Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Napster usage stats support RIAA claims

Author:Jacob Levy
Posted:8/2/2000; 3:10:08 PM
Topic:Napster usage stats support RIAA claims
Msg #:19413 (In response to 19409)
Prev/Next:19412 / 19414

I'm also not convinced of the utility of Napster for discovering new talent. There doesn't seem to be enough context there; artist/album/song doesn't really convey much information if you've never heard of the artist before. I find Amazon or CDNow to be much more useful for this, since they have some published and customer reviews, and they also offer clips to listen to. But, your mileage may vary.

OK, I'll give you that some people used Napster for the supposedly last time it was going to be available as a form of protest.

Let me address your other point, about finding new stuff. Dave already pointed out the serendipity and "aha" experience that you sometimes get with Napster. My own example was searching for John Lee Hooker music, I noticed a live rendition of Sweet Home Chicago. Then I typed in the name of that song and got seven other renditions by artists such as Bonnie Raitt (sp), BB King, Eric Clapton (!), Albert Cray and several artists I had never heard about. I had a blast listening to the various renditions and comparing them. This kind of experience is impossible with the current music distribution system, right?

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