(May 15, 2001) dotmusic.com -- MP3-swapping network Napster, hurrying to transform itself from dreaded renegade into a legitimate legal part of the music business, seems to be nearing launch of its paid-for subscription service.
The company has issued an invitation to users on the front page of its site saying "...Be the first to preview the new membership service. If you're interested in being chosen as a beta tester, provide us with your email address. More information to follow soon." Reports suggest that initial testing of the new system will begin in the next month, with the final fee-paying network launching towards the start of July.
Built in collaboration with German media mogul Bertelsmann (owner of BMG Records, home to Dido and Christina Aguilera), the forthcoming membership service is believed to be Napster's last chance of staying alive. Under fire from the major labels and a potentially long-running court case, the music-trading firm has been forced to install filters which prevent unauthorized tracks from being downloaded. Now even independent bands who want their songs to be traded are finding their music inadvertently filtered out due to a phenomenon Napster calls "overblocking".
Recent research shows that Napster's usership is dwindling: to retain its crown as the Web's most talked-about music application Napster needs to get its paying technology up and running as quickly as possible.
But it's not all smooth sailing; Napster's latest update, designed to mesh with audio fingerprinting software which will recognize songs in order to divvy up royalties between artists and labels, has drawn criticism from hardcore fans. "...I for one am shocked," says one Napster messageboard user, nicknamed 'Napsterpnunk0', "that such a serious, ambitious company would create such a worthless piece of garbage."
___________________
Signature is over the 500X150 limit, please resize.
|
