Napster nails DRM with largest MP3 catalogue

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 21 May 2008 03:20

Business IT - Technology

Napster has driven another nail into the coffin of DRM-protected music sales with a new and well-stocked online store offering MP3 downloads.

The company claims that its catalogue of six million tracks (from the majors as well as independent labels) is 50 percent bigger than that of any other MP3 store, and that it is the first store to offer exclusively MP3 files.

The new store complements Napster's existing subscription music service.

Even though Apple's iTunes Store led the way in offering DRM-free music from a major label (EMI), Amazon was the only retailer offering unprotected music from all major labels before the arrival of the Napster MP3 store.

"Music fans have spoken and it's clear they need the convenience, ease of use and broad interoperability of the DRM-free MP3 format, and they want to be able to find both major label artists and independent music all in one place. Napster is delighted to deliver all of this and more with the world's largest MP3 catalog," said Napster's chairman and CEO Chris Gorog.

Pricing follows Apple's lead with a flat rate of $US0.99 per track. Most albums cost $US9.95. The prices are also similar to Amazon's, though that service offers variable pricing with some tracks selling for $US0.89 and albums starting at $US5.

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