SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Napster
Napster FAQ & How-To's
How
Napster Compares To Its Competitors
When
the original peer to peer file sharing Napster went offline
in July of 2001, many music fans and critics
wondered if that would be the end of Napster forever. Their
question would soon be answered. Napster eventually regrouped
after being purchased by Roxio, the music software company,
and re-launching as Napster in October of 2003. Napster was
the new, completely legal and legitimate way for Napster
fans to acquire their favorite music or find out about new
artists. The new Napster was greeted with a combination
of anticipation and skepticism. How would the new Napster compare
with its immensely popular (and perhaps more importantly:
free) predecessor? And perhaps even more important to the future
of the Napster brand, how would it hold up against its competitors
in the world of online digital music?
First,
how does Napster compare with the original Napster?
Well, besides the fact that music is no longer free, some fans
of the original Napster may be upset to find that Napster puts
a limit on the number of times you can burn a song, even
if you have purchased it. Another big difference: the number
of files available for purchase and download. Napster is
restricted to offering its members only the songs it has the
rights to sell. Although its impressive music catalog is always
steadily growing, it is still a possibility that you will not
find exactly what you are looking for on Napster (or other
digital music stores). This was not really a problem with the
original Napster. At its peak, the original Napster had millions
of people uploading and downloading files.
Chances
are, you would be able to find even obscure titles. Not so,
for Napster. Another difference is that even if
you find the full-length album that you are interested in,
it may not contain all the songs that you would get if you
bought the album at the store. Online digital music stores
often have to sell ‘partial’ albums if they cannot get the
rights for all the songs. Finally, one of the major differences
between Napster and the original Napster incarnation is
that users will only be able to access the new Napster if they
are working from a Windows 2000 or Windows XP platform. In
order to use Napster, you must also have access to a
Media Player and a Browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox...).
But
how does Napster compare with the competition? The most notable
competitors that Napster has are the Apple
iTunes Music Store, and Listen.com’s Rhapsody. The competition
is always on the rise, and new competitors are always popping
up, but for now let’s examine how Napster stacks up against
these two competitors. Although the numbers are always in flux,
it appears that Napster has the edge over both competitors
in terms of the number of songs it offers its users. However,
the Apple iTunes Music Store appears to have a slight edge
in the fact that the software can be used on more platforms
than Napster. The Apple iTunes Music Store can be accessed
using the Mac OS platform as well as Windows 2000 or Windows
XP platforms. Both digital music stores compare evenly in the
fact that they offer single downloads for 99 cents a pop.
As
far as Listen.com’s Rhapsody (a subsidiary of RealNetworks),
Napster appears to be ahead in the number of songs its
offers users. However, both companies are matched in the sense
that they both offer premium services that allow users access
to all songs for one price. However, one aspect of Rhapsody
that may appeal to some users is the fact that it is accessible
to users accessing the site from older operating systems.
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2008
> Home > Napster Articles:
Main Page |
