Napster was the earliest and one of the innovators that brought peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing into the popularity. The brand has been rebranded by Rhapsody which acquired it in 2011, and now is bringing out more details of what it has in its store.
Napster was the name given to two music-focused online services. Originally, the service was founded as a pioneering P2P file sharing internet service that emphasized sharing audio files, typically MP3s. The vintage music sharing service was the one that made Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning the stars of Silicon Valley when they founded it in 1999.
It had 57 million users at its peak, but the service was ultimately brought down by a number of lawsuits from the music industry, which objected to Napster making their music available for free.
On July 14th 2016, Rhapsody revives Napster after a month announcing the news. And the most prominent is that the well-known music pirate is now a legitimate music service.
Rhapsody's app is rebranded to become Napster. Updated with a new homescreen, the service allows users to see a global network for users to check out other people's playlists, and a dashboard to put played tracks, artists and of course, playlists.
Napster is also bringing a music match tool to pair your music tastes with other users.
Coming from a brand name that is already synonymous with MP3s, Napster is coming into a crowded market where Apple Music, Spotify and others are ruling. At the moment of its launch, Napster has no immediate difference if compared with any other streaming services out there, aside of the social pairing aspect. Napster is available in 34 countries for a 30-days free trial (previously: $9.99 a month).
"Over 30 million songs on demand. No ads," said Napster that wants to be the streaming music place for phones, computers and home audio devices.
So whether you're backpacking in Patagonia, sunning on the isles of Greece or sipping on cappuccinos in Florence, you can connect with friends and a global community of music fans with one click to find new music you love. In other words, your next favourite playlist could be from someone sitting next to you or a fellow like-minded music fan in Monte Carlo.
Rhapsody itself has made its online success as the pioneers in unlimited music streaming for a monthly cost. Founded in 2001, the company has been one of the many, but eventually dwarfed by more popular alternatives that dominate the industry such as Apple Music and Spotify.
But Rhapsody didn't want to wave that white flag just yet. The company has announced back in June that it has decided to rebrand itself as the popular file-sharing service of the past. Now the transition is final and Rhapsody is now no more. Rhapsody is now officially rebranded as Napster.
The company has worked to make the changes seamless so that existing music libraries are maintained and the app is changed via an update rather than introducing a new one. In order to enjoy the new Napster, iOS and Android users just need to update the Rhapsody app via the app store on their mobile device.
So yes, the cat is back.
