Napster is Done, Get Over It

As media conglomerates go, Bertelsmann is among the most savvy. They invested in AOL and partnered in AOL Europe before AOL’s biggest explosion of growth (and then cashed in at a good time). They invested in Napster when it was still hot, an investment that has not borne fruit but does show that they think about the future instead of just trying to protect their current revenue model. Now, the NY Times reports that Bertelsmann may be interested in buying all of Napster, claiming that a for-pay Napster service could still be the most successful.

You’ll see me harping more and more on the notion of “Listener Friendly Formats”. That’s what people want. Bertelsmann will only be successful with Napster if the service offers the music in unencumbered formats. Otherwise, Napster will have no way to compete with the free services that give people what they really want.