Articles
What happened to the Original Napster?
In 1999, Napster was created as a file sharing program by an American University student. The download software quickly gained popularity as a way to share and download free music. It is estimated that in the year 2000, 70 million registered users, around the world, were on the original Napster network.
The popularity the original Napster is attributed to the ability of users to listen to music on demand. Sitting at their computers, people were able to hear almost any song, from any band without having to purchase entire albums or head for a shop.
At the time, supporters of the original Napster argued that it was reviving the public's interest in music and allowing people to experience new genres and tracks that they would otherwise never be exposed to. That is certainly a wonderful thing, to listen to music on demand and experience new artists every day.
The Challenges
Although very popular for a time, the original Napster was not without its challenges. Namely that it was insufficiently regulated and very illegal.
As the system grew, it became a target for viruses and other malware. Because it was not properly secured hackers were able to upload viruses disguised as music files. Users of the original Napster would then attempt to download a favourite song and inadvertently infect their computer with harmful viruses.
Another problem that became increasingly common on the original Napster was scarred music. A scarred music track is one that has been altered from its original form to play loud screeches or other unpleasant sounds. In most cases, the songs appeared normal until part way through. At this point, the unsuspecting listener would be subjected to audibly painful noises that could damage eardrums and speakers.
Finally, the most important challenge for the original Napster was that its use was illegal. The law is very clear that music and video piracy is theft, and this includes the various forms of illegal online distribution. After the short honeymoon period, Napster was sued in 1999 by the Recoriding Industry Association of America (RIAA) and then again in 2000 by the music legends Metallica and other artists such as Dr. Dre.
Although lawsuits bankrupted the original Napster, it did not stop online music piracy. Instead, spin offs and copy cats emerged. Morpheus, Kazaa, Gnutella, and Grokster are just a few of the attempts made to reclaim Napster's initial popularity.
However, these new companies faced even more of the same problems that plagued the original Napster. Especially viruses and scarred music.
The Solution
The New Napster reconciles the benefits and challenges of the original. Napster is now successfully able to provide users with unlimited access to the music they love, from the comfort of their own home.
Better still, the New Napster's music is 100% legal, which means that these songs are the high quality originals, protected from the threat of viruses and free of audio scars.
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