Napster merger  to end free service

By Sé J. Reed
Daily Forty-Niner

A collective gasp will be heard on college campuses across the nation today when students hear the news: their beloved Napster is no more.

And Metallica, the band that filed a high-profile copyright suit against the company, had nothing to do with it. In fact, Napster - the Internet-based program that allows users to swap music files for free - technically still exists.

But the honeymoon is over.

In a cyberspace-shattering announcement Tuesday, Napster officials announced a partnership with Bertelsmann, the company that owns BMG music, a service that sells music directly to its members. Their joint plan is to gradually convert Napster from a free service to a fee-based service, according to a Napster spokeswoman who did not want to be named.

At least students will have time to adjust. "No changes will occur without plenty of advance notice," Napster assured its users on its Web site. Naspter's spokeswoman said the two companies have not yet established a timeline for the changes or released any details about the service's future.

It remains to be seen how students will react to Napster's decision.

Ryan Demesa, a Cal State Long Beach management and information systems junior, said he was not surprised by the announcement, but is skeptical about whether he will continue to use the service.

"It really depends how much they want me to pay," he said. If the membership fee is less than the price of a compact disc, he said, he would probably still use Napster.

But, Demesa said, he still thinks he should not have to pay at all and that other file-exchange services, such as Scour.net and Gnutella, will take Napster's place.

"I think music should be free," he said. "And eventually it will be."

After the New York City press conference, Napster officials declined all interview requests. Its public relations companies would only confirm previously released information. Further details will be available as Napster deals with each record company individually, said Napster's spokeswoman.

The partnership is a result of Napster's quest "to find a system that rewards artists for their work when members of our community share their music over the Internet," according to Napster's Web site.

Napster gained notoriety last year as a service allowing users to exchange better-than-CD-quality music files for free.

A significant majority of the music industry alleges that that free exchange is copyright infringement. Metallica, numerous top-record companies and the Recording Industry Association of America are suing Napster, alleging copyright infringement. According to Napster's spokeswoman, none of the lawsuits have been dropped as a result of the announcement.