Apple raises stakes in digital music

We were talking about the Pepsi iTunes music giveaway in the IRC Channel yesterday and I suggested that Apple give away iTunes music in a Samuel Adams Beer promotion.

Real Networks must have been listening in:

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, RealNetworks Inc., which sells subscriptions to music streamed over the Internet, plans today to launch an online store for 99-cent song downloads, tied to a new media player.

Real will also announce that between Memorial Day and July it plans to give away coupons for two free songs in 7 million 12-packs of Heineken beer, trying to match Apple's song-giveaway through PepsiCo Inc.

Nice!