Napster prepaid download cards

You mention Howie and Hulk and you leave out Score: 2. What were you thinking? How is that even possible? What, are you some sort of cat?

Here's the problem with these paid services. Score: 5 , Interesting. I cranked up Kazaa yesterday to see what the numbers looked like. I saw 4. Well, back when I used to check in more frequently a few months ago I rarely saw it that high. I tried some searches and it seems it's all more or less back where it was.

So, this shock and awe thing seems like a memory already. I mean what even happened to the first batch. As far as I can the majority settled for a few grand and then a whole bunch decided to fight. Well, where's the shock and awe in that? Obviously people are going to wait to see what happens in the courts. But in the mean time they're going to forget about it. It would have been one thing if it started as a hundred suits followed by a thousand and then by ten thousand.

That would have done something. But this every two months is not all that shocking or awe worthy. But of course that would also have provoked even more congressional attention. So either way they were fucked which is what evrybody said from the beginning and now it still seems to be true. Settling Score: 3 , Interesting. I assume Score: 2 , Insightful. They've already made some analysis to conclude that there are enough users who are interested in buying that service and don't have a credit card.

I mean, making and distributing these cards so widely is not an easy or cheap business In my personal case, I do have a credit card, but I am not interested in the service yet , so I don't give a damn :. Oh, I don't know Score: 2 , Interesting. I don't know about Duane Reid stores, but all those others already sell prepaid cards of one form or another, so they presumably already have systems for distribution of these things.

The cards probably won't even be plastic, just a fold-out piece of paper with a one-time use code printed on them. My guess is that production costs are at most a few cents per card. Re:Oh, I don't know Score: 2. A one-time code? How long will it take for someone to come up with a crack for that, so they could get free tunes up the wazoo? Wait, they could just use KazaaLite or Soulseek and forget having to crack it. If you're working with local, installed software then the key must follow a pattern to be deemed valid.

An online music service doesn't suffer from this limitation. When you have a server you can just generate random keys and make one thousandth of one percent valid. And lock accounts that enter too many incorrect keys in a given period of time. Albert Heijn, a local super market whose parent ahold is one of the larger chains world wide, already has a cheap system for prepaid phones.

Just go to the checkout say you want 20 euro's for phone brand X and a code is printed on your receit. All phone brands are supported so I guess it is a really cheap way of selling them. Score: 1 , Interesting. I wonder what kids are forced to watch in school nowadays.

Amazing Score: 4 , Insightful. The sheer brilliance of iTunes continues to echo across the computer and entertainment industries. Apple has proven what shareware authors have known for years: good service and convenience are more valuable than the data itself. Now that there is a valid business model, everybody wants to be as cool as Apple. Re:Amazing Score: 2. The whole gift card system isn't all that unique to iTunes. Re:Amazing Score: 1.

Its not a viable buisness model though, Apple openly admits they make no profit from Itunes, and if they ever will it will be tiny. Apple arranged a special deal with the credit card companies to ma. Re:Amazing Score: 3 , Insightful.

Shouldn't they just make the default be to buy in "Shopping Cart" mode instead of one song at a time? You know what they say about imitation Re:Apple Zealots Score: 2. Reminds be of the whole windows gui argument. We all know it was Apple, not Xerox. Well by that logic we should all hail MS windows. What exactly did Apple pioneer in the online music area? Besides 0. No subscriptions, lenient DRM, a customized client integrated with an mp3 player a more pleasant experience than using a web browser Really one thing Score: 2.

The concept that you can trust the user and they own the songs which of course the all-mp3 service did before combined with convincing major labels that the same was true! The thing that makes the Apple Store "insanely great" if you will, is that it took the best features of everything else that was around and combined them into the best music store there is, or will be for some time by the looks of things.

I've bought a lot of things there now, and even started buying whole CD's which I never thought I. They should have donation cards. So you can tip whatever you want from your card. Overall they could make more money, as some people would pay more than ninety-nine cents ugh, marketing price.

Re:They should have donation cards. I'm going to post the same response I make to all of your completely idiotic pleas for a world based on tips: You're an idiot. Expanded: If you have ever lived as a waiter, delivery boy or member of any other profession where your income was largely based on tips, you'd know that tips are encouragement to suck up to people and treat them nice.

This does not necessarily mean doing what you want to do, or acting in such a way that expresses your individuality. In short, tips encourage compliance and s. Re:Ad hominem Correct me if I'm wrong Stock ratings Score: 1 , Redundant. Re:Stock ratings Score: 2. I assume they could be activated the same way I've seen phone cards activate after purchase. Best Buy? Why would someone drive to Best Buy to get this pre-paid card, then drive home to download the songs? Because they don't want a whole CD.

Perhaps they want songs from various CD's. Score: 3 , Insightful. Because the card is good for any 15 singles you want, while the CD is good for one album with maybe one or two singles you want. Score: 3 , Funny. To make a compilation, or to give as a gift to your bratty nephew because you don't know what kind of heroin induced crap he's listening to this week. Take your pick. And if you don't have to have your music right now why not buy used CD on ebay, cut your mp3s and sell the same used CD on ebay?

Uhh that's violating copyright law. You need to shop around more for CDs. Sure, at ripoff chain record stores, they cost that much. Start shopping at places like Walmart and Target for music Clever Score: 2 , Insightful.

A very clever marketting idea. It removes any consumer fear of using credit cards on the internet, and simplifies the process such that its as easy and as convenient as topping up your pay as you go phone. Maybe this napster come back wont be a flop after all. Napster is like, so ! Even ditzes know iTunes has Napster by the short and curlies. However, I will withhold judgment until I see the new Napster in action And in other news Score: 4 , Funny.

Napster will be offering the public a new, improved failed business plan. Where's Napster's Suger? Score: 5 , Insightful. From all I've read, Apple makes very little from the selling of songs. If the new hechem.. Re: Score: 3 , Funny. Comment removed based on user account deletion. Re:Where's Napster's Suger? But this time they seem to be less blissfully unencumbered. In fact, I beleive Napster is now a completely different entity - basically a business that wanted to make money, that bought the Napster name in order to jump start publicity and credibility.

I fear the Napster we all knew and loved is inexorably dead and gone. From all I've read, Apple makes very little from the selling of songs If you consider all the promotion expenses, Apple has probably lost a lot of money when looking at the music service alone, but the ipod is a cash cow with a fat margin that makes up for ITMS. That's what the parent post said.

So the question remains: how is Napster et al going to be profitable, since they don't have the margin of an "iPod alike" to take to the bank? Especially since they presumably have to pay MSFT for their encoding technology, also.

Well, it could be that a MSFT is giving a discount on their encoding tech, to get it established in the marketplace; but wait until it gets established. Then MS. I don't know what Apple's expenses are well enough to know if the cost of the iTMS is reducible or not; for instance, is it bandwidth cost?

Server cost? From Boston. Ah, good point. Well, maybe we're back to the good old days of selling at a loss and making it up on volume. I'm guessing that Apple pays such large royalties to the record labels because the labels are still hesitant about embracing the technology. It doesn't fit with their traditional business model of selling full albums. Perhaps they're charging so much for the specific purpose of making iTunes unprofitable, thereby killing the service and eliminating an alternative model.

Why would anyone pay? Why would I want to pay for letting other people utilize MY upload bandwidth? Re:Why would anyone pay? How do I know? I have the software and am using it right now, it runs directly inside Windows Media Player 9. It's more like a 'catching up'. The idea of using prepaid card is not new Many people already use prepaid phone cards in the US.

Game companies in Asia even sell prepaid game cards for online games like Lineage. Game magazines often include cards with a small amount of credit so people can try out a game. So a 17 year old with no credit card can try out a game without the parent knowing of course! Most people still identify napster with getting free if not illegal mp3s. I think trying to keep the name was a bad marketing idea.

Most people won't be able to figure out why they should buy downloads to something they thought was free. Keep the technology, change the name. Re:brand awareness Score: 2. As someone who's studying marketing and advertising in school What we're seeing in terms of brand awareness is a short-term goal and extreme short-sightedness. Prepaid card show who the market is Score: 5 , Insightful.

Re:Prepaid card show who the market is Score: 3 , Informative. It's been around for about three or four years now. Napster on Mac Score: 2. I think the idea that napster and itunes compete is good up to the point where I see that Napster is only available on Windows, be it due to wma content or whatever. I'm not paranoid enough to believe that Microsoft is funding Napster, since MS has its own service chugging along in Europe Apple where the fuck are you here????

We'll see where this goe. Re:Napster on Mac Score: 2. Sorry, what? I don't understand how Napster being tied to Windows means that they are any more or less "stuck between the sweaty balls" of the majors. Isn't Apple just as stuck? Requirements Score: 5 , Interesting. No wonder they were less than enthusiastic about iTunes for Windows. Re:Requirements Score: 2. Re:Parlez-vous legalais? Why credit iTunes?

Gift certificates have been around for as long as I can remember. It's only natural for places of commerce to offer gift certificates nowdays. Why this is being credited to iTunes is rediculous. If a poster had said "Microsoft's gift certificate idea" I would have read posts about it by now. Pre-Paid Cards - Other Companies? I wonder if these cards will have an expiry date like some of the pre-paid cell phone ones do.

I'm behind the times in online purchasing technology, does PayPal or another company offer pre-paid options like this?

I'm assuming that many people don't buy online due to fear - this would limit financial risk to whatever amount is the limit on the card. Pay Pal? You've got to be kidding me. I used PayPay as an example only. Sure, with CCs you have limited liability, but the paperwork hassle tends to be the problem.

Someone else mentioned check cards, but again, those are linked to your bank account. Get out of jail free card! Just wait until SCO hears about this. The Napster Card allows a huge new consumer base access to on-line music shopping. Roxio , who bought Napster's assets, will launch the Napster v2. Source: CNN. If they think this is "technologically attractive", then they should think again. Everyone uses them now in HK.

And you can download practically any song for just 2 or 3 dollars. About pence. I like this idea. You can download songs that you want and not buy the whole cd. Everyone is entitled to their own true opinion. Either respect that or don't. I prefer the idea of free music with the option to donate via paypal or something lol www. Hmmm Well that is not too bad but most CD's are about 20 songs. But I see that this is the future of music is to buy onlike.

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