Yahoo is touting a new search feature which allows users to listen to full-length songs while searching for artists.

The company has tapped music service Rhapsody to provide the songs, which will be offered in their entirety to users when running a Yahoo search.

The songs are displayed in a collapsible player that appears on the bottom of the screen via Yahoo's FoxyTunes player.

Users who do not have a Rhapsody subscription will be limited to 25 plays over a 30-day period.

When the maximum number of plays has been reached, the service will be limited to 30-second song clips. Rhapsody subscribers will not have a limit to the number of plays on the service.

The two companies hope that the deal will make it easier for users to access the Rhapsody service and expand Yahoo's reach in the online music market.

For Yahoo, the aim is to provide an alternative to services such as iTunes which provide a dedicated application or service in order to download and play online music.

"It is part of our vision at Yahoo Music to make the web playable by removing the barriers that prevent people from clicking play and hearing music online," explained Michael Spiegelman, head of Yahoo Music.

Rhapsody vice president of business management Neil Smith said that the deal will allow his company to further its reach on the web.

"The integration of Rhapsody playback into Yahoo search is a major step toward our goal of delivering 'music without limits' to consumers across the web," said Smith.

"The integration between Rhapsody and Yahoo eliminates additional steps that previously served as a barrier to connecting consumers with artists and their music."