Napster Offers Unlimited Streaming, 5 Downloads for $5p/mo

Tries to stay relevant with service that delivers music for the same price as iTune bundled with on-demand music streaming.

Napster, the proverbial godfather of music downloads, and whom, incidentally, is nearing its 10th anniversary, is trying to reinvent itself once again by bundling a service that combines streaming with MP3s.

For $5 p/mo (available to US customers only) customers get unlimited on-demand music streaming along with 5 drm-free MP3 downloads. For essentially the same price as 5 tracks from Apple’s iTunes you get the same PLUS the ability to play full-length tracks when and where you want.

The move is surely aimed at challenging iTunes because all music downloaded from Napster (free or otherwise) is now iPod compatible. It even takes a not so subtle jab at the music download service by noting that others only offer “30-second clips and fewer songs.”

For some the service may make sense being that there exists no free artist/track on-demand streaming service. Pandora and Last.fm are fine, but some want to listen to a particular song where and when they want, and $5 bucks a month may not be too much to ask, especially if you get 5 free music downloads free and clear – the same cost as they’d be on iTunes minus full-length track streaming,

Napster will still retain the Napster To Go portable subscription for $15 p/mo, which relies on Windows DRM devices, and whereby download songs “expire” whenever you stop paying the monthly fee.

jared@zeropaid.com

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