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Napster evolves to challenge Apple's iTunes

updated 11:00 am EDT, Fri September 2, 2005

Napster vs. iTunes


A BusinessWeek report looks at the from a illegal peer-to-peer music service in 1999 to a legimate music service that aims to compete with industry leader iTunes. "Napster is back. And it's hungry for a bite of Apple. In little over a year, the music sharing application has resurfaced to become iTunes' closest contender for the music download crown. But there's a twist in this cat's tale. Napster was bought back to life-from a bankruptcy auction." After transforming itself into a subscription-based music service, the report concludes "the legitimate music download market seems to be a two horse race between iTunes and Napster, with Apple enjoying the greater lead by far."


by MacNN Staff

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 industry, digital music/video

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  1. apple4ever

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2001

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    09/02, 11:44am | report spam | Reply |

    Two horse race?

    If its a two horse race, then Apple is obviously Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont stakes, and Napster is, well, who remembers any of the horses that lost to him? Cause who's going to remember Napster in 10 years.

  1. apple4ever

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

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    09/02, 11:56am | report spam | Reply |

    A side note

    I guess I should fill those in who don't know horceracing. Secretariat(considered to be the greatest horse of all time) ran wire to wire in the Belmont and took a 15 length lead about halfway through the race. The race is the longest race run, its a mile and a half long. Its insane to move a horse that early, because they need to conserve their energy.

    But this was no ordinary horse, this was Secretariat, who's heart was literally twice the size of a normal horse's(according to the autopsy performed years later when he died). He actually increased his distance, and by the end was 31 lengths ahead. He broke the land speed record for a horse at a mile and a half by two full seconds, and consider that most are broken only by a 10th or two.

    BTW, his Kentucky Derby was just as impressive, actually speeding up through each furlong, something that is unheard of to this day- most horses slow down.

    Search the web for more info. Its a great story about a great animal.

  1. koolkid1976

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    Joined: May 2003

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    09/02, 12:15pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: A side note

    Was there ever a movie about this? If Seabiscuit got a movie, I think this horse should too.

  1. Feathers

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Oct 1999

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    09/02, 12:33pm | report spam | Reply |

    A Horse Analogy!

    While we are pursuing horse analogies, how about the pantomime horse where Apple is clearly the front end and Napster is well...the rear end!

  1. Horsepoo!!!

    Banned

    Joined: Jun 2003

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    09/02, 01:05pm | report spam | Reply |

    I like horsies.

    Horsies are pretty.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    09/02, 01:08pm | report spam | Reply |

    evolved?

    "Napster is back. And it's hungry for a bite of Apple. In little over a year, the music sharing application has resurfaced to become iTunes' closest contender for the music download crown.

    Well, that would be true, except the music sharing app part has nothing to do with their current business (or are they using their protocols and P2P stuff to better transmit files?).

    But there's a twist in this cat's tale. Napster was bought back to life-from a bankruptcy auction."

    Holy c***! What a twist! This is like when you first found out that the chick in the "Crying Game" was a man.

    Actually, I think its more like trying to figure who the murderer is in an episode of "Columbo".

    The only thing of the old company brought back to life was its name. Its website was tossed. Its application destroyed. There's no more of what was Napster. The only thing they resurected (and the only thing worth anything) was its name. I just don't see how this is different than just starting up a music subscription/download service and then buying the name "Napster" from Roxio.

    After transforming itself into a subscription-based music service, the report concludes "the legitimate music download market seems to be a two horse race between iTunes and Napster, with Apple enjoying the greater lead by far."

    Uh-oh. That's not good news. For if its a two-horse race, doesn't that mean that people who own a non-iPod MP3 player only has Napster to buy music from. Do you really want to lock yourself into buying music from one company? MS says NO. Napster says NO. So I say NO too. Stay away from Napster. You're locking yourself into closed platform with no chance of getting out.

  1. Foe Hammer

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    Joined: Feb 2005

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    09/02, 01:09pm | report spam | Reply |

    More like ...

    ... a race between a horse and a fish. Around Churchill Downs.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    09/02, 01:09pm | report spam | Reply |

    Horsies

    Well, I've been told I'm hung like a horse.

    Does anyone know what a Shetland pony is?

  1. MichaelNH

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2002

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    09/02, 01:14pm | report spam | Reply |

    re: Horsies

    You sure they didn't say "horsefly"? :D

  1. rtbarry

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    09/02, 01:18pm | report spam | Reply |

    i said mouse...

    ...hung like a mouse. anyway, we were both wasted, so i can see how you might have remembered it differently.

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