Napster launches free Web music service
updated 09:15 am EDT, Mon May 1, 2006
Free Web music service
Looking for ways to fight Apple's dominance in the online music market, Napster today will launch the first free legal music listening service. The ad-based service will allow users to listen to--via the Web only--its catalog of more than 2 million songs from both major and independent labels. Users will be able to listen to each track up to five times each. The ad-supportedd service will initially be available in the US only and supplement its other offerings, which include a pay-per-song and subscription models. Use of the Web-based player will require registration using a valid email address, The company is also expected to introduced a variety of other services at Musexpo event in Los Angeles.
Napster internet radio
05/01, 09:41am reply
Okay, Napster internet radio, big deal.
jhorvatic
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2005
Desperation...
05/01, 09:55am reply
Is it possible to be any more desperate...? While this is much like an internet radio (as jhorvatic had said above), it will probably be billed as Napster music service, in a hopless attempt to attract marketshare (or at least mindshare) from iTMS. I guess Apple's last quarterly results (with an ever increasing marketshare in downloads, mp3 players, etc) call for desperate measures. Well... good luck, Napster!
vasic
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
With My Last Breath ...
05/01, 09:55am reply
... I spit at thee.
Chris Gowrong's last gasp.
Foe Hammer
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2005
Sounds great to me
05/01, 10:00am reply
Now I can preview complete songs and albums before buying them from iTMS.
dweebert
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2001
via the Web...
05/01, 10:33am reply
wonder if it's as good quality as recording (oops, i mean listening to) regular internet radio?
legacyb4
Mac Elite
Joined: May 2001
OK Music industry
05/01, 10:33am reply
How in the world does the Music industry come down so hard on Apple for charging only .99 and yet let these schmucks listen for free?
Don't they realize that enough people will copy the music without even having to pay?! That's exactly how this service will get used.
However, the people recording these songs still won't pay a nickel to Napster.
Deal
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2001
gentlemen...
05/01, 10:48am reply
... start your AudioHijackPro/WireTap/etc!
boomer0127
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2004
Won't work with Safari?
05/01, 11:14am reply
Has anyone else tried it yet? It seems that it will only work with Firefox. In addition, audio quality is quite crappy (much like Amazon's music preview; perhaps around 32kbps). This is a genuinely useless service. Most other internet radio is of much better streaming quality. This service will probably be DOA.
vasic
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
Re: ok music industry
05/01, 12:25pm reply
How in the world does the Music industry come down so hard on Apple for charging only .99 and yet let these schmucks listen for free?
They're not letting these schmucks listen for free (and, yes, now we've gotten to the point of anyone using a 'free' service are now schmucks! That's right, the ones who pay are the non-schmucks!). Its ad-supported, so there's the money.
Plus, the labels could care less how much apple or anyone else charges, as long as they get their cut. They want iTunes to charge more so they can get a bigger bite from the consumer.
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001