AT&T offers competing Napster Mobile service
updated 08:30 am EDT, Mon October 22, 2007
Napster Mobile at ATT
AT&T on Monday announced that it would launch Napster Mobile, the company's first copy-protected digital music service. The extension brings access to the same catalog as the PC-oriented store and, while costing twice as much per track at $2 each, allows users to download the same song twice; a song already loaded on the PC can be downloaded through EDGE or HSPA to the phone rather than having to copy from one device to the other, AT&T says. A Five-Track Pack for $7.50 per month will offer the same features at a relative discount.
The service is expected to launch with AT&T in mid-November and will require a cellphone that can play back protected Windows Media files. An accompanying MobiVJ music video streaming service is available now for 3G phones and costs $7 per month; a VIP access program is due in early November and provides fans a way to find or follow music.
The addition represents the second major music store directly linked to the American carrier's network, which recently saw the introduction of the MP3-based eMusic Mobile. Apple's iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store does not transfer over the cellular network and runs independently from AT&T's officially sanctioned services.
AT&T has not commented on how it intends to reconcile the three store outlets, which contrast sharply with the single online stores available on Sprint and Verizon phones.










buy twice as a feature?
10/22, 09:24am reply
wow. i mean really. wow. this is a feature? lol. come now. i know everyone in upper management whose title begins with 'chief' believes we peons are also morons ... but please.
dead before it even leaves the gate.
Rezzz
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2006
$2 a song?
10/22, 09:43am reply
I am guessing this shows that Napster doesn't have the same negotiating clout as Apple, and got stuck with renegotiated prices from the labels. I mean... Who in their right mind would charge twice as much for a song because it was being downloaded slowly on a phone.
In other news, I bought my first iTunes WiFi Store song on my iPhone over the weekend. Instead of just being stuck in my head, it was stuck in everyone's. heh
njfuzzy
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2001
about time
10/22, 10:57am reply
It's about time a large company offered an overpriced DRM-laced solution to this. What with everyone moving towards no-DRM and cheaper prices, it's nice to see AT&T (sorry, at&t) pushing the boundaries and offering $2 downloads with DRM. This is a business win.
rdas7
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2007
$2 vs 99 cents
10/23, 12:13am reply
Yep, once again, at&t is betting on a winning strategy, there.
ZinkDifferent
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Joined: Jan 2005