After courting users of Apple's music service, is RealNetworks turning its attention to users of Microsoft's MSN Music? Not specifically, perhaps, but Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox writes on the Microsoft Monitor weblog that he noticed an unexpected sponsored link on a search results page inside the MSN Music store -- touting none other than RealNetworks' competing RealPlayer Music Store. Clicking on the link takes users from the MSN Music site to the related page within the RealNetworks service. (Click here for a screenshot I took after reading his post.) There is an explanation: The sponsored results within the MSN Music service's search function use the same technology as the broader MSN Search service does, licensed from Yahoo's Overture Services unit. (The same query on MSN Search yields the same link to the RealNetworks store.)
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