Napster

[deathboy]

Napster launches in the UK, charging 1.09 quid per track as opposed to $1 per track in the US.

What is Napster vs What is Napster (scroll down to "Napster Light")

Given prevailing currency values, that's twice as much we'd be charged.

Hilariously, we pay about twice as much for CDs, most of the time.

So in both countries, you'd pay almost as much to burn a CD of Napstered content as to buy the CD in the first place.

Where do I sign?


[noticed on the might LJ of NaD]

Comments

[echo-echo.livejournal.com]

Can I (in the UK) use Napster US?

[deathboy.livejournal.com]

nope.

or at least, they have measures to attempt to prevent that.

I imagine, based on IP, they won't allow it.

You could tunnel to a states IP and do it that way, though.

[echo-echo.livejournal.com]

I thought the cost would be prohibitive but if you are downloading a fair amount the cost of a tunnel would be well worth it, unless you happened to have a friendly Yank with a box.

Afaik AOL uses American IP adresses. I tried a trace route on my old AOL IP's (dynamic) and it seemed to be coming from America. Whether it would work or not I dunno, my guess is they would wise up and ban the masks they used for the UK soon enough.

Have they offered any explanation for the price premium?

[the_axel]

I was quite taken with this feature: You can rip CDs and import non-secure WMA and MP3 music files that you already own and add them to your Napster Music Library.

Convert files fro a portable format that can be used anywhere by anyone into a format that limits you to listening to them on 3 PC's.

Brilliant!

& Napster UK only goes back to 1994.

I'm so glad I leave in a country where file sharing is legal.

[djpsyche.livejournal.com]

So in both countries, you'd pay almost as much to burn a CD of Napstered content as to buy the CD in the first place.


However, let's face it: in buying a CD, you're usually paying, what, 10-12 quid*, and on that CD there are maybe three tracks you like, so you're paying about £4 per good song as opposed to £1. I'd rather pay for songs I do like than songs I don't, if I had the choice. (Of course, this is a DJ speaking.)

*it's $15-£17 in the US...