DAKOTA DUNES, S.D.--May 2, 2001---- A new report by PC Pitstop (http://www.pcpitstop.com) finds that file-swapping alternatives to Napster are increasing in popularity as users migrate away from the MP3-sharing leader. The report cites that Napster installations dropped by 6% in March--evidence that not only are file-swappers ceasing to use the service, but they’re actually uninstalling the application as well.
While the court-ordered injunction against Napster certainly caused the drop, it hasn’t dissuaded users from sharing files. In Napster’s place, competitors mIRC, AudioGalaxy, BearShare, WinMX and LimeWire are picking up the slack, all showing strong increases in install rates from February to March, according to the report.
Enhanced IRC-client mIRC was the most popular alternative, showing the highest install rate among PCs examined by PC Pitstop in March. BearShare and WinMX showed the most overall growth from February to March.
The report, which examined more than 100,000 PCs in March, also tracks the progress of 20 other file-sharing apps, including Freenet, ToadNode, Gnutella, Scour and Aimster.
PC Pitstop expects the growth to continue among the alternatives in the coming months, as Napster scrambles to filter out copyrighted titles and more and more users abandon the service.
Says PC Pitstop CEO Rob Cheng, “Now that the tables have turned on Napster, it’ll be fascinating to track just how much the March injunction affects Napster—and its song-swapping alternatives—in the next few months. Plus, if or when Napster and its competitors move to paid or regulated models, it’ll be twice as interesting for us to see how that regulation affects the services—and file-sharing on the whole.”
Please visit http://www.pcpitstop.com/research to download the free, complete study in PDF format—or contact PC Pitstop at research@pcpitstop.com.
About PC Pitstop – PC Pitstop, LLC, founded in November 1999, launched its Web site, http://www.pcpitstop.com, in March 2000. Using proprietary Web technologies, the site assists users in the tuning, diagnostics and education of their PC. The site has received critical acclaim from Computer Shopper, PC World, LockerGnome, and Tech TV (formerly ZD-TV).
About PC Pitstop Research – Throughout the diagnostic process, PC Pitstop is able to store large volumes of information related to the more than 100,000 PCs tested at the site every month. PC Pitstop aggregates this data to learn more about trends in the PC industry.
As a result, the site can produce custom reports on a variety of PC categories and metrics, and can update the data on a monthly basis. PC Pitstop uses this information strictly for research and aggregation purposes, and not for individual or targeted marketing campaigns.
Please send inquiries to research@pcpitstop.com
For more information, contact
Rob Cheng, CEO: 843-293-6110 or Paul Silverman, Senior Editor, 631-424-4808
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