RealNetworks offers samples

NEW YORK -- RealNetworks Inc., facing intense competition from file-swapping networks and from Apple Computer Inc., will let people listen to 25 music tracks for free each month in hopes of enticing music lovers to pay for more tunes.

Users who download RealNetworks' new Rhapsody software will get to select the 25 tracks from a library of more than 1 million tunes, the company said yesterday.

Rob Glaser, chairman and chief executive of RealNetworks, said the primary targets are the millions of users of file-swapping networks, where music can be obtained for free but often in violation of copyright laws.

The prices and features are comparable with those Napster Inc. recently began offering.