Napster gets Best Bought

The first experience most of us had with online music probably came through Napster (not me gov, clean as a whistle I am!) when they were lauded as a peoples champion for allowing us to “share” our music using the Internet. Many of us probably watched their decline and inevitable battle with the giants of the music industry in what arguably laid many of the building blocks for the online music services we have today. So, as 2008 turns its head towards the final quarter of the year, Napster’s ride comes to a close as it steps closer to a buy-out by US electronics retailer Best Buy.   

According to the press out there so far, Best Buy has valued Napster’s share at twice the market value as it prepare to seal the deal. Despite a few acquisitions of their own and the long (and hard) road they have travelled, it looks like we’ll be saying goodbye to the little chap with the earphones. I’m not exactly sure what Best Buy’s plans are for the brand, if they’ll keep it or if they are simply after the interface and subscribers, but it does seem sadly ironic that the maverick of music is getting bought out by a mall stalwart.   

MyTake – We salute you Napster, for showing us that there was an easier way to get, store and play our music – who knows where the online music industry would be today without you. The likes of iTunes owe a lot to the early pioneers of online music, Napster being the biggest. So, unplug those earphones little fella and take that nap you’ve been after.