Napster.
That’s a hell of a story.
It’s a little difficult to comprehend that it’s been nearly five years since the day the free music died.
Napster went dark in July 2001, eliminating the most popular, easiest-to-use place for illegal music downloading. And no matter how hard it tries, things will never be the same.
Judge for yourself whether that’s a bad thing, but the name lives on and is ineffectively trying to recapture the sense of rebellion that it once embodied.
Last week, the company currently known as Napster announced a new feature that allows people to listen to any song in its catalog of more than 2 million for free.
No gimmicks. Just create a user name and password and you’re free to listen.
After five gratis plays, you have to either pay for the song or subscribe to the monthly service that allows unlimited access to the entire collection.
The move comes complete with marketing points that hearken back to Napster’s genesis. (See: getting music for free).
But an online service with the name “Napster” that actually works with the record companies is so not rock ‘n’ roll.
It just doesn’t feel right.
“Obviously, I don’t agree,” Napster’s chief operating officer Laura Goldberg told me on the phone last week. “I really think that we have something special in that (Napster) means online music.
“I think most people want the artists to get paid, and we make sure that they get paid. If what they want to do is steal, they can find lots of ways to do that.”
True enough. It’s the use of the name that’s bothersome.
It’s like The Doors calling themselves The Doors three decades after Jim Morrison died. Of course, the name “Three Guys Who Played With Jim Morrison” wouldn’t sell as many tickets.
Truth be told, Napster is providing a valuable alternative to Apple’s iTunes Music Store, if you’re looking for one.
Napster, which Goldberg said pulls in $100 million in annual revenue, is second only to Apple in online music sales. But Apple accounts for a reported 70 percent of the industry.
Napster’s monthly subscription service costs $14.95 and allows users to transfer songs from its entire catalog onto portable music devices. But the system isn’t compatible with Apple’s iPod products.
For $9.95 a month, you can have access to the whole collection strictly on your computer.
Other fun features include NapsterLinks, which allows people to link songs from Napster’s music collection to their blogs or Web sites absolutely free of charge.
An upcoming addition is called the “Narchive,” which will serve as a sort of living history of music. People will be able to upload their own personal stories about artists or eras or places, photos, reproductions of ticket stubs.
“It will be a really cool place to capture the lore of music,” Goldberg said.
That actually does sound pretty cool. And it’s all brought to you by the friendly folks at – gulp – Napster.
Columnist Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
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