“Napster, the file-sharing program that ignited an Internet revolution and sent the recording industry into convulsions, will be reincarnated by Christmas as a legal online song seller and subscription service,” reports Benny Evangelista for The San Francisco Chronicle. “Roxio Inc., the software firm that now owns Napster, plans to announce today that Napster 2.0 will offer individual downloadable songs, a subscription service, original programming and Internet radio stations.”
“That would combine features offered separately by competitors like Apple’s iTunes Music Store, which only sells downloadable tracks, and Listen.com’s Rhapsody, an online subscription service. ‘For the first time, consumers will have a choice of a la carte downloads or subscriptions,’ said Chris Gorog, Roxio’s chairman and chief executive officer. Napster 2.0 will offer a selection of up to 500,000 tracks licensed from the five major record companies and smaller independent labels,” Evangelista reports.
Full article here.
‘which only sells downloadable tracks’
Is this media ignorance again? Since the beginning…hasn’t iTunes always been able to play internet radio? They make it sound like its only a download store…when actuality it has been added to what was already an excellent music software program. As far as not offering a subscription service in iTunes…isn’t that a GOOD thing? (sarcsastic x10)
More bull s–t from the press.
Just a response to delerium. Read what the article says. The iTunes music STORE does not provide any radio stations. What you are doing when you listen to the radio in iTunes is using it as a PLAYER. None of those stations comes from the iTunes music store. In fact, you might be able to use iTunes to play some of the radio stations from Napster ! Who knows ?
more copycatting….”ignited a….revolution”
good point from delerium… iTunes is a music store, a music player/organizer, broadband radio… bringing back a brand from the dead is bad marketing
Hmmm… there have long been rumors of APple buying out Roxio. Mayeb now would be a good time to do so! Apple gets the rights to online distribution of half a million songs, and the Napster name, and one less competitor. Merge the two services, and call the Mac-compatible version “iTunes Music Store”, and the Windoze version “Napter Music Store”, to capitalize on the brand.
Hey crazier things have happened… like Roxio buying out Napster!
“Napter Music Store”, to capitalize on the brand.”
Gryffin, the brand ain’t worth capitalising on. Do Roxio think people won’t notice Napster is no longer a music piracy site and merrily cough up cash to get access to the music?? – Napster was a fun place where anyone could listen to music they were interested in… I bought more CDs when Napster was around than I had done in years. Even Windoze users aren’t stupid enough to see that Napster2 is just crappy old Rhapsody with a friendly face stuck on the front.
Competition is a good thing!
You bet competition IS a good thing. Bring it on!!!
Napster 2.0 and other online music services will discourage any complacency Apple may feel from the iTMS’ initial success.
Apple’s got to to be a more aggressive competitor. It’s HW prices are absurd considering the PC market at large. They need to keep the value of their software high, and the iTMS can’t be excluded from the effort.