Rhapsody, writes:

Our customers are going to be big fans of the latest tablet additions to Rhapsody’s growing product suite. Rhapsody has never looked or sounded better. We built this app from the ground up optimizing for speed, reliability and an effortless discovery experience for our members. We obsessed – and will continue to obsess – over making this the best way to enjoy music on your iPad, whether you listen through the internal speakers, headphones or external speakers using our Airplay and Bluetooth integration.

Rhapsody has more than 16 million songs available on its service and costs $10 per month. Rhapsody for iPad lets you use the service 30 days for free.

Check out the new Rhapsody iPad app from the Apple App Store here.