Napster, AT&T, promo
p2pnet.net news:- Remember Napster, the p2p application that started it all?
It was ultimately killed stone dead by what’s now the Big 4 music cartel, and then disinterred to become corporate ‘product’ and as such, was shoe-horned into the US university system where it was, and still is, offered to students as an alternative to being sued by the cartel’s RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).
Even with that kind of backing, it never went anywhere. But it’s still around, barely, and its latest promo effort involves AT&T which is touting free, unlimited access to DRM-laden Napster To Go for one year. It normally costs $15 a month for Napster music rentals, which vanish as soon as you stop paying.
Users won’t, of course, be able to download whatever they want, whenever they want, without restrictions, and keep the songs forever, like users of the totally free, completely unrestricted Tribler or MUTE or other independent applications are able to do, and without having to buy a cell phone (or anything else) to “qualify”.
But, the deal will allow, “consumers to customize playlists on their PC and seamlessly transfer favorite tunes to compatible wireless phones and music devices,” says a statement, going on:
“AT&T will support the promotional offers with an extensive, integrated marketing campaign that will include broadcast, print and online advertising, and in-store merchandising at all AT&T wireless retail locations.”
The “free” offer will be is available to “qualifying” new or existing AT&T wireless customers outside of the AT&T local service territory who sign up for a two-year wireless agreement, “with the purchase of the SYNC phone by Samsung, exclusively available through AT&T wireless, or the BlackJack phone by Samsung with qualifying data plan plus a Music Kit/Card”.
It also applies to “qualifying new and existing residential AT&T customers across the company’s entire 22-state traditional service footprint where broadband service is available, with any of the following triple-pack bundles:
Add AT&T Yahoo!(R) High Speed Internet service (Express service or higher) or FastAccess(R) DSL Ultra to existing home phone and wireless service with AT&T.
Add the SYNC phone by Samsung, exclusively available through AT&T, formerly Cingular, or the BlackJack phone and any of four qualifying wireless plans with a two-year term, including Cingular Nation, AT&T Unity(SM), Family Talk(R) or an additional Family Talk line, to existing high speed Internet service (AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet or FastAccess DSL) and AT&T home phone service.
Also See:
statement – AT&T Teams Up With Napster, March 26, 2007
Tribler – Tribler 3.6.0: 4th gen file sharing, March 23, 2007
If your Net access is blocked by government restrictions, try Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at thIs the end (of the Net) nigh?zze University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Go here for the official download, here for the p2pnet download, and here for details. And if you’re Chinese and you’re looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent web site blocking outside of China. Download it here.
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Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local politicians. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance. Don’t just complain. Do something!
March 27th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Hey RIAA and NSAT&T morons:
People don’t want a “free” service as in free beer, People want a service that is free as in “hazzle-free” or “free-choice” that works everywhere like a CDDA conform CD plays evrwhre where a standard player and power is available.
People are even willing to pay for this kind of “free”-service; See allofmp3.com
March 27th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
So I can get this for free now. Guess what? I don’t want it as it isn’t worth the ads supporting it for free. You see, I’ve gotten away from commercial tv. Now I find the ads just tee me off more and I am increasingly sensitive of the intrusion into my life by them and it absolutely pisses me off to no end.
I don’t want rentals, i don’t want ad infested product, and I sure don’t want the despised DRM that comes with it. You can keep it, even for free. Now that’s how bad I hate that package. You can’t even give it away for free. That’s what I call worthless.