I really don't know why they are going trough all this trouble, since Napster is as good as dead, but Napster is now pausing music transfers to protect copyrighted songs even more.
A representative said that database glitches in conjunction with the new software for blocking songs prompted the temporary shutdown. Napster aims to comply with a court order banning the trade of most copyrighted works over its service. Leery of further court action, the company is acting conservatively to ensure that none of the music identified by the record industry is getting though its services. |
"There was music that should have been filtered out that was getting through," the Napster representative said, adding that the service would be restored "as soon as possible" after the database problems are fixed. The company did not give a timetable, however.
The last month has seen an exodus of music lovers from Napster, as efforts to filter out songs identified by the record industry as copyrighted have dried up the once-free flow of music. At the beginning of May, Napster said that more than 1.3 million people a day were visiting its file-swapping service--even though filters were eating into the number of files available.
By late last week and early Monday morning, the company said the number of members online was fluctuating in the 130,000 to 150,000 range--lower than competing services such as MusicCity and iMesh. Nevertheless, Napster's actions remain closely watched, both from a legal and a market perspective.
If you are still thinking Napster is the way to go to get your MP3's you are wrong, please consider using an alternative, there are enough.
Don't know what to pick ? Read here for more information, but also read our spyware article to be sure you pick the right alternative.
Source: ZDnet.com
