My First Kiss From My First Wife Happened While New Order’s ‘Bizzare Love Triangle’ Was Playing (Or Why Napster Is Really Failing)
Remember Napster?
I loved Napster.
Napster made tons of young people need a computer.
Yeah, well, they are still around trying to sell music to folks.
Know why?
It has nothing to do with the product.
It has everything to do with caring.
The Napster story is an old one. And who cares about old stories?
Napster needs a new one.
A compelling one.
Or they are dead all over again.
So here's the new story Napster is telling.
Come to our site and listen to songs for free over the net. Then buy our subscription service.
Now subscription services are a good deal in a lot of industries.
Cell Phones
Satellite Radio
Cable TV
have all made a gazillion dollars by making folks pay every month.
Now subscription services may sound like common sense for music.
But it's not.
Here's what the subscription service people don't get.
People LOVE music.
The songs they like are important.
They want to own them.
They want to listen to them whenever they want so they can relive a first kiss, great party or great lay all over again.
People care too much about their music to have it regulated to a subscription where their songs (their history) can disappear if they lose a job or Betty needs braces.
That's too fucking risky.
No one trusts their history with a subscription service.
People's history is much more important than that.
So Napster, here's what you do.
Forget ipods and subscriptions. Really.
Target one music group. Say Country.
Get your hands on every song anyone into country music would want.
Then target country fans.
Just them.
Buy yourself a cowboy hat and become the country music destination for online music.
Care about country music
And then convince those fans that you care about country music.
And then those country fans will tell other folks how much you care about music.
And then, maybe, we'll care about you.
all photos via flickr tag kiss
Explore posts in the same categories: Army Of One, change, cool, cursing, DEAD, ex-wives, money, music, Napster, reciprocate, sexy, technology, theft, young people
chartreuse 
May 3, 2006 at 10:59 am
I had to read this post 3 times because the pictures of all the kissing was distracting. Did you do that on purpose?
May 3, 2006 at 11:15 am
Very insightful.
May 3, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Is their a kissing subscription around i need to know about?
May 3, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Didn’t put all the pictures up to confuse you Franklin. Just was trying to use kissing as an example of moments people care about and relate it to music.
Sometimes these things work, sometimes they don’t…
May 3, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Damn right Char, great post. You could have saved them a fortune .
May 3, 2006 at 12:44 pm
cough cough allofmp3.com cough cough
May 3, 2006 at 1:47 pm
awesome –
but i say just stick a fork in it and turn it into an airline 🙂
May 3, 2006 at 2:04 pm
I agree. Very insightful. How come nobody else realizes that?
May 3, 2006 at 9:43 pm
Allo
I am sorry to be telling you but you do not have the understanding about The Napster
You can buy all the tunes of the Napster as album or per song for.99
With the subscribe for 9.99 you can download ALL the Napster to play on PC or for 14.99 can also play on the portable, 2 million songs!!
Can also make to play on the home stereo with the wireless connect
With the free you can be sending in the email to friend, listen to for buy and linking on the page, they can listen up to 5 times each song just for sign in, not needing the credit card or address or anything only user name and email
Is good for the exploring of the music and is fun
Is FREE, good price this free no?
But there is the buying at The Napster, they do have the buying, so can buy and own, so hey buy if want, sure why not.
OK good
Try the Napster and you will be liking it!
CYL
May 3, 2006 at 10:18 pm
I don’t know how you all define ownership vs rental, but to me the #1 advantage of ownership is the ability to sell whatever it is to someone else. None of the DRM regulated music stores allow the resale of the music purchased. So in effect the “owned” music is really a lifetime rental of the rights defined by the agreement. You can’t sell those rights and legally transfer them to anyone else, so in effect the music is not owned.
The music that you all steal through the P2P’s is more owned then the music for sale at iTunes or Napster. I find that ironic.
At least the subscription services make it clear that what you are doing is renting the music. They give you a huge catalog of music to enjoy, for a set monthly fee. I use one of them every day, and I have to say that the money spent is for me well worth it. In fact the enjoyment that I get from the service makes the monthly fee seem small.
You shouldn’t knock what you haven’t tried.
May 3, 2006 at 11:31 pm
Hey subscriber
You are looking to me maybe like I am knowing you
Am I have been knowing you subscriber?
Maybe so
Anyway
Is good the point that you say
I am liking this point that you are saying
A good point is a point to the good they are saying all time in my old country so now I am saying same to you
Good
CYL
: )
May 4, 2006 at 5:03 am
i think you are wrong about subscription music services.
they are the single best way to consume music ever invented.
i have used Rhapsody since it was created and i use it every day to find new music.
and when i find myself listening to something more than four or five times, i buy it, usually on CD via Amazon because i can’t get it without DRM online except eMusic which doesn’t have enough choice sadly
i don’t disagree with you that niche subscription services are a good idea.
but here is the killer idea. a subscription music service that for $19.99 a month gets you unlimited streaming plus 50 mp3 downloads per month without DRM.
if you combined the library and business model of Rhapsody with the business model of eMusic (but with Rhapsody’s library), you’d have the ultimate music service
fred
May 4, 2006 at 9:16 am
Great post, well illustrated with kisses.
But your argument doesn’t apply to me these days. I don’t need more objects in my life/house. CDs are heavy. They are also easily scratched, especially when you have a 2-year-old who’s curious and wants to operate the CD player.
Andrew, currently listening to the 6ths on Rhapsody.
May 4, 2006 at 10:34 am
I understand the concept and I know a few people who love their subscription services. But I think the average music fan feels like I described. They want to own their music because it’s their history. And since the cost comes out of descretionary income it means you can lose your songs when you lose your job and really need to listen to music!
May 4, 2006 at 1:13 pm
“And since the cost comes out of descretionary income it means you can lose your songs when you lose your job and really need to listen to music!”
Allo
For only the 9.99 and 2 million songs is possible to make less the spend!!! Also not lose if service cut, this is false idea, when resign to The Napster then all music is back because is living on the drive which is hard
Enjoy The Napster
Song says best so saying with the song
CYL
http://play.napster.com/track/10424835
May 4, 2006 at 3:11 pm
Format with the pics works just great from where I am sitting, fantastic post.
May 4, 2006 at 3:57 pm
I subscribe to Napster and love it. It’s the only way I can ever imagine listening to music again. I don’t want hundreds of CD jewel cases cluttering my life. Digital music is here to stay and I’m very happy to pay a monthly fee to have unlimited access to a lot of music…music I already love, and music I would never have known about if not for Napster. It has enriched my life. Apple is the bully this time, not Microsoft.
May 4, 2006 at 5:20 pm
If not for this post I would never have known about and downloaded New Order.. thanks!
May 4, 2006 at 5:57 pm
Some of the posters seem to think I am pushing CDs over digital music. That is not the case at all. I am pushing ownership of the music.
The poster subscriber is right. The music that you all steal through the P2P’s is more owned then the music for sale at iTunes or Napster. I find that ironic.
May 4, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Allo
Is shame people not see idea of The Napster
When sign to The Napster do not lose rights to buy the music, buy CD, download and buy at Napster at other store etc…
This you are not losing
Gaining
For 100 dollars a year are gaining complete access to HUGE 2 million songs library
Huge!
Try the free and be looking, IS HUGE!!
71 CDs of the Bob Dylan!
46 the Eric Clapton!
30+ of the Carlos Santana!
These only my picks as example, the Napster would have most, maybe all CD’s sold into the store
So story is the gaining not the losing rights to buy
Losing the rights to buy is silly idea
Cannot happen
Ok anyway
CYL
May 4, 2006 at 9:08 pm
Wow! This is one m-f-ing badass post! I love the pictures, and how you ended it with the older couple. Art!
May 5, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Art?
thanks…but I recommend Debussy (with a disco beat, of course!).
May 5, 2006 at 7:56 pm
I agree totally with you. I still remember the song I was hearing when I first kissed a girl (All that she wants, Ace of Base). And this was 14 years ago. They can’t “rent” me this song.
May 7, 2006 at 3:00 pm
[…] Chartreuse continues to entertain and enlighten just about daily. Here’s one to start with, but hang out a bit and soak it all in. […]
May 9, 2006 at 3:48 pm
“And since the cost comes out of descretionary income it means you can lose your songs when you lose your job and really need to listen to music!”
Allo
For only the 9.99 and 2 million songs is possible to make less the spend!!! Also not lose if service cut, this is false idea, when resign to The Napster then all music is back because is living on the drive which is hard
Enjoy The Napster
Song says best so saying with the song
CYL
http://play.napster.com/track/10424835
I came here via MacNewbie, and I enjoyed your article, but you might want to check out one of the great Anti-Spam plug-ins available for WordPress, maybe you can clear up some comments like Cotten999.
Please stop posting about Napster, because you aren’t going to sway anyone/convince them that you’re a real person. Nagonnahappen. At least I hope not.
May 9, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Also, chartreuse, I think you forgot to close your bold tag back here. Maybe this will work?
May 11, 2006 at 2:50 am
[…] P.S. Talking of music, this is a great post by chartreuse about music that is beautifully presented and the content of which, I could not agree with more. […]
June 27, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Of course nobody is going to believe its a real person, its a joke, you little sniveler
Hey how come Mac users are generally assholes like you, could you explain that for me?