When you consider how much software has been released during the brief history of computing A Brief History Of The Computers That Changed The World A Brief History Of The Computers That Changed The World You can spend years delving into the history of the computer. There are tons of inventions, tons of books about them, and that's before you start pointing fingers which inevitably happens when... Read More Earlier we took a trip back in time to see some of the oldest Windows programs that are still alive. 8 Mostly Forgotten Windows Programs Today 8 Mostly Forgotten Windows Programs Still Today Many once-popular programs have faded into obscurity. You might be surprised what old software you can still download in 2016. Read More We find that Napster is still, surprisingly, alive and kicking.
The old Napster was once completely illegal; its ultimate demise was one of the few technological demands that shaped the modern web. 5 Incredible technological demands that shaped the digital world. 5 Incredible technological demands that shaped the life of the digital world. Demands play an important role in guiding technological developments, even in the world of software. Here are some cases that were very important, we are still feeling the effects today. Read more . However, the Napster you can visit today is a completely different service, albeit with the same name.
Confused already? Let's take a look at the history of Napster to find out how modern Napster stands up to classic Napster and other similar services.
Napster appeared in the summer of 1999, but it wasn't the first download service of its kind. What made Napster stand out was its focus on MP3s; It was designed as a platform for users of any technical ability to share and find new music. With the social aspects of music 3 Music Social Networks to discover and share new tunes 3 Music Social Networks to discover and share new tunes Read stronger as they are now, it was a fun activity to recommend music to others and see what they it was. trending on Napster.
Napster was incredibly popular. At one point, more than half of the traffic on some college campuses was directed toward using MP3 Napster. Napster ushered in another major change in the music industry, signaling the end of album-oriented music listening. You no longer had to buy an entire record or cassette to get music from an artist; you can simply download any track you liked. The Internet Music Guide for the Audiophile. The Internet Music Guide for the Audiophile. We have discovered the biggest sites for music fans in various categories. Whether you want to buy an album, stream songs, discover new music, or just learn more, these sites have it all. Read More
The service continued to grow until a then version was not released to the public. "I Disappear" by Metallica was discovered by the band on Napster. The members of Metallica were unhappy with their music as it was not only being leaked to the public early on, but also widely available for free. They and other artists began suing, and in mid-2001, Napster closed its doors.
Shortly after the service was forced to discontinue operations, Napster attempted to become a legal service but failed to get off the ground. Napster went bankrupt in 2002; soon after, Roxio bought the brand (its recognizable power 10 Famous Tech Brands &Terms Explained 10 Famous Tech Brands &Terms Explained Ever wondered where Bluetooth got its name from? many other computer brands and terms. Were they the inventors of the Apache Native Americans? What has… Read More was still valuable), and in 2008 Best Buy took it over?.
The fun didn't stop there, though:In 2011, another music service, Rhapsody, bought Best Buy's Napster assets and merged them into its own service. Earlier this year, Rhapsody confused everyone by dropping the long-running Rhapsody name and renaming itself Napster.
So, in essence, the Napster of today and the Napster of yesteryear are two different services, although you can trace the evolution from the old to the new. This year, Napster joined the long list of music streaming services. What is the best mobile music streaming service? What is the best mobile music streaming service? Online radio is picking up speed now that there is a bit of competition driving the technology. You may be familiar with services like Pandora and Spotify, but now that you can stream music on the go... Read More
Let's take a look at the service today and what it has to offer.
The new Napster service obviously eliminates its predecessor's illegal dealings by charging money for access. There are two plans to choose from, which isn't the case with most other streaming services (Spotify dropped its mid-tier unlimited plan several years ago).
The cheapest option is unRadio, which is $5/month after a 14-day free trial. It gives you personalized radio with unlimited skips, high-quality streaming on desktop and mobile with no ads, and the ability to download up to 25 songs for offline listening.
Premier, which is the full service that Napster advertises and offers a 30-day free trial, is $10/month and includes all of the above. Plus, you'll get unlimited access to everything in the catalog, streaming capabilities for home audio devices, access to Napster Kids (see below), and a family plan Save on Premium subscriptions with these 9 shareable accounts Save on subscriptions Premium With These 9 Shareable Accounts Premium subscription services are great, but the costs add up fast. Here are 9 services you can share to get the most for your money. Read More With this plan, $15/month brings up to five users, each with completely separate accounts.
Napster includes two pricing options that competitors don't. You can choose to pay for your Premium subscription annually, which brings the price down to $8 per month. Another plan, the Premier +1, bumps the price up to $15/month and lets you stream in two places at the same time.
Napster offers a native Windows program as well as a modern desktop app vs. Windows Store apps:What should you download? Desktop vs. Windows Store Apps:Which Ones Should You Download? In Windows 10 and 8.1, you can download and install desktop apps from the web, or you can get an app from the Windows Store. We explored the differences between Desktop and Store... Read More The Windows desktop program, while functional, is less elegant than the web interface and features fewer images than the web, making it a bit boring. The Modern app has mediocre reviews, so just save the Napster site to your taskbar How to pin websites from any browser to the Windows taskbar How to pin websites from any browser to the Windows taskbar You can include more than desktop programs on your taskbar. Here's how to pin any site for instant access. Read More
As soon as you launch Napster, you'll discover that it's designed to provide an experience tailored to your musical tastes. Discover new music by mapping music genres and artists Discover new music by mapping music genres and artists Music mapping is not as strange as it may sound at first glance. In the same way that locations can be charted, so can music genres and artists, with one style feeding the next, a band... Read More Before jumping into music, you are asked for your top three genres and 10 favorite artists. They're used to create playlists full of music you like right away, giving you something to listen to without having to search around.
The service offers a lot to choose from right from the start. Your home page includes recent playlists and albums you've listened to, along with new releases Don't Stop The Music:4 ways to set alerts for new album releases Don't Stop The Music:4 ways to set new album alerts Releases There was a time when you could keep track of new music releases by signing up at your local record store, but now we live in a different world. How do you keep track now? Read More If that's not what you want, you can browse by genre or tags – identifiers like Workout and Decades can help you find something awesome that doesn't fit into a traditional genre.
Napster lets you listen to music the way you want. You can search for an artist and select one of her albums (or search by record label, exclusive to Napster), open a playlist created by another user, or do a mix on the fly using the Mixer. The Mixer, one of Napster's best features, is an ever-present bar on the side of the screen that shows what's coming up next, as well as letting you control the flow of music at all times.
Started a Radio Station Which internet radio sites have the best browser user experience? Which internet radio sites have the best browser user experience? Exploring web players for various internet radio services to see which ones offer the best in-browser experience. What good is a great radio pick if the player is frustrating to use? Read More Take it off Listen to an album and want to play a certain track when the album ends? Drag it and add it to the queue, or delete it at any time if you want a fresh start.
The endless playback feature is pretty sweet, playing tracks inspired by your recent listening once your mixer has run out. This is a great way to accidentally discover something new or let the music flow during a party.
Discovering Music 6 Great Ways To Discover Great Music You've Never Heard Before 6 Great Ways To Discover Great Music You've Never Heard Before If you're a music lover, you're familiar with the constant need to discover new music. You already know a lot of good music that you like, but the thirst for more is unstoppable. There are many good things... Read More While not present on every artist, most feature similar artists for you to peruse. There's also a “Listeners” list that shows Napster users who have listened to that artist recently, along with other recent works by them. This is a great way to discover someone who has a similar taste in music as you and find something new that you may not have known about before.
Those who love music information will appreciate the exact release date on most albums, along with short descriptions/reviews. This allows newcomers to an artist to read a bit about their records and figure out which one is the best to start with. The best tracks for each artist also allow you to jump directly to the biggest tracks for an artist.
Music categorization is a breeze. At any time, you can favorite a track, jump to the artist or album you're listening to, or save the music to your library, which acts like your Spotify music feature. Spotify Your Music Collection:The End Of iTunes Spotify Your Music Collection:The End Of iTunes Spotify is no longer content to just compete with radio, they now compete with the idea of even having music. Read more . This makes it easy to keep track of everything you want to hear.
A few extra features round out the Napster selection:Radio lets you create stations around any genre, artist, or song, and even lets you adjust the variety present in the mix. Listening History provides a nice trail trail so you can find that weird trail you heard yesterday.
Overall, the web app provides a great interface that feels modern and responsive, great options for finding, saving, and sharing music, the excellent Mixer that keeps you in control, and a consistent experience.
Of course, if you're paying for a premium service. Get the most for your money:8 apps worth paying for. Get the most for your money:8 apps worth paying for. saving time, money and effort in the long run. Read More Which is where the Napster mobile app comes in.
Napster's mobile apps include most of the same features and ways to access music as the desktop version, so there's no need to discuss details about them. However, the mobile app has some great tools for when you're on the go.
Of course, you can download all the music you want to listen to offline, which helps you reduce your data usage. Save Mobile Data:5 Smart Ways to Cut Down on Data Usage Save Mobile Data:5 Smart Ways to Cut Down on Data Usage Yes With a limited mobile data plan, opening your bill can be a harrowing experience. Is there an excess charge? How much? And why was so much data used? While the... Read More Napster offers a Downloads tab in the Your music section that shows all the playlists, albums, and artists for which you have saved offline content.
If you put the app in Offline mode or use it in Airplane mode Everything you need to know about Airplane mode for iPhone and iPad Everything you need to know about Airplane mode for iPhone and iPad Does your phone charge faster on the Airplane mode? Will your alarm still work? Can Bluetooth be used? This is what you need to know. Read More This is a great approach to managing saved tracks and is much better than the way Spotify handles it by forcing you to manually fetch your music offline.
Settings give you great control over mobile-specific features. You can choose from three levels of music quality. How does audio compression work and can you really tell the difference? How does audio compression work, and can it really tell the difference? In this article, we'll take a look at how music compression works and if it has any real effect on how music actually sounds. Read More By default, the app will also download each song you add to your Favorites, giving you an easy way to create a megamix for offline use.
You can also enable a sleep timer, which allows you to play music for a certain amount of time before it turns off. This is great for late night listening as it ensures that the music won't play for hours after you fall asleep.
The app features lock screen controls as expected, and the Now Playing screen is great as it allows you to view album art and also gives you full control to share the track, add it to playlists or jump to the album it came from. Another cool feature is the ability to add shortcuts to your device's home screen that jump directly to an album or playlist, giving you instant access to your favorite songs.
Finally, the app features an automatic mode designed for use when driving. Of course, you should never use your phone while driving , as it distracts you and can lead to serious injury or death. This mode allows you to quickly control your music while standing still without having to navigate through a bunch of menus.
Auto mode has just a few buttons that let you jump to recently played playlists or albums, your favorite tracks, or new featured music with just one touch. You sacrifice control of exactly what's playing, but the simple interface removes the temptation 4 Safe and Useful Android Apps You Can Use in Your Car 4 Safe and Useful Android Apps You Can Use in Your Car Using Your Phone While driving is dangerous! Stay safe with these Android hands-free techniques. Read More
Actually, the only glaring weakness of the Napster mobile app is the inability to control the music playing on your desktop from your phone and vice versa. Attempting to play music on your phone while streaming on another device will cause the former to stop, unless you have the Premier +1 plan as explained above.
Some other facets of Napster are worth discussing. While Napster is of course available for the devices you'd expect, it also allows you to stream from your Wii U, Sonos, Denon, and/or Chromecast. Since Spotify is available on the PlayStation 4, having Napster available on the Wii U makes it a great option if that system is your media center. What game consoles can you use as a media center? What game consoles can you use as a media center? As for the next-gen offerings from Microsoft and Sony, it seems that adding video, TV, music, and your photo collection (and probably social media) to the mix of gaming and unlocking achievements is now part and... Read more of the option.
The second unique feature is Napster Kids, which allows parents to control the music their children listen to and also gives children choices of what they want to listen to. Using the desktop or mobile app, parents can select an album, playlist, or song to add to their child's playlist.
Then, in the mobile app, enabling Kids mode takes you to a simplified interface that lets kids choose to listen to parent-approved music. This mode also includes kid-friendly playlists Top 5 Free Kids Music Download Sites You'll Love Top 5 Free Kids Music Download Sites You'll Love If you have kids, you've no doubt thought about how you might be able to increase the size of your music collection for free. I mean, who wants to listen to the same CD of... Read More It's a great way to prevent your kids from listening to explicit music and still be able to recommend music to them. You can easily add or remove music from the kids list at any time.
The only problem here is that when you tap the X to jump out of Kids mode, the app says to "Drag the circle to the southeast corner." or another direction. Only the smallest children will not be able to do this, and even they should eventually figure it out. It would be nice to have a PIN code that protects the Kids mode, so it's not easy to get out.
The last aspect of Napster to discuss is music selection. That's mostly good news:You'll be able to find pretty much any music on the service that you'd like. We didn't find any major artists on Napster that aren't on other services. Taylor Swift, quien tomó una mala decisión sacando su música de Spotify Por qué Taylor Swift está equivocada acerca de Spotify Por qué Taylor Swift está equivocada acerca de Spotify La semana pasada Taylor Swift sacó su música de Spotify, inspiró innumerables titulares cargados de canciones y volvió a encender Debate sobre servicios de streaming de música. Leer más, en particular, tiene sus álbumes más antiguos presentes en Napster. Su nueva oferta, 1989 , esta ausente, sin embargo.
Por supuesto, su millaje puede variar según su gusto musical, pero no vemos ningún defecto evidente en el catálogo de Napster..
Con tantos otros servicios de transmisión de música que ofrecen una experiencia comparable al mismo costo, ¿el nuevo Napsterdo es suficiente para justificar la prueba? We think so.
La aplicación web de Napster es un placer gracias a su mezclador siempre presente y mutable, la facilidad de encontrar música nueva y las formas lógicas de categorizar la música. La aplicación móvil está bien construida, con un sencillo modo Desconectado, un útil Modo automático y todas las otras características que esperaría en una aplicación de música móvil.
En resumen, Napster es una excelente opción para usted si:
Napster no tiene ningún inconveniente evidente en comparación con los otros grandes servicios, además de no poder controlar la música que se reproduce en su escritorio desde su teléfono. Tampoco está integrado en el sistema operativo como Apple Music es para iPhones o Google Music es para teléfonos Android, lo que podría ser un factor decisivo para algunos.
Probablemente no deberías abandonar tu servicio de transmisión de música actual para Napster, pero funciona bastante bien, tiene algunas características únicas y definitivamente vale la pena verlo para los amantes de la música. Es un valor mucho mejor que el decepcionante SoundCloud Go ¿Vale la pena SoundCloud Go? Is everything you need to know worth SoundCloud Go? All you need to know SoundCloud Go is a new premium music streaming service designed to compete with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, but is it worth paying for? Lee más, y aunque no estás obteniendo música de forma gratuita como lo hiciste con el Napster original (porque estaba habilitando la piratería), muestra que el nombre de Napster todavía tiene algo de peso..
Napster es solo una pequeña parte en la evolución del consumo de música. La evolución del consumo de música:cómo llegamos aquí. La evolución del consumo de música:cómo llegamos aquí. The rise of the iPod, the mobile phone with music and a series of transmissions. All media platforms point towards a simple and simple idea:music is important. But how do we get here? Read more . Echa un vistazo a la historia completa para saber más sobre cómo llegamos a donde estamos hoy..
¿Tienes recuerdos de usar el viejo Napster? ¿Ya probaste el nuevo Napster? ¿Qué piensas de cualquiera o ambos? ¿Y cómo se comparan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
