Just sixteen years ago, Napster changed the music industry forever when it helped consumers download music over their computers without having to purchase it. It also changed the way we listen to music, as the service influenced the transition from CDs to digital files. A major setback from its downloading process was the controversy regarding content ownership and it was technically considered illegal downloading. Napster was shut down after a few years of being an active peer-to-peer file sharing service. Additionally, co-founders Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker were hit with lawsuit after lawsuit, with copyright infringements and illegal downloads as the main culprit.
Flash-forward to today and Napster is making coming comeback. This time, the company is taking on the competitive world of streaming. Even though it had technically returned in 2011, it was bought out by Rhapsody and it was again gone from existence. Napster is now back as a major legal streaming service and is available in Canada. Current CFO Ethan Rudin goes on to explain why the company has made a comeback in Canada, by stating:
“It was important to us that we enter Canada with a personalized music experience that has a complete catalog of local, national and international artists.”
Watch the video below to see how the current Napster works.
