First of all how does Napster work? Napster is a software program created by 19 year old Shawn Fanning, through which users can swap songs over the Internet. Computer users visit Napster.com and download the free Napster program. Once the software is installed on the user's hard drive, the user can locate songs stored on the computer of other Napster users by title and artist. Once a specific song is located the user double-clicks the title and the song starts to download on his/her hard drive in MP3 format (an audio file). The server does not contain the music, it only contains the name and location of the computers with the music files. Napster basically links the user who is searching for the song with the user who is willing to share it. This fairly new type of technology is called peer-to-peer communication and is exactly the same principle used in the
             Well-know chat rooms. Presently the Napster community has over 58 million users.
             Napster is an appealing, convenient and free way to get music to consumers. It has opened a lot of doors, and yet the music industry sees it as an 'enemy'. Traditionally the record labels have been the essential link or middlemen between the artists and the consumer. They are the ones that decide and control what, when and where you are able to hear the songs that they choose. Napster has broken this link and has become the much more convenient intermediary between the artist and the consumer. The old and traditional system used by the music industries, involved pushing the music to the consumer until they liked it. Music, chosen by the labels, would be played over and over again until the consumer bought their product. Now with Napster, the choice is given back to the consumer. They are the ones that choose and control what they want to listen to and when. This competition has made the record labels furious and now they want people to pay for this service in order for them!
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