Shawn Fanning has long since bailed but his brainchild, Napster, has just been re-launched again and this time Best Buy is at the helm. Whether or not the consumer electronics mega-retailer will have more success with the service remains to be seen but one thing is certain — the innovation that made Napster so popular when it first launched has been completely replaced by emulation. The new Napster is merely a combination of a few RIAA-friendly services and it’s using DRM-free MP3s and unlimited free streaming to bait fresh meat. An advertising blitz spanning Best Buy retail locations nationwide will likely reel in a fair number of subscribers but Web-savvy music fans may not be as easy to bring on board. Essentially, the new Napster is Rhapsody with a lower monthly fee. Or… The new Napster is Last.fm or Pandora with a higher monthly fee but no need to jump off the site to purchase tracks. Yeah, for now we’ll stick with Pandora/Last.fm/Slacker/Songza/Favtape/Spotify/SeeqPod/Rhapsody/imeem/etc, etc. Hit the jump for Napster’s press release.
Napster Offers MP3s With its Popular On-Demand Streaming Service for One Low Monthly Price
LOS ANGELES – MAY 19, 2009 – Napster, the pioneer of digital music, today unveiled its latest music offering combining the freedom of MP3s with the discovery benefits of a high-quality streaming music service – all for one low price. For as little as $5 per month, Napster users get five unrestricted MP3 downloads, and unlimited access to Napster’s award-winning on-demand music streaming service.
Music fans now have the best of both worlds: MP3s to keep forever, play, transfer and burn as much as they like, as well as unlimited music listening from Napster’s catalog of more than seven million tracks. “There’s no need to settle for 30-second clips to decide if you want to buy a song,” said Chris Gorog, CEO of Napster. “For five bucks now you can have access to our entire music catalog and get five MP3s to add to your permanent collection.”
Napster users can now:
• Get five MP3s each month to download, with their choice of songs from the Napster MP3 library that covers all types of music from all the major labels and includes the largest catalog of independent artists available.
• Listen to any track, as often as they like, in CD quality from Napster’s catalog of more than seven million songs.
• Choose from more than 60 commercial-free radio stations and more than 1,400 expertly programmed playlists.
• Discover new music and artists through personalized recommendation tools.
• Enjoy the top hits from more than 50 years of Billboard charts. Want to know what was popular when you graduated high school? Now you can.
• Play MP3s on any MP3 player, including iPod®, iPhone® and music-enabled MP3 mobile phones.
“A decade ago, Napster revolutionized the way people discovered and enjoyed music,” said Julie Owen, senior vice president of entertainment for Best Buy. “The brand that started it all is shaking things up again with this new service that provides music lovers continued access to the entertainment experience they’ve come to expect of Napster and Best Buy.”
The new Napster offering is now available for U.S. residents at http://www.napster.com.
[Via Giz]
