Napster Legal Music Downloads

Napster – The Back Story

Napster was started by a college student, Shawn Fanning, in June 1999. As the first peer to peer (P2P) sharing system, Napster software allowed users to swap files from computer to computer over the internet. While P2P software does not have to be used for swapping music files exclusively, that is exactly what users did. Napster was a huge success from the get-go, and it didn’t take long for millions of users to begin sharing millions of songs over the Napster network – most of them copyright controlled.

The trouble started for Napster when Metallica got wind of the fact that one of their unreleased tracks, I Disappear, was leaked to Napster. The song was traded over and over again by Napster users, and eventually began to receive radio play before the release date. Since bands don’t take too kindly to songs being released to the public without their say-so, Metallica personally went after Napster. They filed a lawsuit and collected the names of Napster users who had traded the tracks, demanding that these users be banned from the network and threatening the fans with legal action. Since fans don’t take too kindly to one of their favorite bands collecting their names, having them banned from a network to which they belong, and threatening them with lawsuits, it didn’t take much time for users to override the ban and get back on the network (and stop buying Metallica albums).

Metallica shared a lawyer with Dr. Dre, and this lawyer convinced Dr. Dre to sue Napster as well. By December 1999, the major record labels began to take notice, and got in on the Napster lawsuit affair. After that, the legal troubles just kept on coming with Napster, until finally, in March 2002, they paid the major record labels $26 million in back royalties, $10 million in future royalties, and shut its doors as a P2P trading site.

Napster Legal Music Downloads

After declaring bankruptcy (in the wake of a failed deal with Bertlesmann), Napster sold its name to Roxio, who started marketing Napster legal music downloads. Napster legal music downloads are available for a fee, and the major record labels have embraced this new incarnation of the Napster brand name, making it one of their marketing hot spots.

P2P Networks – Are They Killing Music?

A famous quote from the music industry big wigs from back when home taping became possible is “home taping is killing music.” With hindsight, we can safely say that music survived the invention of the C-90. The same claim is now often made about P2P networks. Are they killing music? It’s a hotly contested issue, but one case many people in the pro P2P camp like to point to involves a band’s experience on Napster. Before OK Computer, Radiohead had never made much of a splash on the U.S. charts. In fact, they had never even cracked the top 20. Tracks from OK Computer were leaked on Napster weeks before the release and were downloaded over and over again. The buzz around the album grew and grew. Did all of those downloads cut into Radiohead album sales? It would seem not - when the album was finally released, it debuted at number 1 on the U.S. charts. Food for thought.

Getting Free Napster Music Downloads

If you want to give the new, fee based Napster service a try, you can do so on their website. What was once a great tool for indie music is now firmly stocked with major label product, so keep that in mind before you buy a membership. If you’re not sure if Napster will be right for you, they offer free trial memberships.