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Napster: Free Napster
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Along with the accusations that Napster was hurting the sales of the record industry, there were those who felt just the opposite, that file trading on Napster actually stimulated, rather than hurt, sales. Proof may have come in July 2000 when tracks from English rock band Radiohead's album Kid A found their way to Napster three months before the CD's release. Unlike Madonna, Dr. Dre or Metallica, Radiohead had never hit the top 20 in the US. Furthermore, Kid A was an experimental album without any singles, and received relatively little radio airplay. By the time of the record's release, the album was estimated to have been downloaded for free by millions of people worldwide, and in October 2000 Kid A captured the number one spot on the Billboard 200 sales chart in its debut week. According to Richard Menta of MP3 Newswire,[7] the effect of Napster in this instance was isolated from other elements that could be credited for driving sales, and the album's unexpected success was proof that Napster was a good promotional tool for music.
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Under the Napster trademark, Private plans to create a unique P2P community that would offer consumers of adult content worldwide the opportunity to share independent content for free as well as access top quality adult content at a reasonable price. The community will feature two levels of access, an open level based on existing P2P software where registered users can trade content and a premium level which will feature Private`s newest content as well as that of its partner companies. In addition, premium users will receive discounts on purchases from private.com`s on-line shop and other benefits. Both levels will contain features such as user profiles, dating and chat services. Users will be able to rate and comment on content as well as alert system administrators to inappropriate content. Private intends to offer a variety of payment options for the premium level including an annual membership fee, micro-payments as well as offering membership in return for the purchase of goods from Private`s on-line shop.
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The new online service, found at Napster.com, is well arranged and offers quick access to new releases, personal recommendations, music genres, and editor-created playlists. It's organized with a tabbed interface that lets you access the new Narchive and NapsterLinks sections, as well. The Narchive is a music encyclopedia wiki, with users doing most of the writing. It had barely begun at the time of this writing but showed promise. NapsterLinks are Web URLs to songs or albums that users can insert in their Web pages (see Features for more info). Clicking one lets registered users listen to that song free online.
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In a bid to bolster the image of its music subscription service and lure new subscribers, Napster is returning to the days of yore by offering free music. But as you might expect, there's a catch. Rather than offering free downloadable music, Napster is taking a page from RealNetwork's playbook and offering free streaming music to users in an attempt to entice them. With Napster's offering, users can listen to streaming music from any of Napster's two million tracks, with one caveat: no single track can be played more than five times (tracked via mandatory user registration).
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According to news out today, Napster is attempting a fevered slide back into the game with a relaunch of its music-download service, featuring a heavier emphasis on web-based streaming capabilities. The new "4.0" platform the company is touting boasts improved compatibility, as playlists and content and be accessed from any computer, without the use of additional software -- though if you want to get that music onto a player, you're still stuck with Napster's proprietary application and list of compatible players. In addition to the accessibility revamp, the company says it has further plans to embrace DRM-free music in 2008, which makes sense, as the portal's music has heretofore been unplayable on Apple's products -- which have the largest market share. Can that rascally cat pick up the pieces? Only time will tell.
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Napster 2.0 raises the bar for online music. It enables fans to legally and freely sample the world's largest and most diverse online collection of music, featuring over half a million songs. The revolutionary, easy-to-use interface allows users to quickly and easily download tracks, transfer songs to portable devices or burn them to CDs for just 99 cents per track or $9.95 per album. In addition to the free online magazine, Billboard charts, music videos, song clips and the ability to email tracks to friends and browse other members' collections, serious music fans have the added option to upgrade to a premium service that offers unlimited listening and downloading, over 40 commercial-free radio stations and a collection of interactive play lists and community features, all for just $9.95 a month.
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