This article is about the defunct peer-to-peer music download software. For the current streaming service, see Napster (streaming service). For the defunct pay service, see Napster (pay service).
Napster
Variation of the Napster Logo
Napster running under Mac OS 9 in March 2001
Developer(s)
Shawn Fanning
Sean Parker
Initial release
June 1, 1999; 24 years ago (1999-06-01)
Final release
September 3, 2002; 21 years ago (2002-09-03)
Operating system
cross-platform
Available in
Multilingual
Type
Media player
Website
www.napster.com
Napster was a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application primarily associated with digital audio file distribution. Founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, the platform originally launched on June 1, 1999. Audio shared on the service was typically encoded in the MP3 format. As the software became popular, the company encountered legal difficulties over copyright infringement. Napster ceased operations in 2001 after losing multiple lawsuits and filed for bankruptcy in June 2002.
The P2P model employed by Napster involved a centralized database that indexed a complete list of all songs being shared from connected clients. While effective, the service could not function without the central database, which was hosted by Napster and eventually forced to shutdown. Following Napster's demise, alternative decentralized methods of P2P file-sharing emerged, including Gnutella, Freenet, FastTrack, and BitTorrent.
Napster's assets were eventually acquired by Roxio, and it re-emerged as an online music store commonly known as Napster 2.0. Best Buy later purchased the service and merged it with its Rhapsody streaming service on December 1, 2011.[1] In 2016, the original branding was restored when Rhapsody was renamed Napster. In 2022, the Napster streaming service was acquired by two Web3 companies, Hivemind and Algorand. Jon Vlassopulos was appointed as CEO. [2]
^Sisario, Ben (2011-10-03). "Rhapsody to Acquire Napster in Deal With Best Buy". Mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com. United States. Archived from the original on 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
^Vincent, James (2022-05-18). "Napster joins Limewire and Winamp by jumping on the web3 bandwagon". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
Napster was a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application primarily associated with digital audio file distribution. Founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean...
investor. He developed Napster, one of the first popular peer-to-peer ("P2P") file sharing platforms, in 1999. The popularity of Napster was widespread and...
transformed into a public good, largely due to one player in the market: Napster. Napster, a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network where users could upload...
Metallica led the case against the peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster, in which the band and several other artists filed lawsuits against the...
philanthropist, most notable for co-founding the file-sharing computer service Napster, and was the first president of the social networking website Facebook...
of copyrighted material through Napster. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) took notice of Napster's ability to distribute copyrighted...
OpenNap was an open-source Napster server, extending the Napster protocol to allow sharing of any media type, and adding the ability to link servers together...
known for his work at Napster, the file-sharing service he co-founded along with Shawn Fanning and others. His time at Napster was documented in Joseph...
the original Napster system, which was used by users to share their MP3 collections with everyone who ran a Napster client. Unlike Napster, however, gnutella...
self-released – collection of outtakes Acoustic E.P. (2004), Capitol – digital EP Napster Sessions (2004), Capitol – digital EP Connect Set (2006), Capitol – digital...
and Silicon Valley, including as chairman and chief executive officer of Napster, a top digital music brand, and Roxio. Gorog played a central role in efforts...
Ulrich listens to jazz. In April 2000, Ulrich became a vocal opponent of Napster and file sharing as Metallica filed a lawsuit against the company for copyright...
It is estimated that the total number of users was greater than that of Napster at its peak. [citation needed] The FastTrack protocol and Kazaa were created...
his native Neukölln. In 2008–2009, Fools Garden released two new EPs, Napster Session 2008 and Home, as well as a compilation album High Times - The...
passed, and the first mp3 player devices were launched. In June 1999, Napster was released as an unstructured centralized peer-to-peer system, requiring...
unauthorized "file sharing" has proven successful for centralized networks like Napster, and untenable for decentralized networks like Gnutella or BitTorrent....
early P2P file sharing program that emerged prior to Napster's demise. Like services such as Napster and Scour, CuteMX used a centrally-located server for...
EP (Source, 2000) – 7"/CD Fight or Flight (Source, 2000) – 7"/CD NapsterLive (Napster, 2005) – Digital download The Red Moon EP (Source, 2005) – 7"/CD...
piracy was Napster. Napster enabled users to exchange music files over a common free server without any regard for copyright laws. Napster was quickly...
as Napster, Aimster, Grokster, and Morpheus. The courts have applied the Sony Betamax ratio differently in all these cases. For instance, Napster was...
Rock to produce the song. The song's leak on the file-sharing service Napster prompted the band to sue the service. The soundtrack single was released...
known as an early employee and key technical contributor at the original Napster, the file-sharing service created by Shawn Fanning in 1999, and at SNOCAP...
end of the first generation of P2P networks typified by the shutdown of Napster in July 2001. Skype itself was based on Kazaa's P2P backend, which allowed...
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