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Napster and Best Buy Joining Forces
Ruds writes "Best Buy will market a music service co-branded with Napster. Napster will give Best Buy stock valued up to $10 million, and they'll share marketing costs. From the story: 'The retail chain will feature Napster products in its brick-and-mortar stores and demonstrate the service through interactive kiosks throughout the nation. Napster will also support Best Buy's artist promotions.'"
It's amazing how agressive the online music selling business is getting, companies teaming up with each other to get that advantage over their rivals etc.
My only problem with them all is they're US based. I realise of course this is where the major market appeal is, it does mean however the rest of us end up having to resort to pirated music if we want to get the latest and greatest online.
Here's hoping that soon iTunes and all the other online music stores will soon be available the world over. License rights I guess will be the biggest hurdle to this though.
Well, maybe this will work better than the last investment in music downloading (what the hell was the name of that). But honestly, I don't see BestBuy doing much with this. I've never quite understood the appeal of retail (read: brick & mortar) tie-in with downloading services. Buying pre-paid cards may be nice, but that seems like a better business for 7-11, Starbucks or supermarkets. I suppose they'll start giving away CDs with Napster software, but I think the novelty/appeal of that wore off a long time ago, especially for broadband users (download market) who can easily download software from the net.
On the whole, it can't hurt Napster, but I fail to see how this is going to help them very much. Maybe I'm too skeptical, but overall this seems fairly pointless.
So the question is... Is Napster the "Best Buy" when is comes to online music? Why not just install some kiosks with a CD Burner and an emule installation? It would do wonders for the sale of blank media.
Best Buy isn't the first joint venture that Napster has undertaken. Samsung and Napster teamed up to design an mp3 player around the Napster download service.
It seems as though Napster doesn't have much faith in their ability to survive. These corporate sponsorships provide companies such as Best Buy and Samsung an interest in Napster's well-being. It's definitely a far cry from the heyday of Napster, when it couldn't keep users away.
Napster is getting desperate now. First they offer to give away players, now they wish to give away stock. I can't see this stock going anywhere but down. These new 'plans' will not bring the needed cash in. (Too long term too many bills to pay) The online music industry is a market that has no room for napster any more. I for one am saddened by this, napster allowed me to broaden my music tastes.
Why can I not mod a message to crap?!?
Funny to see the suits manipulating a "brand" that used to stand for individuality and defiance. Napster has been made the RIAA's bitch and now they want to trot out the name -- shamed and debased -- as some sort of hip corporate brand.
Oooo, "Napster teams with Best Buy." Wow, surely Best Buy is cool and if you want to be an individual you need to head on over to your local box store and buy some Sony / BestBuy / Microsoft / PepsiCo product.
Personally, I think if you're smart you'll ignore everything with the "Napster" label altogether. And if you're really a rebel, try scratching "Best Buy" off the list too. Now that, would be cool...
Oh, and you also get WMA files. blech.
Somethings aren't worth the price.
If you are one in a million, then there are six thousand people who are just like you.
Yeah, I remember! Nearly every comedy song labeled as being sung by Weird Al Yankovic... Low bit-rate encoding... That high-pitched squeal, 30 seconds into the song... Songs missing 10 seconds of audio at the end. Man, those were the days.
Wait a minute. My mistake, that sucked ass.
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
Or a little less, as it usually is...
;)
It depends on where you live. In the more populated areas, the stores are bigger, but the reps don't know jack. In the smaller places that are just big enough to have a best buy, the reps seem to be a little better trained, but they seem to have less stock (smaller store..)
I buy all of my stuff online, but it's sometimes nice to talk to a rep and make them unlock the toys so you can play with them before you purchase online
You missed the "trying to find and download increasingly obscure songs". That's why I used napster back in the day. I always have and always will buy the music I like. But napster was an awesome place to find b-sides, live music, and other rare music from your favorite artists. While you were at it, you could browse the music collection of the people you were downloading from and discover new bands. About 1/4 of the albums I bought during that period were from bands I discovered on napster. Lastly it allowed for situation like he mentioned where you partying at 3 in the morning and have the spontaneous desire to listen to some random song that you haven't heard in years.
I haven't used any filesharing programs since before napster was shut down (I have always obeyed the spirit of the law, but as I have become more outspoken about certain things I've decided to also obey the letter of the law, lest people think me a hypocrite). I must say that none of the new download services fill needs at all. Granted, I am not representitive of the filesharing population, seeing as last time I heard the most popular downloads were fifty cent and britney spears. But fortunately, artists are becoming more tech savy, and most now have music samples on thier websites, and there are some interesting music sites spouting up on the web, but none of them offer anything like what napster was.
You so nailed it. I seriously avoid people in places like Best Buy. "Can I help you?" More like can I help them. I think regardless of whether you need help or not you should be polite. They are just trying to do what their told. It bothers me that some people act like they own the place and are rude.
Orginally napster depended on the size of its marketshare to succeed . . . like the telephone, the more phones hooked up to the network, the more valuable the network became (the potential to call more and different people and businesses), at its peak, napster was by far the biggest network of its kind (even the only network of its kind) . . . like microsoft on the desktop with a lot of the evil removed (or focused at the RIAA depending on how one looks at it)
Napster no longer has its network . . . it had been defunct for a long time, it has been trying to reinvent itself on exactly the business model that it was working against . . . but most importantly, its no longer the big kid on the block. Its not the biggest, its not the most popular, and in the selling of songs online, it certainly does not have the brand recognition of being a leader (currently that goes to Apple and the ipod.). Napster is now a follower, not a leader and the brand tarnished . . . napster is the sellout, they are the ones that lost the lawsuit . . . They were even bought by one of the major labels. Their rebellious market credibility was gone a long time ago.
Why is BestBuy partnering with them? Perhaps to compete with WalMart. Successful or not, BestBuy cannot afford to let WalMart get a beachhead in the higher end consumer electronics market through online music sales . . . Basically, BestBuy is doing this because they have to in order to protect their marketshare from the big kid on the block with the virtually infinite spending account.
Where does this leave Napster . . . somewhere between the pet rock, beanie babies, and mood rings, after the fad was here and gone.
There are not too many things more rude than customers on cell phones. I've said it once and I'll say it again, cell phones are the most detrimental inventions ever. Detrimental as far as common courtesy, manners and politeness.
If it's so obviously illegal, why is it still up? If they're that certain this is illegal, why not get a legal injunction? It's not like the RIAA couldn't post the bond. Even in Russia there's a legal system (particularly if you have money, bleh, but that's something the RIAA do).
The RIAA claimed Napster was illegal. They were proven right. The RIAA claimed KaZaA was illegal. They were proven wrong. Until they actually take it to court, it is just a claim. Anyone can make a claim. SCO can make a claim against Linux, which they have done in the press but not in court.
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
If you're correct about this, and I'm sure you are, the deal with Napster makes no sense at all. One of the main advantages of online music services is that you can download music from the comfort of your own home without having to make those pesky trips to the music store. Oh wait, Best Buy is the music store, and they make money by selling you gizmos while you're there to buy cd's. Except they just showed you a place that lets you get the music you want without having to go their stores. Aim gun at foot, pull trigger.