y and there will thereby be far less music to choosefrom. They are also concerned that the fee will be more than many users would be willing topay. Napster has created a whole new mindset for many people about the entire concept ofgetting and having music. They have fostered the idea that music is free for all to access andhave. It will be very hard for them to change this revolution that they themselves had a huge partin creating. It is hypocritical of them to talk about Napster and free music being the "new wave"and that this is the new direction that the music industry must go in, and then turn around andstart charging a fee. Some have even questioned whether or not Napster will survive this change.Whatever happens as a result of this new policy and business plan, one effect that most expertsagree on is the fact that other similar services that are actually free will gain in popularity ifNapster decides to charge a user fee. Some other services such as Gnutella are already available.It is very different because unlike Napster, Gnutella has no server. The Gnutella programsearches for MP3s directly on other user’s computers rather than on a centralized server. Thismakes a profound difference because without a centralized server there is nothing to shut downif the company is sued. The downside to Gnutella and programs like it is that it is slower, lesseffective, and less user friendly than Napster. These issues should be resolved eventually and theprocess should speed up if Napster decides to charge a user fee because the demand for a freeand viable alternative will jump. In Closing:The answers to these questions are held, more than anywhere else, in the hands of the majorrecord companies. Bertelsmann’s BMG is no longer an issue, but Sony, Epic, and several othershave not yet shown an interest in Napster’s continuation. The only apparent way for the programto continue would be to reach an agreement with the aforementio...
