Microscopics

Napster today announced that it’s going MP3, and will be the largest MP3 store with 6 million tracks.

Napster, the pioneer of digital music, today announced the launch of the world’s largest and most comprehensive MP3 store at www.napster.com/store.

Napster’s download store is more than 50 percent larger than any other MP3 store and boasts not only the largest major label MP3 catalog in the industry, but also the largest library of independent music available anywhere. All Napster download sales in the US will now be in the user-friendly, DRM-free MP3 format, which is compatible with virtually any MP3 player or music phone including the iPod and the iPhone. Napster is the first music subscription service featuring major label content to offer 100 percent of its catalog in the MP3 format for download sales.

Pricing for download sales will remain at 99 cents for single MP3 tracks and $9.95 for most MP3 albums, Napster confirmed. The vast majority of the MP3 catalog, including all major label content, is available at a high-quality 256kbps bitrate, and downloaded tracks include high-resolution album art. Consumers can visit and browse the download store with no obligation or commitment, and can also choose to subscribe to Napster’s on-demand streaming service, which is web-based and can be accessed from any Internet-connected computer without downloading software.

This is interesting because although Amazon and Zune both offer MP3 downloads, they could have been seen as an experiment by the larger labels, but I think that this move shows there is no going back back now. Amazon MP3 and Napster MP3 are still U.S. only, but I think it’s only a matter of time before they spread. This is only a good thing for music; who wants to rent their music (without even knowing it)?

Of course there is still the massive problem of piracy, which plagues us and other indie labels. We have more people visiting our site just to download the Gas 0095 artwork for their pirated copies than those coming to check out the music. There are also more sites selling illegal copies of Gas 0095 than legal ones.

Gas 0095 has always been drm free, from us, iTunes plus, Amazon MP3 and now Napster…