http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
After five years of paying $25/month for subscriptions ($1500) I get to keep a total of 0 songs.

I don't think so...]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
You can totally tell what he's doing. He's trying to make the iPod seem "like, sooo last year" with these Grandpa's Oldsmobile comments. Something that could work, but I doubt many "hip" kids are reading the latest interview from a CEO of any major company, let alone of Napster.

Truth is, Apple still has the upper hand because they can start a subscription model too (if they start to see it working). ADC vs. DVI, Firewire vs. USB 2.0, they don't take their formats to the grave like Sony, they'll (sometimes) adapt to whatever consumers choose the most -- music subscriptions included.

Fishes,
narco.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
ahahahahahahaha... riiiiiiight.

i could kick Mike Tyson's butt but i just don't want to so i'm not gonna.

but i could!

so there.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
The service sucks. The plan is crap. And Apple prevails because it's GOOD. IT WORKS! IT'S LOVELY! And I use a Mac so I guess I cant use Napster To Go.

I hope he needs a trecheotemy.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
All DRM is hackable in this manner, there just isn't any software out to do it well.
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
Even being a napster user they've done really very little except dick me over. I just used their sync/restore option after reformatting and I'm missing 100 tracks which i had purchased which magically disappeared when I tried to sync restore. Wtf is that?]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
I basically want both of these options: buying the very best songs for myself to keep, but also having a huge stream of new things, new artists to find and enjoy. The fact that Napster offers both while iTunes doesn't should be of some concern to Apple.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
When he talks about this whole discovery of music thing, he's obviously not thinking of a customer discovering "Abbey Road", only to miss the dueling guitars in "The End".
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
1. Can't pass on music on to your friends. iTunes includes copying to unlimited number of iPods.

2. WMA sounds horrible compared to AAC and MP3.

3. No Audible support and no audiobooks at Napster's site! WTF!]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
The 128kbps AAC files (from iTunes) across the board have sounded better.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
The term 'Delusions of granduer' comes to mind...

If Napster had an appealing hardware offering of their own(and STILL supported all other comers) they could COMPETE with iTunes (as they are now to a degree), but if Madman Billy G and his crew have never been able to knock Apple off the block for good and all in the computer industry, I don't think Apple could really be edged out by Napster in the music industry.

"I think this is a Windows Media Audio world."
"WMA already dominates MP3 players globally."

Wha?

Can any of you stat finders out there confirm this ? As far as I've been aware, MP3 is still the most common form of music on, dare I say it, MP3 players.

"We hadn’t been hacked, we still haven’t, and frankly I doubt we ever will be."

That's your que, Mathew Broderick...

'I don't believe that any system is totally secure'

...and of course he's right.

But why bother hacking the DRM ? With a little RTRC (Real Time Re-Capture), or the WAV file chicanery of CD freaks fame, the DRM of any song worth having (ie stealing) is easily bypassed...

"Celestial Jukebox" my[CENSORED]...

I do miss the only napster days of yore...
Now THAT was a celestial Jukebox...]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
The new Napster is pathetic. It's an interesting idea with huge potential but the implementation is mind-boggling in its poor execution. I tried, I tried, I tried. The sad fact is, it seems that there are some mostly-drunk chimps somewhere in charge of the UI. I have _never_ encountered such a poorly designed product.

And when I finally did get it to work, how do you all think the sound struck me? Poor, poor, poor! It took me longer to get the thing working than it did for me to realize the sound was awful and subsequently cancel.

What makes me nervous is that this company of questionable competence now has my credit card info.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
"Do you think it was a bad move in your Super Bowl ad to tell everyone who uses an iPod that they are stupid? Is calling customers idiots really the best way to get them to come to you?"]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
I still think free is the best answer.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
In fact, having used iTunes radio, RadioPlus from Rhapsody (included with Comcast now), Yahoo Launchcast and Napster, I can honestly say Napster seems to provide the most interesting, intelligent streaming channels. No matter what channel I'm on, I hear new stuff all the time that I actually LIKE - unlike the other services. Basically, I get a feeling like there are some actualy music pundits behinf the scenes.

CONS: A few. No real iPod support. That's Apple's fault, but still... Also, the BIG INCLUDED MUSIC CATALOG is a bit misleading, considering how many tracks I've come across that are BUY ONLY. Or, even funnier, "albums" that only include 7 of the 13 actual tracks on the disc. Can they do anything about it? Dunno. Still, sucks. Another smaller gripe is the whole system tends to lock up on occasion, just brings the program to a halt.

Do I plan to stick with it? Naw, I've taken what I want & I'll prolly cancel this month. But it's not a bad scheme, and like one poster said, if you're willing to pay for cable, why not new music? If I had a bit of extra cash I'd totally keep it.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/hmmm... interesting... I wouldn't be as critical of Napser, and praise Apple as many of the other people here do... because in the end you don't REALLY own either the songs from itunes or from Napster... at least you don't own them in the same sense as ripping your own mp3s (or WMAs or whatever YOU like) from a CD.... But I do give credit to Napster for starting a service that I, for one, find appealing. The way I look at, as long as the quality and variety of the songs are of a high standard, I don't mind paying $15/month for the rest of my life, and get ANY song I want to hear anytime I want to. If they can develop a player that connects to Napster wirelessly (say through cellular phone network) and you can get songs on the go.... that's golden!]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
Two things:

1. People with iPods can get their music wherever the hell they damn well please. I get mine from Amazon, mostly. It's called a CD.

2. There are a lot worse things you can get "trapped" into than iTunes. Like, for example, Napster... because once you have a Napster subscription, you have to keep it forever, or all your music is gone. Not a problem with my self-ripped mp3's and iTunes.

I also love his comment about how "mp3 players" are "dominated" by WMA. Uh, ok, then why aren't you calling them "WMA players"?

I came in here expecting to tell everybody to cut this guy some slack, he's only doing his job, etc. etc. But the guy is clearly a moron, so have at it.
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
I hope he didn't forget that the iPod controls a rather sizable chunk of the market. Until someone comes out with an iPod killer, iPod compatability is a must to win in the digital music game. And, for better or for worse, there's only one service that does that right now.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
I have found some great artist here that are on the verge of breaking out.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/

Thanks for the Interview, this CEO seems to be funny.
Shouldn't the kids buy Macs and iPods, if they REALLY crash their HDDs.
But all in all, (NEW) Napster sucks!
For §15 I prefer buying CDs at Amazon (or at Itunes). I like having & storing my OWN music.
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
This is a WMA world? Apple is kicking MS's butt on DVD, MPEG4 is open, WMA is not.

The perambulating about on the suburbs of veracity, and economizing on the truth has got to stop!]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/"CONS: A few. No real iPod support. That's Apple's fault, but still..."

Hmm, is it Apple's fault that WMA DRM doesn't work on the Mac? I will suggest that you are much more likely to get Apple support for WMA DRM if Mac users could use it. In what universe do you think Steve Jobs is going to support a Windows DRM scheme that doesn't work on the Mac?]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
You could start by reading this:

http://log.onlinemusicworld.com/itunes-on-the-cheap/22
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
I'm a very "hands-on" music lover. I enjoy the rack of CDs behind my desk chair. I've always liked the tangible "having" of CDs.

I've always thought the iTunes Music Store wasn't for me. I don't buy my music a-la-carte. I love full albums, and the artists I enjoy aren't single-driven Top 40 bullcrap. To buy a full album on iTMS would require the same investment as a physical CD in most cases - except I can rip the CD in any format I want, share with whomever I want, etc. So the store never had much value to me.

In my opinion, the real value in online music is finding new stuff. And this is why I'm going to be signing up for Napster. For $15 a month I can listen to full albums, try out new artists, get really nice radio stations. If I hear a song on the radio out here in L.A. (Indie 103.1 rocks!) I can check out the whole album on Napster, not just 30-second soundbites from ITMS. Granted, I can't play it on my iPod... which is something that can be remedied by exploiting the "analog hole."

After listening, I can then go out and buy the CD if I want! It's a much better sampling and discovery service than iTMS could ever be. To me, this is the real value of a subscription service, as long as it's comprehensive.

So I'll check out the 2-week trial. It just makes me sad to hear the ravenous Apple fanboys say "OMG LOL HE'S DELUSIONAL ITUNES ROX YOUR BOX" when this could be the next big thing for online music. If Apple was doing it, you'd be all over it.

Once again, for the record, I love my iPod, and I love iTunes (couldn't live without Smart Playlists). But I do know that sometimes people outside of Apple can make good things happen.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
"Do you think it was a bad move in your Super Bowl ad to tell everyone who uses an iPod that they are stupid? Is calling customers idiots really the best way to get them to come to you?"

Apple calls their own customers iDiots. It seems to work for them. (They do it a lot, but I'm thinking of all the "switch" TV commercials right now.)]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
They don't "root for the minority" so much as they just prefer stuff to work properly and have a decent design. I did like the black m:robe "mini" but it didn't perform properly. Find me an mp3 player that works as seamlessly with iTunes and has a design that doesn't look like Michael Dell pulled it out of his toilet and I'll consider it.

Fishes,
narco.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
If Napster can get their stuff together, I'd be interested. For now I'm totally locked out of the model by means of using a Mac. The potential for someone to clean up in this subscription model of music is there for the taking. But I don't see it happening for at least another few years, until the music publishers loosen their reigns on digital downloads and face that this is where the future is headed.

On a side note, oh how I miss Audiogalaxy. That was the closest to a celestial jukebox as I think we've ever known.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
The interviewer should have brought up the MPEG-4 open standards. The fact that it is gaining rapid acceptance globally in cellular, television, satellite, cable, etc. And that Microsoft's VC-1 (WM for video) is still not approved as an open standard and is having patent problems. And that nothing prevents Apple from entering into the living room.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
Someone said a $1 was too much. Sure beats the $12-$15 you would have spent for the whole album for only that one song.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/ Those that have suggested schemes wherein the music can be kept after the subscription has lapsed (either as a list with the option of resubscribing and reactivating your music, or a cut rate buy out), I think, are on the right track.

If iTunes has taught us nothing else it's shown that people actually ARE willing to pay for their music, why make it a hassle and a gamble to ? Every forget to pay your phone/electric/water bill and have to do it late even though you had the money? It happens. I don't think people should be penalized for being human.

You know what would get my $15 - $20 bucks a month (as far as subscription music goes) ? A nice sleek little wireless device (a style might be nice) that STREAMS me my music. Basically a radio that plays me whatever I want whenever I want it, wherever I am. I'd forgo ownership of the content for THAT ease of use.

(Bsides, you could capture that audio stream direct to an MP3 -> CD just as easy as you can bust Napsters DRM if you're determined to have it in plastic)

No Napster probably can't provide this mythical service to me for $15 - $20 bucks...probably no one can. Not now anyway. But with satellite radio, EV-DO, and various other technologies rising I think it could be doable in the near future. In any case, that's what I would want for all the hoops I'd have to jump through with a subscription based service. And to be honest, I'm content to wait until it's possible...

It's not like the P2P community ain't still around...(JK)]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/======

Ahhh, Windows...]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
The two-thirds of the mp3 player market was including flash players, Apple controls 95% of the HD market.
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
Please elaborate. In order to sync to an iPod, the file needs to be authorized first. We're allowed 5 authorizations. If I plug someone else's iPod to my Mac, it asks if I want to marry the iPod to my Mac, effectively erasing their music files...

So how, in the real world, can I use "share" my iTMS purchases with friends and their "unlimited iPods?"]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/
I am not a criminal and I don't go around handing out free music to friends. I pay for what I listen to. Why do I have to be treated like a criminal that is automatically going to start pirating music as soon as I get the chance? FU iTunes, FU Napster....]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/14/the-engadget-interview-chris-gorog-ceo-of-napster/If we could make DRMs go away or at least have an "open" standard that would help.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM