Napster again

Subject: Napster again
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 02:55 PM

This from BBC Online:
The controversial online music-swapping site, Napster, has formed an alliance with one of the companies taking legal action against it, with the aim of developing a new subscription-based service.

German entertainment giant Bertelsmann has broken ranks with the other four companies suing Napster over alleged copyright infringement.

It says it is seeking support from the other companies to establish Napster as a membership-based service which will pay them royalties.

Bertelsmann says it will withdraw its lawsuit and make its catalogue available once Napster has successfully introduced a membership-only system.

Its e-commerce arm is providing a loan to Napster to develop such a service in exchange for a warrant to acquire a stake in the company.

Landmark decision

The deal comes as Napster awaits an Appeal Court decision on whether it will be allowed to continue to operate pending a final judgement in the copyright suit.

The judgement is expected to define how books and movies, as well as music, are distributed on the net.

The companies involved in the case against Napster are Bertelsmann's BMG Music, Seagram's Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music and EMI.

Bertelsmann chairman Thomas Middelhoff said: "Napster has pointed the way for a new direction for music distribution.

"We believe it will form the basis of important and exciting new business models for the future of the music industry."

Napster chief executive Hank Barry said: "The Napster community, which is the fastest-growing in the history of the internet, will benefit enormously from Bertelsmann's historic commitment to innovation."

'Promotional potential'

Andreas Schmidt, president of Bertelsmann e-commerce group, said: "Our alliance with Napster is key to providing consumers in the future with access to the largest global music catalogue of high-quality music files - with added convenience and features.

"We will work closely with Napster to establish a new membership-based service that achieves acceptance by other music providers.

"For recording artists and songwriters, we hope to realise Napster's full potential as a promotional vehicle while protecting their interests.

"For the recording industry, we are looking to take a positive and forward-looking approach with a membership-based service that complements other forms of music distribution."

Wrath

Napster, which claims it has 38-million users, has incurred the wrath of the music companies because it enables anyone who wishes to browse its site to download music free.

The music companies who own the copyright to tracks involved in the MP3 file-swapping have gone to court to ensure they are paid royalties.

Napster was founded in 1999 by Shawn Fanning, then an 18-year-old freshman at Boston's Northeastern University, and is based in Redwood City, California.

The site and its founder have received numerous industry awards for technology, innovation and marketing, including Wired magazine's Best Music Site award.

(C) BBC News Online
RtS

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 03:47 PM

I am not sure why I would want to create MP3 files and store them on my computer so that paid subscribers could access them--and why would I want to pay to download from some other users computer? It would make more sense if I was paying to download from a BBS of some sort--Napster is pretty hit or miss, at least for users who don't have superfast connections (most of us), which is OK cause it's free--

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: GUEST,daffy
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 09:56 AM

Who cares!

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: GUEST,Yankee Dan
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 10:12 AM

The day of Reckoning is upon us..This is the begining of the end for free internet use. Dan

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: Clinton Hammond2
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 01:43 PM

It isn't the end of the free internet... it isn't even that big a deal... If napster decides to charge for it's service, then I imagine a few of the current users will stick with it, but a good number of people will move on to other 'virtual servers' that are free... Gnutella for example...

And if all of them are outlawed, the people will go back to swapping stuff on FTP sites and such...

Piracy has always been with us, and always will be if I have anything to say about it!

I can't decide myself if I'd be willing to play 5 bucks a month to use Napster... maybe... I think I'd want more reliable servers made available... as stated above, napster, like ICQ is o.k. in it's current form, mostly because it's free.. but if we were expected to pay for it, I hope we'd want a better product...

my 0.02

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: GUEST,Yankee Dan
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 03:22 PM

Right on Mate!

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 07:55 PM

Free internet services that try to impose a fee tend to die--anyway, people who use Napster are feel that they are sharing recorded music with one another, the same way people always have, as they are entitled to do under fair use doctrine--why should record companies get an additional royalty fee, when the recording has been already been paid for, and the owner is merely using it as he or she is entitled to do? And why should I pay a fee to listen to someone elses records? If Napster wants me to pay--let them put up the record companies original, complete MP3 files, allow me to connect to them at something better than a 14.4 modem with a 6000 ping, and guarantee that someone is not going to cut off the download halfway through--

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 12:28 AM

Or during the final 5 seconds of the song... Bastards!

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: pict
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 04:10 AM

The great god Mammon is alive and well.

Subject: RE: Napster again
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 11:23 AM

I download old stuff from Napster--and it is stuff that I can't find anywhere--this is not the stuff that will be supported in the new, fee-based Napster. It will end up looking just like top 40 radio, because Bertelsmann/BMG will control what is available, and they will offer you the opportunity to download all the promotional stuff that is already out there "for free" only you will be paying for it--on the stuff that they will put up there will be the stuff that sells their product--