Napster

Napster, the music-swapping service, was founded by Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning in 1991. It quickly gained popularity but faced legal challenges due to copyright infringement issues.

In September 1997, Shawn Fanning started coding Napster, a platform aimed at simplifying and speeding up the process of downloading music from the internet.

On May 12, 1999, Sean Park and Shawn Fanning released the beta version of Napster online, which quickly gained immense popularity.

Napster, a peer-to-peer file sharing application primarily associated with digital audio file distribution, was founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker and launched on June 1, 1999. The platform allowed users to share audio files encoded in the MP3 format.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a lawsuit against Napster on December 6, 1999, due to its facilitation of the transfer of copyrighted material.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a lawsuit against Napster for copyright infringement, leading to the eventual shutdown of Napster. The legal battle started on December 7, 1999, and lasted for almost a year. Napster faced over 2 million dollars in damages.

Napster was officially launched in May 1999, and by February 2000, it had over 20 million users. The rapid growth of Napster alarmed major record labels, leading to legal actions against the platform for copyright infringement.

Metallica, the famous rock band, sued Napster for copyright infringement. This legal action added to the challenges faced by Napster during its turbulent times.

On April 13, 2000, heavy metal band Metallica filed a lawsuit against Napster after discovering their song 'I Disappear' circulating on the network before its official release. This legal action was part of the broader legal challenges faced by Napster regarding copyright infringement.

Metallica presented over 300,000 names of users who downloaded their music to Napster and demanded their removal from the platform.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled that Napster was not protected under the DMCA safe harbor provisions.

Judge Patel granted a preliminary injunction on behalf of the RIAA, ordering Napster to shut down, leading to a spike in usage as users rushed to download material.

In July 2000, court judge Marilyn Hall Patel orders Napster to shut down after the RIAA's request for a preliminary injunction.

Napster announced a partnership with Bertelsmann AG to develop a membership-based distribution system that would ensure payments to artists.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Napster to cease the exchange of copyrighted material.

Napster proposed a $1 billion settlement to record companies to resolve copyright lawsuits, which was sarcastically declined shortly after.

Napster's legal team informed a federal court about their strategy to prevent the sharing of songs, resulting in the removal of one million copyrighted files from the platform.

An injunction was issued on March 5, 2001, ordering Napster to prevent the trading of copyrighted music on its network after a failed appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court.

Napster inked a global licensing deal with the UK's Association of Independent Music and the Independent Music Companies Association to offer music for a new subscription service.

On July 11, 2001, Shawn Fanning decided to leave Napster in order to establish the platform officially, with the vision of revolutionizing music downloading online.

Judge Patel mandated Napster to stay offline until it demonstrated effective measures to prevent the sharing of copyrighted content. Legal disputes with Metallica and Dr. Dre were settled, granting the artists control over their shared songs on the platform.

Napster partially settled a case by agreeing to pay music creators and copyright owners a $26 million settlement.

On December 19, 2001, labels Sony and Universal launched pressplay, an online music subscription service, in response to the demand for digital downloads.

Napster announced that its assets would be acquired by German media firm Bertelsmann for $85 million.

Napster filed for Chapter 11 protection under United States bankruptcy laws.

An American bankruptcy judge blocked the sale to Bertelsmann and forced Napster to liquidate its assets.

In 2003, Roxio acquired Napster and used its name to rebrand its own PressPlay music store as Napster 2.0.

Bruce Abramson authored 'Digital Phoenix' which delves into the collapse and potential resurgence of the information economy, published by MIT Press.

By 2006, Napster's user base had significantly decreased, and the platform struggled to compete with emerging digital music services like iTunes. Napster's influence on the music industry was undeniable, but its downfall was inevitable.

Napster was purchased by US electronics retailer Best Buy for US $121 million.

After the demise of Napster, Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker pursued new ventures. Fanning founded a gaming company, Rupture, while Parker became involved with Facebook and invested in Spotify, eventually becoming a billionaire.

Best Buy purchased Napster's assets and merged the service with its Rhapsody streaming service on December 1, 2011. This marked a new phase for Napster as it transitioned into an online music store.

The 2013 documentary 'Downloaded' delves into the world of sharing media online, including the story of Napster and its impact.

Rhapsody phased out the Rhapsody brand in favor of Napster and expanded its service internationally.

In a 2018 Rolling Stone article, Kirk Hammett of Metallica supported the band's decision to sue Napster, emphasizing the importance of protecting copyrights.

Napster was sold to virtual reality concerts company MelodyVR.

Napster pays artists $0.01682 per stream or $16.82 for every 1,000 streams. Royalties are derived from the platform's subscription revenue as there is no free option available on Napster.

On May 10, 2022, Napster was sold to Hivemind and Algorand along with other investors. This marked a significant change in ownership for the music streaming service.

In 2023, the company successfully acquires Mint Songs, a Web3 startup, expanding its portfolio and capabilities.