New Napster Off To A Solid Start 593
Anonymous Superhero writes "From Wired magazine Napster 2.0 has a sleek design and makes exploring new music a pleasure. The most nagging problem? The confusing licensing issues. A review by Katie Dean." I haven't tried it yet - still using the iTunes store.
I haven't tried it yet, either (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I haven't tried it yet, either (Score:5, Interesting)
And HMV marks every CD they have as 'imported', and jacks up the price to $45. I have tried to buy music online from all the major new online music stores... no luck... so I'll continue to pirate (since I'm already paying a piracy tax on all recordable media, I'm legally entitled too... I love stupid politicians...)
Re:I haven't tried it yet, either (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I haven't tried it yet, either (Score:3, Funny)
Yea, but according to my currency converter, thats like $8 U.S.
Re:I haven't tried it yet, either (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I haven't tried it yet, either (Score:4, Insightful)
As for me, I'm getting paid in USD, so if the value of the USD goes down, it acts like a paycut. Sure, local businesses are priced in dollars, but any inputs that come from overseas are going to feel pressure to raise their dollar prices. And don't fool yourself about how much of that cost of a nifty Palm pilot, wireless LAN card, etc., is influenced by the exchange rate. Making imported cars more expensive doesn't help *me*---"domestics" stay the same, so the cost of buying an automobile can only go up.
There isn't any "normal" economic mechanism for "correcting" the trade deficit. The trade deficit and current account deficit are two sides of the same coin. If people need dollars to buy USD-denominated stocks and bonds, they have to give us funny-colored pieces of paper in exchange. Those funny-colored pieces of paper don't have any value in the U.S. They only are useful to buy goods, services, and financial instruments that are denominated in yen, yuan, euros, etc. That is, in the end, they can only be used to buy foreign stuff. [I'm leaving out domestic investment, because the U.S. doesn't have any (net) to speak of.]
In summary, the main reason the U.S. has a trade deficit is because people in other countries are sending the US goods and services in order to get stocks, bonds, and dollars. And, indirectly, because Japanese and Chinese people are saving rather than consuming, and there aren't enough domestic investment opportunities to use up all that savings.
Sure, a declining dollar might sound good to an out-of-work autoworker in Detroit, but if it happens because no one in the world wants to invest in the U.S. economy any more, that doesn't sound like good news to me. Sounds more like the country being run like a third-world banana republic, but that's a longer discussion than I'm in the mood for now.
Re:I haven't tried it yet, either (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I haven't tried it yet, either (Score:3, Informative)
i see.. (Score:4, Funny)
"I haven't tried it yet - still using the iTunes store. "
that somebody has an advertising deal?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
monthyl liscence? (Score:2, Redundant)
Re:monthyl liscence? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:monthyl liscence? (Score:2)
Re:monthyl liscence? (Score:5, Informative)
If you are on their monthly service you keep the music only so long as you subscribe to their service and cannot burn it (or I think transfer it to a music player) without paying the additional charge.
It also reports how many times you've played each track to headquarters.
Re:monthyl liscence? (Score:5, Funny)
It also reports how many times you've played each track to headquarters.
I can live without that. What do they want to know next? How often I take a shit.
Serverside Tracking != Spyware (Score:3, Insightful)
There is a very big difference between tracking what is going on on your server, and tracking what is going on an end user's program. Essentially, the web server at company XYZ is the property of company XYZ. They are tracking usage on their computer, for their use. XYZ pays for the computer, bandwidth, etc..
Spyware puts tracking software on a machine that they do not own. They use someone else's resources to gath
iTunes (Score:5, Insightful)
No kidding. iTunes is great, but I don't use it for music - I use it for the audiobooks. These are not available by *ahem* cheaper means, so I love having iTunes for them.
Re:iTunes (Score:3, Informative)
Re:iTunes (Score:5, Interesting)
iTunes outclasses Napster in almost every way that counts. It would be more fair to compare iTunes to the new and improved MusicMatch [musicmatch.com], which added online music shopping about a month before iTunes for Windows was released, and compare Napster to BuyMusic [buymusic.com] instead.
Audible (Score:3, Informative)
Yummy (Score:5, Insightful)
Sounds like a nice way to get all the stuff you like for 10 bucks a month - given that you have the right tools to get the audio stream into a mp3 - can't be too difficult.
Of course, this would be illegal, so I won't try it (no, really!)
Re:Yummy (Score:2)
Re:Yummy (Score:2)
I like itunes for one reason: It doesn't make me feel like I'm being spammed to death. (just don't tell any of my geek friends that I'm using an ipod. They'll revoke my black belt in grep-fu)
Re:Yummy (Score:5, Informative)
Upon installation you are asked to supply your connection speed for streaming purposes.
The maximum available is 96 so stream capturing isn't really an option.
Re:Yummy (Score:4, Informative)
http://streamripper.sourceforge.net/sr32/
Anyone know of a CD-R emulator? That'd work... (Score:5, Interesting)
BUT -- if I *WERE* to do something so blatantly illegal as that, I would consider it a huge waste of CD blanks. Which brings me to my question:
Most of us are familiar with programs like Daemon Tools that tricks your computer into seeing an ISO image as an extra CD drive. Has ANYONE seen a program/driver that does this process in reverse?
For example, it could be a program that tricks your computer into seeing an extra CD-R drive which is in reality just an ISO file creator. Nero and several other programs provide this kind of functionality, but only from within their application. Since Napster (and iTunes for that matter) only allows you to burn from their program, I figure such a program would have to work at the ATAPI level, not as a separate application.
I've scoured the net and haven't found any such program yet. I would love to code this sort of thing myself, but unfortunately I'm woefully ignorant of the particular Windows functions one would have to interface with to emulate a drive.
I figure there's enough open source gurus that mill around this site that SOMEONE might see this post and take it upon themself to code this sort of tool. Anyone with any thoughts/suggestions/flames can AIM me at SoyFeo408.
Re:Anyone know of a CD-R emulator? That'd work... (Score:5, Informative)
Use a CD-RW. That is what I do when I buy a music on iTuens and burn it to a CD. iTunes will burn track information on the CD so when I rip the CD back to MP3's none of the track info (Artist, Song Title, CD Title, etc.) is lost. When I'm finised I erase the CD-RW so it can be used again.
Re:Yummy (Score:2)
Just joking, I'm sure it's not that easy (or is it?). Can't be much more difficult.
Rock solid start... (Score:4, Informative)
We're sorry, Napster is not currently compatible with your operating system.
Napster is currently compatible with Windows XP/2000.
Windows 95, Windows NT and the Mac OS are not supported at this time.
If you are planning on using Napster on this computer, the service will not be compatible and you should discontinue registration. If you will use Napster on a different computer, with a compatible operating system, please continue.
No thanks, buddy...
Re: (Score:2)
Not just for now. For quite some time (Score:5, Insightful)
They are pressuring, cajoling and enticing labels to release music in WMA with the promise of it being pirate-proof. At that same time, they hope this will marginalize Mac OS and Linux (which also doesn't have a WMA 9 port).
Re:Rock solid start... (Score:2)
Napster is not currently compatible with your operating system.
But the reviewer did such a careful job of testing on several XP machines!!!
Re:Rock solid start... (Score:5, Funny)
bah.
Re:Rock solid start... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Rock solid start... (Score:2, Insightful)
You titled your post "Rock solid start," sarcastically, but I don't really see the problem with the percentage of the marketplace they can reach.
Re:Rock solid start... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Rock solid start... (Score:2)
What, is that out yet? (Score:5, Interesting)
Where are Napster2's such statistics? If they're remaining silent on that, what does that say about how much of a "success" they are so far?
Now that Napster 2.0 is out... I mean, it's out already? The only way I knew was those ads on the Onion. But that made it seem like a "coming soon" thing. Heck, it's barely made a ripple. You'd think if it were worthwhile, it would get more press than the press they merely recieve because of their famous name.
So are all the people complaining that you can't run your iTunes Music Store purchases on more than 3 computers going to overlook the seemingly worse flaws in Napster2, or whine all the louder?
Survey (Score:2)
The results are very interesting.
Re: Napster and successes (Score:4, Informative)
Meanwhile, Napster's founder is on to other projects (most notably, Ryze - the business contact network).
Apple has clout and respect with the masses, because when they offer a music store, people simply think "Cool, online music purchasing brought to us by the guys that gave us the way cool iPod portable music player!" There's no negative "baggage" like a Napster has.
BTW - has anyone used www.ryze.com and found it useful/worthwhile? I gave it a shot, and personally, I found it mostly annoying. The concept was great.... but it seems to draw "wanna-bes", "psychics/mystics/religious zealots" and loads of hucksters trying to sell you their self-help or getting-started type books/videos. I was hoping to do some serious business networking with people, like myself, doing computer consulting/upgrading/etc. Instead, I got invites to join message forums run by people doing motivational seminars and selling insurance.
I'm going to try it (Score:5, Funny)
Jeez. It was so much easier in the old days. At least then it was obvious that you were breaking the law. Now you just don't know...
Money (Score:5, Insightful)
Right there is why I don't think it will catch on. People don't like the idea of paying until the end of time for something they have bought. Also, what happens when Napster 2.0 goes out of business, do your downloaded songs dissapear as well?
Re:Money (Score:5, Insightful)
I haven't read the artcile and I don't user napster because i am quite happy with iTunes. I think the key word in your comment is "bought". Sounds more like a damn rental to me. You are basically leasing the music....
I happen to agree with you that very few people are going to be interested in renting a song.
iTMS has already worked out the kinks... (Score:5, Informative)
And that's the beauty of the Apple solution: all of the licensing hitches have already been worked out. Consumers want predictability, and iTunes is the only one that provides it now.
Doomed project (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Doomed project (Score:2)
Here's a scenario that could have played out 40 years ago if Napster and Kazaa and downloaded music was around:
John: The kids really dig our songs, we should write some more.
Paul: I'd like to, but I don't have any flippin time. I have to work at me Dad's all day today and into the night. I want to get me a new flat.
John: Me too, my Auntie is gettin on me
Re:Doomed project (Score:4, Insightful)
Why iTunes is different (Score:2)
Re:Doomed project (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Doomed project (Score:2, Insightful)
Here's a thought:
1. Artist makes music
2. (optional) Music made without a producer because technology is cheap now
3. Artist starts promotional website
4. Artist gets on the radio and on P2P services
5. Artist gets popular if he doesn't suck
6. Artist makes money because of his popularity through advertising
7. Profit!!!
Notice the lack of a ??? step? Notice there's no RIAA involved? Notice how this system works a
I missed several steps (Score:5, Insightful)
How did the artist afford a studio?
How did step 5, Artist becomes popular, translate into money in step 6? Are you saying she sold advertising? Who listened to the ads in this model, and when did they listen to those ads? On TV, if that's your example, there are commercial breaks. In a P2P, song-by-song model, there are no such breaks. What, product placements? In the form of lyrics about Frosted Flakes?
Are you saying artists themselves are going to be able to make decent deals with advertisers? Where was the step where the artist boned up on contract law?
Re:Only two possibilities remain (Score:3, Insightful)
No different than things are now (Score:2)
Re:Doomed project (Score:2)
Yes, music will still be profitable. Yes, it will be higher quality and lower cost (free!). But there eventually won't be an RIAA and music will cease to be a monopoly at that point. Not as much money will be made by music, but artists will see a lot friggin' more of it.
Ease of use (Score:5, Informative)
"Despite its flexibility, the service can also be confusing. Some songs in the Napster library can only be streamed, while others are only available for a 99-cent download, even if you're paying for the streaming service. Which songs fall into each category isn't clearly spelled out. Some users are liable to think they are signing up for unlimited access to the Napster library, only to find out that some tracks must be purchased separately."
" I was listening to Lucinda Williams' album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road when I ran into a glitch. I could hear all of "Lake Charles," but only 30 seconds of "I Lost It," a song from the same album. It turns out "I Lost It" was only available if I opted for the a la carte feature. I either had to buy the track for 99 cents or be content hearing just 30 seconds of it. What a pain."
Licenses (Score:5, Interesting)
You'd think they'd be all into it, with the cost reduction for distrobution.
I would think I'm not the only person in the world who clicks OK whenever I see a contract or license. To me, that long-winded drivel has no hold on my time. If Napster is saying they will require my first born child as future payment for the services, then they'll have to come through me to get it, contract or not.
But that's not really what this is about. It's about record execs who haven't got the slightest idea how to integrate properly into a culture.
We are the culture... The people.
They (RIAA et al) are too busy trying to tell us that they are the culture, they are in control, when in fact that very notion of them having to tell people of this, is their undoing.
Each artist or group might have certain wishes to deal with Napster. Napster likely had to make concessions to appease the powers that be.
It's a side effect of a greater disorder. But does it make Napster bad? Prolly not.
Re:Licenses (Score:5, Insightful)
Different classes of songs hidden until you join (Score:5, Informative)
Also, just some more info on the tracks you can download on the $9.99 unlimited plan. If you view the file info in Windows Media Player, they are tagged in the DRM as "no transfer to portable", "no burn to CD", and with 6 week play expirations. Presumably that is renewed automatically if you keep up the subscription.
Re:Different classes of songs hidden until you joi (Score:5, Interesting)
So I quote an enthusiastic customer commenting on Napster 2.0's payment scheme, "F### THAT." He called his credit card and issued a charge-back on the service for false advertising.
"Samsung Napster Player" (Score:3, Informative)
Here are a few:
click [typepad.com]
click [image-acquire.com]
click [twincities.com]
Major bummer about streaming... (Score:5, Insightful)
I haven't downloaded music probably for over a year. Perhaps it says something about me, but as I age (28) I like less and less of whats out there and don't even have a desire to download it for free let alone for $.99.
The only time any more that I will download music probably is for a song I remember from my teens or some classical music.
I suppose the radio feature is useful (to get you hooked on new music and to get you to buy new songs).
Bah Napster! (Score:3, Funny)
2.0 late.
2.0 bad.
Head to head comparison (Score:5, Informative)
Reasons not to use Napster (Score:3, Insightful)
Napster 2 vs. iTunes vs. Rhapsody (Score:4, Informative)
Below is a short review I have done of the three legit online music services I have tried - Rhapsody, iTunes, and Napster 2.
Rhapsody [listen.com]
As a s/w developer who sits in front of his computer all day, I'm a big fan of the online streaming services and a huge Rhapsody advocate. I consider it the best $10 that I spend a month and use it for at least 6 hrs a day M-F. I've also ripped my entire CD collection to a FireWire drive connected to a fileserver I have setup in my home network. In total, I have about 7000 mp3s
ripped at 192kbps VBR which take up about 37GB of storage.
But Rhapsody has it's shortcomings.....
- no portable support
- no way to play local media files
- purchased music can be burned to a CD once and then it's gone
- no one click album purchase
I live with most of these by simply ripping the CDs I burn from Rhapsody which allows me to mix them with my local tracks and upload them to my Samsung YP-30SH MP3 player. I have also purchased the licensed version of RealOne (w/o all the subscription crap) to manage my local files. I'm not a big fan of Real the company but RealOne has great ID3 and file management capabilities. I've tried all of the others (e.g. MusicMatch) and I simply can't find another media player which does what RealOne does for me. I should mention that most of these capabilities came from RealJukebox which has then merged with RealPlayer to form RealOne. Unfortunately, it is now bordering on considerable bloatware and I fear that since Real has purchased listen.com (i.e. Rhapsody) they are planning on merging the Rhapsopdy client into it which will likely result in both clients becoming less usable.
iTunes [apple.com]
When iTunes for Windows launched, I checked it out from a curiosity perspective. The U/I is very well done as one would expect from Apple and the purchase process is seamless. Apple has made it very easy for people to spend money
But iTunes has it's shortcomings......
- iPod-only support
- no streaming service
- AAC format which has very limited industry support
I have seen so many messages blasting M$oft and WMA and DRM, and the same people giving accolades to Apple and iTunes. But from my perspective, iTunes/AAC is 10x more proprietary than WMA and Apple has not been anywhere near as forthcoming with developers as M$oft has been over WMA. There are at least a dozen MP3 players on the market supporting WMA and only one supporting AAC. It seems that since Apple is "cool", it's OK for them to be signicantly more proprietary than the "uncool" Microsoft.
As far as DRM is concerned - yes, it's a pain, but get over it - it's not going away.
Napster 2 [napster.com]
So given my views on Rhapsody and iTunes, I was eagerly awaiting the launch of Napster 2. The advance information available seemed to indicate that it had everything I like about Rhapsody and more (e.g. portable support). I had decided that if it actually was what it's PR made it out to be, I'd bite the bullet and get a WMA-capable MP3 player.
But boy was I wrong......
I downloaded the Napster 2 client first thing yesterday morning and immediately felt a sense of deja-iTunes-vu. They seemed to have attempted to replicate the iTunes interface in almost every way but in a way that seems much more "scattered-brained". At this time, I'd like to say a word about these services' U/Is. Perhaps it's my old way of thinking, but I really like Rhapsody's album and artist-orientated U/I. Everything is laid out very logically and navigation among artists, albums, genres, related artists,
etc. is v
Re:Napster 2 vs. iTunes vs. Rhapsody (Score:2, Interesting)
Not true (Score:3, Informative)
I have tried it personally on a 2-3 year old Nike PSA Play 60 (which is really a Rio 600) and it worked perfectly. I did have to use Windows Media Player to do the transfer, but I have to use that to transfer MP3's anyway, since the Nike software sucks.
Re:Napster 2 vs. iTunes vs. Rhapsody (Score:5, Insightful)
a few links ... (Score:3, Informative)
- MPEG-4 AAC licensing [vialicensing.com]
Reading the FAQ, you realise that you still have to pay something, due to Dolby's patents.
AAC implementations:
- FAAC [sourceforge.net]
- XMMS AAC plugin [sourceforge.net]
Re:Napster 2 vs. iTunes vs. Rhapsody (Score:3, Informative)
- no streaming service"
Not quite. iTunes will support just about any device you can plug into the USB or firewire port. Did you notice the "Radio" link that brings you to streams? or the "open stream" command under the "advanced menu"?
Napster - Alive but barely. (Score:2)
For one thing. I like P2P. I like it because I dont have to listen to what Roxio wants me to hear. I listen to what the fans want to hear. Now that this napster is no longer P2P it seems to me that this would limit what Music I can find on the service to what the RIAA is pimping in the stores currently rather than anything under the sun like Napster used to be.
All I want it a P2P app
OMFG I'm a Millionaire! (Score:4, Funny)
CHA-CHING , I'm a millionaire. Y-E-S!
F the RIAA
I bet I can get at least .50cents/ song at the Flea Market.
PCMag review of Napster (Score:5, Informative)
Standart /. comment... (Score:5, Funny)
And they should have thought of this ($DATE-(rand())) ago.
What do they offer that iTunes doesn't (Score:5, Insightful)
Does this new Napster service offer anything better than iTunes? The article claims more songs are available using Napster, but then goes on to say that some are only available as streamed audio, and then only to those who pay the $10/month. Of the 500,000 songs, how many are truly available as downloadable tracks?
iTunes, without requiring any purchases, comes with a few hundred radio stations, all of them free. Napster radio stations are only available to those who pay the $10/month (according to the article).
So where's the innovation? The industry is struggling to catch up to Apple, and Apple has a huge lead. I can't think of any feature I'd like to see in iTunes that isn't already there, and what is there is done really well.
Hmm. Question: (Score:3, Interesting)
If you pay the 99 cents, can you keep that song forever?
What happens if napster's drm servers go down or whatever? Can you still listen to the music you've bought? What are the restrictions, can you move bought songs between computers like with iTMS?
A fair review?? (Score:5, Interesting)
Aussie open source e-voting (Score:2)
DRM problem (Score:2)
Maybe someday, MP3's will be avaliable for download again. Then I can download, make playlists, and burn to MP3 CD's for the car.
I wonder if they are going to cry "PIRACY" for all the CDR's that are going to be burnt to RIP MIX BURN.
To burn one full M
SELL OUTS!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
They are using the identity of what used to represent freedom from the RIAA to make money, and basically, supporting the RIAA!!!
This is a disgrace!
I know that the musicians have a right to make moeny (although I still think it is a crock how the RIAA has blackmailed everyone and even more so how the musicians have basically turned their backs on their fans), but using the Napster name to support the RIAA is NOT RIGHT!!!
Hell, just on the fact that Napster has also sold out to the RI
You pay less you get less (Score:5, Insightful)
So for $10/album I get no media, no notes, and less quality. Or I can get a used CD for the same price/cheaper and rip to 256Kbps myself.
Yeah I guess it saves me the trip into the hated sun world, but are people really finding this worth it?
In other news iTunes is a great program. Some flaws, and it eats RAM, but still fun to use.
Re:You pay less you get less (Score:3, Insightful)
What you say is true, but many people put convienience before quality. AAC, like MP3, is great for the the sort of bandwidth (DSL & cable) and storage that most people have. FLAC is of higher quality, but in my experience usually only reduces the size of the track by half. Maybe when we start getting Tebibyte HDs, and T2 pip
Streaming (Score:3, Insightful)
Napster 2.0 seems to have something similar, but I don't like the fact that some songs are download-only. Perhaps I'll check it out though.
Unfortunately (Score:5, Insightful)
It's pretty obvious that the major music industry distributors have one shared brain cell. The more they lobby, prosecute and price-fix, the less money they make off of potential buyers like me, who aren't "pirating", but are sick of taking collateral damage from the battle. It doesn't take an economics genius to realize that $10 is better than $0 (because I'm not paying $20 thankyouverymuch). This is how it works RIAA: You don't call the shots, the consumer does. If you want my money, deliver what I want or get nothing.
BTW, does customs allow CDRWs to be shipped from Canada? I'd like to not fund the ongoing RIAA battle, because I have nothing to do with it. I figure it's time now to actively avoid funding this nonsense. I've bought the thousands of dollars worth of CDs in the past. What did I get for it? A 100% increase in music prices, only top 40 garbage to choose from, DRM controls, a tax on an unrelated item (I burn data CDs, not illegal copies of songs), ISP witch hunts, and legal maneuvering to stamp out viable competitive pricing through better technology.
I think from now on, whenever I spent $20 on entertainment other than on RIAA's partners in crime, I'll send them a nice e-mail telling them that they just lost out on profit because their products are not a good value, and they refuse to bargain with consumers. They may laugh at it now, but in three years, when their sales have dropped off 25 per cent, it won't be so funny anymore.
Dammit, Lars! (Score:2)
Napster Bad!
Napster Bad!
Napster Bad!
Napster Bad!
Quityerbitchin (Score:5, Insightful)
This argument is ignoring either one of their merits as companies/products, but the point is, don't attack Napster or any other company in this market just because they aren't iTunes and do not attach your pride and ego to iTunes as its just a product designed to be sold, just like Napster.
Watch out for Napster scam (Score:5, Informative)
And noticed a nice credit card charge for the songs appeared in my statement.
Thanks, Napster. Goodbye, Napster.
Re:Watch out for Napster scam (Score:3, Informative)
Go near the bottom. You had to cancel in 30 days.
Honeymoons don't last forever (Score:4, Funny)
To some of us, none of this stuff is new, you see. We've always chosen our computers based on our needs and interests of the moment, rather than going by some company or market diktat, and as a result our computers have always done pretty much what we want, seamlessly and flawlessly. Back in the day we have all had our love affairs with Sinclairs, Tandys, Macs, Acorns, Amigas, Ataris, BeBoxes -- until one day the man with the axe came and obliterated our dreams. So we moved on.
So I know what it's like to be in love. The sky seems a little bit bluer, the sun a little bit brighter, and the hormonal imbalance makes that you don't even notice when you stub your toe on the table leg. And its okay to bore your friends to death with tales about how pretty she is, and flawless, and how her shit doesn't stink. That's what friends are for.
But please. Guys. I really just don't want to see you get hurt when she dumps you for some other target demographic.
Subscription ... (Score:5, Informative)
Uh, ok. (Score:3, Interesting)
I personally thought it looked horrible and was very unfunctional. The lists aren't in any particular order when you browse by genre. The interface is pretty much a nightmare. It looks like it was put together by a bunch of monkeys on typewriters [wired.com]. I'm glad that Microsoft is so worried about the consumer's having options [microsoft.com] but for some reason it just seems like Microsoft really doesn't care. I know that is hard to believe, but I don't think there are any plans for Napster to be on MacOSX ever. Strange huh?
Half arsed Napster 2.0 rundown (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Portability (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Portability (Score:2, Informative)
>> them to disks, but you "cannot" transfer them
>> between computers...
Incorrect. You can sync songs between a maximum of 3 computers using the Sync/Restore option on the pulldown 'My Account' menu
>> What i want to know is can the songs
>> downloaded by the monthy service be burned to
>> disks.
Only if you use a stream ripper type program to rip them while playing to a standard mp3 (or other format) file. The Napster clien
Re:one answer (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Recording software? (Score:2)
Sorry, I don't have a link to the software you're looking for, though
What happens if you just select 'wave' as the recording source in Windows?
Re:The most nagging problem? (Score:2)
Really? I'd say that was the most interesting part of the whole deal. I've only seen like one or two on TV but at the NapsterBits [napster.com] site, they have all of the commercials. They're surprisingly funny and satirical about the music industry (especially the one where the cat walks in on the record execs trying to kill each other).
I think that once we heard all our favorite ways of pirating music were going awa
Re:Napster is Better than iTunes (Score:3, Insightful)
1. Burn a CD
2. Rip the CD into the format of my choosing.
Is a "hurdle" that the author cannot surrmount. He explains the two easy steps right there! Sure, its somewhat of a pain, but the apple format is not really an obstacle to playing the music on other devices than an iPod and making as many copies as you want. I've purchased about 50 songs so far, burned them all to CDs for playing in my car, and ripped them back to mp3s for playing in WinAmp at work.