As the Apple Turns: Scene 3962: Napster's Got A New Tune (5/20/03)

Napster's Got A New Tune (5/20/03)

Move over, iTunes Music Store; Napster's back in town. Or at least that's what Roxio wants you to think. Given the iTMS's resounding success in just its first couple of weeks out of the gate, it was only a matter of time before others started trying to horn in on Apple's accomplishment-- and apparently that time is now. Oh, the burdens of being a trailblazer...

According to CBS MarketWatch, Roxio (who bought the tattered and smoldering remnants of the court-closed Napster last year in a deal valued at a handful of twigs and two Jolly Ranchers) has now gone on to purchase PressPlay, Sony and Universal's joint venture that BusinessWeek once referred to as "the hands-down winner" among online music services-- of course, that was a week before the iTunes Music Store came out. Roxio plans to resurrect Napster as a respectable, legitimate service after grafting it on top of PressPlay's guts in a Frankensteinian bid for the online music market.

For the record, in its current form, PressPlay apparently costs $9.95 a month for "unlimited streaming and tethered downloads" (meaning downloads that will only play on the computer used to acquire it, one other computer, and nothing else); $17.95 a month gives you that and also grants you ten "portable downloads," meaning you actually get to burn those songs to a CD or stick 'em on an MP3 (er, we mean WMA-- it's all Windows Media format) player. Additional portable downloads cost a minimum of 95 cents per song-- but, of course, you still have to be a subscriber to buy them. None of that apparently matters much, though, since Roxio claims that "the new Napster will be unrecognizable from the current PressPlay."

So is Roxio concerned about the iTMS? Well, if you believe the company's CEO, he claims that he "doesn't even consider [Apple] a competitor right now," and even when iTunes for Windows ships later this year, he claims that Roxio has a "monster competitive advantage with the biggest brand in the online music business." Uhhhhh... yes, Napster sure is well-known, alright; why, it's practically synonymous with the words "theft" and "bankruptcy"! That's surely a "monster competitive advantage" if we've ever heard one. The way we figure it, 90% of the ears that prick up when they hear that Napster is back will prick right back down again the second they hear that it's no longer "free."

Reportedly Roxio plans to launch the legit version of Napster in March, but considering that the company hasn't even decided yet whether it's going to be a subscription service or a pay-per-download service, it may actually show up even later than that. Which means that Apple gets at least a three-month head start to reel in users with the Windows port of iTunes before Napster even becomes an issue. We're looking forward to a good fight, but frankly, at this point we're wondering how long Napster will be back before everyone who used it back in its "accessory to theft" days starts referring to it as "Crapster."

SceneLink (3962)

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The above scene was taken from the 5/20/03 episode:

May 20, 2003: To mark the second anniversary of the first Apple retail stores, Apple announces an extension into Japan. Meanwhile, Napster is poised to make a (legal) comeback next year to combat the iTunes Music Store, and Apple seems to be hooking up with partner Akamai's bitter rival Speedera...

Other scenes from that episode:

3961: Overseas & Down The Street (5/20/03) Happy birthday, Apple Retail! According to the company's latest press release, this week marks the second anniversary of Apple's very first store opening, and we couldn't be more proud; from those humble beginnings, the initiative has grown to 57 stores in 26 states which have sold $650 million worth of stuff to fifteen million visitors...
3963: Spite Is Good; Spite Works (5/20/03) Okay, we're sure most of you probably consider Apple's choice in online content delivery partners about as interesting as white bread on toast, but if you want to get your U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of drama every day, sometimes you have to dig a little...

Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast...


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