Napster Returns - LEGIT???


NssOne

I am One with the DarkNss
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Ok, so I've been seeing the new Napster commercials a lot lately. I don't know if they show them outside of America (kind of doubt it), but MP3 downloading giant Napster is back again in the guise of Napster 2.0 (yeah, big change there).

Napster is no longer a free MP3 downloading service. Yeah, I know, we all love the free MP3s. But we also should know that we can all get in trouble for this free stuff (key word: CAN, meaning it's not definate). But now Napster is a Pay-Per service. Pay-Per: a term referring to having to PAY for something PER service renderred, i.e. paying per download of an MP3 or paying per month of MP3 downloading. The new service runs like this: You set up an account, you find songs to download, you pay $.99 per song or $9.95 per album, or you pay $9.95 a month for unlimited downloading.

Now, who wants to pay for a service like this? Well, it's legit. That's the main reason for an expensive service like this. You probably won't get into trouble with the RIAA for downloading music from here. But the problem with legitimacy is this: WHO THE FUCK CARES ABOUT IT??? Honestly, when there's still P2P services like Kazaa out there for people to use to download free MP3s, nobody cares about legitimacy. Free is free, no matter what rules you're breaking. And knowing that an extra 10 bucks a month is coming out of your pocket is still a hassle nowadays.

But the way I see it, if you're that paranoid about the RIAA, this may be the best solution. If you're willing to pay that is. What's this? You're not scared of the RIAA? To be honest, I am. I'm getting hella scared of these mofos trying to get all up in my Shared Folder looking for illegally copied materials. Let me steal that new Missy Elliot album, dammit! Best Buy won't let me get away with it, why must you try and stop me also!?

The bottom line (according to me, that is): if you're that hardcore about downloading MP3s and do it like it's an addiction, then get the new Napster monthly subscription. Atleast now you can do it without fear of the FBI jumping in through your windows and arresting you. Yes, you get to calm down now and instead get to tend to the 10 Guatamalen illegal immigrants hiding in your basement.

P.S. By the way, did anybody watch the new South Park this week? It seems kind of familiar in ways, but I can't quite put my finger on it... Something about the RIAA and... I can't remember now... I think it begins with a 'J'... Juice? Is that it? :p
 
Well, I would buy MP3s if possible.
But I won't use Napster because...

a) You don't get MP3s. You get protected WMAs. This means: I can't play them on my GP32 or in my car MP3-Player. Damn.

B) There is no flatrate.

c) It's too expensive. 99 cent for a single song is okay, but 9.95 $ for an album?? For a few bucks more I get the original CD with printed booklet!

d) They don't have anything I want. They mostly only have chart and pop songs. I tried finding some rock artists (Ayreon, Tyketto, Lana Lane, ...) without success.

I think if they don't change the format to MP3, it won't be a success, cause people usually already have an MP3 player and want to play their music on it!
 
I would go for the 9.99 a month thing, but if i get wma's.....no. thats crap and everyone knows it. People want a good deal, but this is not it.
 
I have no problem supporting the artists and 10 buks and month isn't a bad price. I spend much more a month buying records than that. Think of it if you buy one record a month then it covers the cost. The problem is that the files are protected which makes it pointless to me. I can't stand the copy protections on media these days which makes using it such a hassle to legit users. If I want to get a cd rip it and play it on an mp3 player I should be able to. Or if I want to copy a dvd to another disk or to a gp32 I should be able to. Copy protection makes it hard to the legit user to enjoy products they have paid for. So if they are going to sell music files they absoulutly must give the user a way of using the products they buy in a way thats not a huge hassle. On top of that a majority of the music that I listen to is not covered under the riaa so a service like this is pointless because all of the stuff on these services is just mainstream crap. So if I knew for a fact that I would not be given shit for downloading from one of these services, I could get mp3's I could use however I want and I could find music that I acctually wanted to listen to. As well if the money I pay every month acctually went to the artist unlike the cash the riaa is making from sueing its customers I would do it. I have no problem legitly purchasing products but it has to be in a way that makes it worth while.
 
c) It's too expensive. 99 cent for a single song is okay, but 9.95 $ for an album?? For a few bucks more I get the original CD with printed booklet!
that's EXACTLY their point. so people who are afraid of the RIAA now would reconsider using illegit p2p services and read about napster. and then they'd realize what you did and go buy the original CD's. at least that's what most dumb people would do :p why i download mp3's is not because i can't afford the CD's. i could cough up that much every now and then. it's because the things i download are basically impossible to find here in Hungary.
 
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napster sucks. it was crap when it was out and will still be crap. the new kazaa under development has plans for people to buy music/software, but kazaa sucks aswell and anything you have to pay for can't be a good thing.
 
Damn, I paid for my GP32, that must mean it sucks.

Anyways, I didn't realize they would be shitty WMAs. They failed to mention that on Napster.com (those asses). Yeah, they should still be downloadable MP3s so that people can burn them to CDs if they want.
 
soulseek is amazing, I have been able to find more rare and obscure shit on that than I ever did on napaster or any other p2p.
 
P.S. By the way, did anybody watch the new South Park this week? It seems kind of familiar in ways, but I can't quite put my finger on it... Something about the RIAA and... I can't remember now... I think it begins with a 'J'... Juice? Is that it?

That new episode was kickass.

Rock on
 
Southpark rules. Is it illegal to download cartoon episodes? I mean its not like we have the choice to buy the simpsons (other than the first 2 (3?) seasons). I think this post makes me a no longer newbie!
 
Technically, yes, since you don't own the rights to possess a copy of that episode in any media format. When you buy a DVD set of a season of South Park, you own the rights to possess those episodes in DVD format.

The one thing is this whole wide world that I believe should not be illegal to download and posses would be music videos. They are the least likely thing to find in any other media format than maybe your VCR. They should be readily available to download straight from the artist so that someone doesn't have to sit around for 12 hours glued to fucking MTV or VH1 just to see one fucking video from their favorite artist. I mean, come on people, what's wrong with having a music video readily available to view at your leisure when there's no programming schedule made viewable to the public by MTV? Atleast with most other TV broadcasted materials, you could set up a VCR to tape for only a certain amount of time in which the show wuold be broadcasted. With fucking MTV, it's a god damn game of chance. You gamble with your entertainment when you try to watch a block of MTV. Why not just make it available to download your video from the internet or make them easily bought from the store (for a decent price, or bundle with other artist's video) so fans would have the chance to view your music video at any time they please? I mean, come on! I don't feel like sitting through fucking five hours of Chingy, Britney Spears and Dashboard Confessionals just to see the new Linkin Park video. MAKE THEM AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET!!! THAT'S WHAT IT IS FOR!!!!!! USE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Sorry for my crude fucking language.
 
The only reasons for laws are:
1) try and stop stupid people from doing stupid things
2) try and stop evil people from doing evil things

Hopefully many of us on this board are part of the more enlightened. If we are all enlightened, then we wouldn't need laws, and everything could be PD, etc. Unfortunately, we aren't all enlightened, are we...
 
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