For anyone old enough to remember the headphone-crowned kitten of the early 2000’s, Napster signifies the beginning of the ongoing debate surrounding online music piracy. And for those whose memories don’t quite reach back that far, to put it bluntly; curiosity killed the cat. But it looks like satisfaction over the new look Napster has brought the kitten back, to Canada at least.
Originally launched in 1999, the “peer to peer file sharing” (read “pirating”) site ran into troubles over the legality of the platform. Shut down in 2001, Napster attempted numerous unsuccessful relaunches as a legit service. Eventually acquired by subscription service Rhapsody in 2011, the brand was seemingly incorporated entirely into the US company. Napster as we knew it disappeared and co-founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake’s character in The Social Network) joined the ranks at the then fresh faced Spotify.
Remember this?
Now relaunched in Canada, it is services like Spotify and Apple Music that the 2015 incarnation of Napster will be going head to head with. Running off the familiar premise, Napster offers the same services as we have come to expect from music streaming platforms. Access to huge catalogs of music with subscribers able to browse, personalise and listen offline, the site offers three months subscription for just $1 CAD, and then $9.99 CAD per month once the three months are up.
In a statement from Napster CFO, Ethan Rudin comments that “It was important to us that we enter Canada with a personalized music experience that has a complete catalog of local, national and international artists”. It will be a tough task to take on the powerhouses like Spotify. And even though Napster has clearly cleaned itself up, it will take more than nostalgia to entice users away from their tried and trusted services.
And how many artists will be willing to return to the site that helped inspire songs like this one?