Napster’s music download catalog moving to all-MP3 format
Digital music retailer Napster Inc. plans to shift its download sales catalog to the MP3 format in the second quarter of 2008. All single-track and album sales will be made exclusively in the MP3 format, which is compatible with virtually all MP3 players and music phones, including Apple Inc.’s iPod and iPhone. Napster’s a la carte music singles and album sales will not be subject to digital rights management, or DRM, technology that prevents consumers from sharing music and playing it on any device.
Napster joins Amazon.com and Apple in selling DRM-free music in the MP3 format. Amazon is No. 1 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide and Apple is No. 15.
“The ubiquity and cross-platform compatibility of MP3s should create a more level playing field for music services and hardware providers and result in greater ease of use and broader adoption of digital music,” says Chris Gorog, chairman and CEO of Napster, which is No. 108 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.
Napster’s subscription-based unlimited music model will remain the core focus, the company says.
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