Napster

The name Napster stands for two Internet-based music services: (1) the original one that was a peer-to-peer file-sharing service for MP3 (Motion Pictures Experts Group Layer-3) audio files, which is no longer in service, and (2) the current avatar, which is an online store for music that provides subscription-based listening. The original Napster started an Internet revolution in the form of peer-to-peer file sharing. It has led to a huge underground Internet movement, causing endless legal controversies because it allowed sharing of copyrighted materials. Because of this legal problem, the original Napster had to be shut down within a couple of years after it started. Since then, the Napster brand has gone through a series of acquisitions to become a subsidiary of Rhapsody, an Internet-based ...