What Was Napster Originally?
Napster had a very different face when it first came into existence in 1999.
The developers of the original Napster launched the service as a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing internet.
At the height of Napster’s popularity, approximately 80 million users were registered on its web connection.
All of this was done essentially without copyright approvals, which made most of its activities illegal.
The bankruptcy court overseeing the liquidation of Napster’s assets approved the purchase in 2002.
This event marked a new chapter in the history of Napster.
Brand Changes Through the Years
The Napster brand has seen many changes over the years.
The first was Best Buy’s takeover deal, which was worth $121 million.
At that time, the struggling Napster digital music service reportedly had 700,000 subscribing customers.
In 2013, it announced that it would be rolling out the Napster service in 14 additional countries.
In 2016, Rhapsody rebranded its service internationally as Napster.
As of 2022, Napster continues to expand as a source for music-on-demand for other services, including iHeartRadio.
In 2023, the company acquired Mint Songs, aWeb3startup.
The goal is to take the company private again and later relist it on the U.S. stock exchange.
Today, you cansign up for a free 30-day trialof Napster; a monthly subscription runs $9.99/month.
According toSlaysonics, Napster pays artists $0.01682 per stream or $16.82 for every 1,000 streams.
There is no free option on Napster, so royalties come directly from the platform’s subscription revenue.
