Napster is back

By Rachel Hernandez
Staff Writer

The new Napster, dubbed Napster 2.0, has officially and legally launched its highly anticipated music service across the country. Napster 2.0 provides users access to over 500,000 songs for 99 cents apiece or $9.95 per album. Users now have the ability to listen to free 30-second music clips before making a purchase.

“Without spending a dime, any visitor to the service can download Napster 2.0, watch music videos on demand, browse decades of Billboard charts, read Napster’s online magazine, email music to friends, browse other members’ collections and take full advantage of the most robust music recommendation engine ever created,” according to www.napster.com.

As if that isn’t enough, music fans will now be able to give the gift of digital music to friends and family. The Napster website announced that millions of pre-paid gift cards will be available in nearly 14,000 retail stores for the holidays.

The new Napster is even on its way to college. Starting in January, Penn State University students will be getting the Napster 2.0 service as part of their tuition, according to CNN. Both Napster 2.0 and Penn State still have some wrinkles to iron out, but as of now, they are the first university to make such an arrangement.

Napster was bought last year by a music software firm, Roxio, of Santa Clara, Calif. Napster was forced to shut down in 2001after a legal battle with recording companies accusing them of piracy and copyright infringement.

And if you were wondering whatever happened to Napster’s brainchild, he’s still around.

Shawn Fanning is creator of the original Napster service and an advisor to Napster 2.0.

“I’ve used Napster 2.0 and it’s really great,” he said on the official Napster website. “It’s fast, easy to use, and the sound quality surpasses that of the original. Digital music takes a big step forward today.”