Long-time fans of Napster expected a sad good-bye last weekend when Napster officials announced in a March 2 court decision that it would begin to prevent users from exchanging some copyrighted songs on-line. However, Napster users experienced no difficulty downloading songs from the Internet last weekend.
Napster experienced one of its busiest weekends, as Napster fanatics furiously swapped files, worried that their current downloads could be their last.
“Basically, some of the servers were slow because of all the people who flooded the server, but besides that, there really wasn’t a problem,” Brennan Matherne, mass communication junior from Lockport, said.
Although Napster will continue to swap some files, the number of available files will decrease dramatically, stopping the mass swapping of any song a user desired.
The new software that will be installed on Napster’s servers will block access to 1 million music files.
“Really, I think all of the promises made by Napster was just a clever rouse to get the recording industry off its back. The judge hasn’t even begun to write the rough draft of the court injunction yet. Nothing will happen until the judge writes the injunction,” Matherne said.
Even if Napster soon quits servicing Internet users, all is not lost for those who think they cannot survive without downloading their daily dose of MP3s.
Other web sites offer the same file-swapping programs, but are less notorious than Napster.
A few sites frequented by users seeking an alternative to Napster include Napigator, MusicCity.com and LimeWire.
“My advice is to download as much music as possible,” Matherne said. “Stay up all night downloading until the judge gives the final ruling.”
Once the judge gives the final injunction, the ban on Napster file-sharing will only be temporary, as the service will begin charging a $5 – 10 monthly fee for its services.
“BMG and TVT Records have already signed deals with Napster. The rest of the major record labels will do the same thing. It’s a good deal. Napster is the best file-sharing community in the world,” Matherne said.
