Napster, Inc. - Introduction

Introduction

455 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95050
U.S.A.
Telephone: (408) 367-3100
Toll Free: (866) 280-7694
Fax: (408) 367-3103
Web site: http://www.napster.com

Public Company
Incorporated: 2000 as Roxio Inc.
Employees: 360
Sales: $99.3 million (2004)
Stock Exchanges: NASDAQ
Ticker Symbol: NAPS
NAIC: 518210 Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services

The one-time renegade provider of music file-sharing software, Napster, Inc. has been reborn as a legitimate Internet music subscription service that offers the work of more than 45,000 artists on an on-demand basis. All told, the Napster music library includes some 700,000 individual songs and 65,000 albums. The Santa Clara, California-based company offers two levels of service. Napster Light is designed for people who merely wish to purchase music, which costs 99 cents per track and $9.95 for an album. Users also are permitted to search for music and listen to 30-second clips. Purchased music can then be played on a computer, burned to a CD, or transferred to a portable device. In addition, Napster Light users have access to music library functions, allowing them to use Napster to play CDs, create custom play lists that can then be shared with other Napster subscribers, import nonsecure WMA and MP3 files into their library, import tracks into a Napster library, and organize the music collection using Napster software. In addition to these "lite" features, monthly subscribers can listen to the Napster library on demand and receive a discount on music purchases. They also receive 50 radio stations and the ability to build custom stations.