The first incarnation of Napster was an illegal file sharing network that was eventually shutdown in 2001. It was the first P2P network and has become a legendary icon in today’s P2P circles. Today, Napster 2 is a legal digital music service that has over 7 million songs.
Read the full Napster review to see what this iconic digital music service has to offer.
Pros:
- Unlimited song downloads.
- Over 7 million songs.
- over 80 radio stations.
Cons:
- If you cancel your Napster To Go membership, the music files on your computer no longer work.
- Limited number of compatible music players.
Napster: Music Service Features
Free Trial: Napster offers a 7-day free trial so you can review their digital music service before you take the plunge. Once the trial is over, you pay a monthly subscription until you decide to cancel.
Subscription Plans:
*Please note* - the 'Napster To Go' subscription plan only allows you to keep listening to the digital music you have downloaded if you continue to subscribe. When you download a song, you are only ‘renting’ it for your subscription period; if you stop your payments, the music stops too. To permanently own the music you like, purchase it using Napster Light or Napster Pass.
- Napster To Go ($14.95/month): If you want unlimited music that you can take anywhere, then Napster To Go is the ideal choice. Once you have downloaded the tracks you want, you can then transfer your digital music files to a compatible music player. Because there are no restrictions on the number of songs that you can transfer to your portable music player, you can keep refreshing your device with as many songs as you wish.
- Napster Pass (from $5/month): This subscription tier is ideal if you want to listen to unlimited streaming music and be able to download a set number of MP3 songs every month. You can purchase a monthly pass for as little as $5 which gives you unlimited free music streaming and 5 MP3 downloads every month.The advantage of this plan is that you can build up your music library with DRM-free tracks that you can transfer to any MP3 compatible device.
Napster Light ($0.69 - $1.29 per song): If you don’t want to be tied down to a subscription service, but want to buy your music outright, then Napster Light is the answer. The ‘light’ version is Napster’s nickname for their a la carte click-and-buy service.
Free Napster: Napster’s free streaming service offers over 3 million songs to choose from that you can play in full. There are restrictions in place to stop copyright infringement; songs can only be played 3 times and the music files are of a low quality (32Kbps). This service is only available in the United States at present.
Website: The online experience at Napster.com is a pleasant one, the well laid out 'Explorer' like menu gives the user easy access to the ‘guts’ of the web site.
Customer Service: A set of documents, including FAQs that cover popular questions are available. If you need to find out anything specific then you can always shoot an e-mail to their 24/7 support.
File Formats
File Formats: Napster uses the WMA format to deliver music via its Napster To Go service. These WMA files have a layer of protection using Microsoft’s WMDRM digital rights management system. iPod users should be aware at this point that the WMA format is not compatible with their equipment and so you'll need to use the Napster Light or Napster Pass services which use MP3.
Audio Bitstream Rates:
- WMA - 192 Kbps
- MP3 - 128 Kbps minimum
Software
Napster Download Manager: Napster provides a free software program called, Napster Download Manager, that is designed to help you get the best out of the Napster music service and provide suitable tools for managing your digital music. It comes with its own built-in browser in order to, stream music, buy tracks, listen to radio stations and playlists. You can also use the software to rip audio CDs and burn music that you've purchased. Overall it is a useful program, but sadly its only available on the Windows platform (XP and Vista).
Conclusion
Is it right for you?
The Napster To Go subscription plan is the perfect service for people who love discovering new music and don’t want to permanently own the music they download. In contrast, if you're looking to build up your music library with DRM-free music and want to downloading MP3s that you can keep, then you may want to look at the Napster Light or Napster Pass plans. Overall the Napster music service has plenty of options to suite most digital music needs.
