It’s a far cry from the once totally free digital music service that allowed college students to download all the rock, rap and jam band music they wanted, but Napster has found away to give music away for free again. Sort of.
Launching today, the new advertiser-supported Napster.com will be the first legal digital music service to offer users free, on-demand listening to over two million major and independent label tracks for five times each.
“Napster was born of the idea of eliminating all barriers to discovering, enjoying and sharing music and of putting the power in the hands of fans,” Chris Gorog, Napster’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “With a vision to empower music fans in a legal environment, with an open, all-inclusive platform, we are very excited to share our new free music experience at Napster.com.”
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The service also launches two new programs including NapsterLinks, which allows users to email or IM their friends links to the new songs they’re listening to. The Narchive, meanwhile, allows users to contribute to an ever-expanding “People’s History of Music,” which will feature fan-generated content, including personal stories, photos, and memorabilia.
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