Napster was taken over again. On the platform you can have a legal music for a long time. But the subversive image of the company, which attracted the anger of the music industry in the early 2000s, remains 25 years later. But that doesn't seem to disturb the new buyer - on the contrary.
A controversial service revolutionizes listening to music
Napster became a synonym for music piracy in the early 2000s. But instead of organized criminals, two teenagers developed the platform for sharing MP3 files at the end of the 1990s. In onelong articleThe Guardian writes about the history of Napster in 2013:
- In 1999 Napster was developed as a P2P files sharing platform, where end users were able to share files directly.
- In 2000 the platform recorded millions of users and becomes a synonym for illegal music streaming.
- In the same year, several players in the music industry - including Metallica - are suing Napster for copyright infringement.
- In 2001 the platform was temporarily closed due to the legal disputes.
- In 2002 she reported bankruptcy.
Since then Napster has beenbought by various companies. The illegal image seems to bother little. On the contrary: The Rhapsody music streaming service, which Napster took over in 2011, even names himself in Napster in 2016.
In the meantime, the now legal streaming service was owned by the Blockchain company Algorand. The platform is now bought by the Infinite Reality company - for $ 207 million.
Infinite Reality describes itself on LinkedIn asAn innovation company that drives the next generation of digital media and e-commerce through AI and immersive technologies.
Specifically, the company is working on the development and a meta verse.
that is made possible by a combination of technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and blockchain. People should have an immersive experiences there using avatars and can actively shape the world, which should go far beyond our today's online experiences.
Similar to Rhapsody, Infinite Reality does not seem to disturb the early illegal image of Napster. On the contrary: In an interview with CNBC, CEO John Acunto says:
I think there is no better name than Napster to revolutionize.
When it comes to Infinite Reality, Napster should bring the next revolution into the metaverse.
Napster should then stand for music -related experiences, such as:
- Virtual concerts and listing parties in virtual 3D rooms
- Digital and physical merchandise sales
- the creation of virtual rooms (
crazy environments
) by artist. Reggae musicians could then create a virtual beach environment - The closer networking with the music community through further social features
In the CNBC interview there is nothing to read when this should be possible.
Infinite Reality is rated at around $ 12 billion
In January of this year, Infinite Reality loudGlobeNewswireknown to have received $ 3 billion in investor money, which the company evaluates with $ 12.25 billion. The takeover of Napster is only one step in the expansion course of the tech company: Also in January, the tech company took over the shopping platform obsess.
More about music streaming
According to HandelsblattExperts expect fully developed meta -verses due to the immensely required computing power in around 20 years. It is questionable whether Napster will still have his illegal to revolutionary image from the early 2000s.
What do you say about the Metaverse-Napster? Is that the right next step for the streaming service? And is Napster really a good name to revolutionize something? Write and your opinion in the comments!
