Napster

Soldato
Joined
9 Jun 2006
Posts
2,642
Napster is not doing too bad now that they offer (or so they claim) about 6 million tracks. I have a subscription with them where I can download as many tracks as I want.

I do have a few issues with them though, particularly the client program you download. I have never used a piece of software as poorly designed as this. It is incredibly slow, and I seem to find it stalls on me quite often either because of a transfer or because it is trying to load their own page up using the built-in browser.

The menu system is horrid. They appear to be HTML based which might explain why the menus take forever to respond/change.

Then there is the three PC limit. I understand that they don't want one person sharing an account with the world, but surely they can detect the use of a single account on many different computers (using hardware signatures or something). I have Napster on my laptop and desktop, then also one at my parent's house for when I go home for a bit. I then also have one on my girlfriend's computer for when I stay over. It doesn't even recognise your PC after you reformat it as it thinks it is a completely different computer (despite having the same h/w).

You would think that they would actually invest in improving the client.

It's a shame there aren't any really decent alternatives out there that have all the songs I want for a decent price :(

What are your opinions of the Napster service?

btw: I hope such a thread hasn't been made before, I did try searching before hand.
 
have to agree, the client is poo.
i get pretty much any song that i want though, which is the main thing for me :]
 
Tried when it first came out, they still kicking along with WMA files?

A comparable service would the one that comes with the Zune.
 
cant say ive ever looked at the file extensions, they become mp3 soon after being downloaded.
 
Tried when it first came out, they still kicking along with WMA files?

A comparable service would the one that comes with the Zune.

I think they are WMA files, but most are DRM protected unfortunately.

LOL who really uses Napster these days and pays for it, theres a thing called Torrents, do some research and stop throwing your money away.

I'll stick to legal downloads where the artists at least get some of my money, thanks :)
 
To be fair... 8.95 a month (min 6 months) is not a lot of money for unlimited downloads.

If your music collection was low you could download a hell of a lot of music and it will all be legal :).

250 albums would work out as 21.5p per album, and 250 is far from a lor of music.
 
oops,

Just to not let this one go to waste.... does anyone know of any similar priced schemes (pref drm free)?

I think there are a few russian based ones that I don't know the name of.

There is eMusic, which has several million different tracks, but I found they didn't have music that I liked. They do offer free trials so it is worth a look. It is DRM free!
 
LOL who really uses Napster these days and pays for it, theres a thing called Torrents, do some research and stop throwing your money away.

So copyright fraud / theft is OK as long as you save some moolah? Lets cover our ears when we hear the people on the other side of the transaction are getting shafted by people like you.

Fall down some stairs and injure yourself, soon please.

(For the record I don't care if I get a suspension for a few days for this personal attack - the shear arrogance got me).

Rich
 
Lol at all the doo-gooders! :)

Always wondered about a subscription like this, when I download the songs. Am I free to do as I wish with them? I.E onto my phone, mp3 player, burn to a cd for the car etc?
 
With Napster, you can only download tracks on Napster compatible devices (or PlayForSure devices). So you won't be able to burn them to a CD or anything, which sucks.

It's why I hate DRM, but there is just no legal alternative (i.e. good range of tracks like Napster, DRM free, and legal).
 
How legal / illegal are the Russian mp3 websites that offer full albums etc for like .80 euros and tracks for .10 euros?
 
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