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Napster opened a download music store with more than 6 million digital songs in its library, including songs from all the major music labels and thousands of independents. Pricing, at 99 cents per song or $9.95 per album, is similar to that of iTunes.
Songs purchased on Napster will be automatically synched into users’ existing iTunes music library, writes Reuters.
The Napster songs are available without copy protection or digital rights management (DRM), which will allow Napster to better compete against iTunes, the company believes. Songs purchased on Napster can be played on any MP3 player, and can be burnt to CD and played on other devices.
Most iTunes songs come with Fairplay DRM, which means they cannot be played on most digital players other than the iPod.
The arrival of Napster’s music store cements the music industry’s shift away from support for digital locks on tracks, according to the BBC.
“It’s great that we have finally gotten here,” says Napster head Chris Gorog. “It is really the beginning of a level playing field, which I think is essential for Napster, but also for the health of the digital music business in general.”
iTunes became the biggest retailer of music in the U.S. last month, surpassing Wal-Mart, according to the company. It has sold more than 4 billion songs since 2003. But music industry executives have encouraged new players in the digital music space, in the hopes of tipping the balance of power away from iTunes.
Napster will continue to support its unlimited music subscription model, in the belief that that is the direction consumers will ultimately be moving.
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