“Napster Inc said on Monday it would start selling downloads in the MP3 format from the second quarter of this year in the latest blow to copy protection for songs bought online,” Yinka Adegoke reports for Reuters.
“Napster had sold songs protected with Microsoft Corp’s Windows-based digital rights management (DRM) to prevent buyers from illegally making multiple copies or distributing songs to other users,” Adegoke reports.
“MP3 is the most widely available digital audio format and plays on the widest range of devices, including the dominant digital music player, Apple Inc’s iPod,” Adegoke reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Napster will shift its entire download sales catalog to MP3 in the second calendar quarter of 2008. Napster’s Chairman and CEO Chris Gorog said in a statement, “As there is now a critical mass of support for MP3s we are very pleased to announce we will soon offer our customers the user-friendly MP3 file format throughout our product line-up and provide the top-tier content our users expect from Napster. The ubiquity and cross-platform compatibility of MP3s should create a more level playing field for music services and hardware providers and result in greater ease of use and broader adoption of digital music.” Napster will provide further details about its MP3 initiative upon its upcoming availability.
Good move (that’ll probably allow Napster to survive) except for one thing: why do these outfits insist on going backwards in time to the MP3 dinosaur when they have the more efficient and equally-DRM-free AAC available at their fingertips? Why do they stick to an old, outdated, now-surpassed format?
Can’t they take this opportunity, where they’re stripping off the DRM — thanks to Apple’s Steve Jobs — and changing formats to also follow Jobs’ lead by using the successor to MP3, the superior AAC instead? What’s next, flying cars that they insist on fueling with leaded gas from the 1970s?
Using MP3 today is just dumb, shortsighted, and regressive for no good reason. Now is the time for those straggling device makers to finally add AAC capabilities and let’s move forward, instead of clinging to “backwards compatibility” like some PC box assembler still bolting on parallel ports and installing floppy disk drives. At this rate, an iTunes Store selling point is going to be superior file format vs. last century’s MP3. We’d much rather have DRM-free 256kbps AAC vs. 256kbps MP3 and so would our iPods’ and iPhones’ storage capacities and batteries.
AAC advantages over MP3:
• Improved compression provides higher-quality results with smaller file sizes
• Support for multichannel audio, providing up to 48 full frequency channels
• Higher resolution audio, yielding sampling rates up to 96 kHz
• Improved decoding efficiency, requiring less processing power for decode, hence greater battery life
Now, how long can the music cartels get away with offering DRM-free music to every also-ran and their mother while blatantly excluding Apple? Are they demanding variable pricing (read: price hikes) and bundles (read: albums-only with assorted “extras”) from Apple before deigning to remove their locks? Is it legal to exclude the dominant seller of online music simply because you desperately desire to “level the playing field?” Where is the collusion line and when will it be crossed, if it hasn’t been crossed already?
How ironic is this: the very name that gave us unlimited DRM-free downloads (illegally) way back when is now finally catching up to doing DRM-free (legal) downloads.
Hah!
They stick to mp3 because instead of calling it MP4 (implying progress), some dumb ass went with AAC name instead. So the general public understands what mp3 is, and will buy it, but will not touch AAC, even though would purchase same song sold as MP4 in a heartbeat.
These firms probably are choosing .mp3 for marketing reasons. No one understands the poorly-named AAC, which should have been christened .mp4. In fact, most PC users seem to think AAC is a proprietary Apple format rather than the industry-standard technology that was designed to improve upon and replace .mp3.
The stupid thing is that people are buying aac songs on iTunes both with DRM and without, in far greater numbers than are buying mp3. If anything it will save these companies on bandwidth.
There may be hope for Napster yet.
Ditto on the AAC vs. MP4, MP# naming comments.
It’s funny, but didn’t Napster start it’s sordid existence with the trafficking of illegal mp3 downloads? So, NOW almost 10 years later, “there is now a critical mass of support for MP3s”?
The sound quality of mp3 is like AM radio sound. AAC is the way to go. if they were truly forward thinking, instead of playing catch-up, then supporting even some downloads in Apple Lossless format would be an even better move.
So why is it that Amazon and Napster can provide a DRM free catalog, but the labels (other than EMI) insist on Apple still using DRM?
@MikeK
The labels think they’re going to whip Apple into shape and give them back control of their business
“In fact, most PC users seem to think AAC is a proprietary Apple format “
I’ve seen this first hand at Apple stores and it’s true.
“The labels think they’re going to whip Apple into shape and give them back control of their business”
But is that legal? If anyone can sell DRM free music, Apple should be able to also. I”m not an attorney or anything, but it seems like there should be laws about forcing one retailer to use copy protection.
Let’s face it, MP3s at 256 kbps are virtually lossless. So are AACs at 256 kbps. The sound fidelity at that rate is impossible for any human to differentiate. In other words, in a blind hearing test of the 2 different formats at 256 kbps, no human could tell them apart. My dog could but he’s into rap, so he doesn’t count.
The trick is to archive your 256 kbps MP3s and rip a copy of each as an AAC at either 128, 160 or 192 kbps for use as a smaller file on your iPods.
It’s sad that even so-called tech pundits don’t know the difference between AAC and Fairplay – even though Zune and Walkman support AAC.
Napster’s Chairman and CEO Chris Gorog said in a statement, “Me Gorog! Me eat you for lunch. Gorog no like Windoze!”
Is it too late for Napster to stick with WMA files?
Hey Napster, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. WMA is fine. They play on tons of devices including my Ditty, Zoon and Zune and the great thing is I can always rely on Microsoft if I have issues with WMA. All of my music is WMA.
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If those music labels continue to hold out on allowing Apple to sell DRM free tracks, Apple could always purchase Napster and end up with the rights to sell DRM free tracks anyway.
“What’s next, flying cars that they insist on fueling with leaded gas from the 1970s?”
Hey! I’ll have you know I have a lot of happy memories of leaded gas and paint chips from the ’70s :->
We need a little collusion to boost AAC, so here’s what I suggest: Let’s all refer to AAC as MP4 from now on. Eventually, they’ll change the name if everyone calls it that.
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Apple could always purchase Napster and end up with the rights to sell DRM free tracks anyway.
In an environment where many are screaming “Apple Monopoly™” I don’t think Apple would be interested. I also don’t think the SEC would approve.
AAC is dead. Nobody has any interest in it. Most people, if they are aware of AAC, think it is Apple’s DRM format.
Of the very small number of people that are aware that AAC isn’t DRMed absent Fairplay it is believed that at 256 or above there isn’t an audible difference between the AAC and mp3.
MDN secret word “cold”, as in it will be a cold day in hell before AAC replaces mp3.
The basic deal is that Amazon’s catalog is already in mp3, so Napster are just copy them.
The really interesting thing is that wma is being ditched for another format. Of course, the subscription service will still have wma drm protected files, but at least it is a step in the right direction.
At some point Apple should have all its music in non-drm form. Hopefully within the next six months.
Well, I believe that the more Napster distances itself from anything MS the better chance they have in general.
And, I really wish they et. al. would move to MP4.
Haha… pool Zune Tongued In The Butt? First BR is dumped, and now WM is being dumped, soon by everyone.
mp4 is already taken
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4_Part_14
AAC is hardly dead. As long as the iTunes Store uses it, it’s still the dominate format out there. Last time I checked the iTunes Store still had about 80% market share of online music sales ya know.
“why do these outfits insist on going backwards in time to the MP3 dinosaur when they have the more efficient and equally-DRM-free AAC available at their fingertips?”
The answer is that a lot of Napster’s current customers have players that can’t play AAC. They are trying to survive, not commit suicide.