Napster Launched
Napster launched peer-to-peer music file sharing and ignited a war between the music industry and the internet
June 01, 1999
The App That Broke the Music Industry
Napster launched in 1999, created by college student Shawn Fanning and his friend Sean Parker. It let users share MP3 music files directly with each other for free. Within months, millions of people were using it to download songs without paying. At its peak, Napster had over 80 million registered users, making it one of the fastest-growing internet services ever seen.
Lawsuits and Shutdown
The music industry fought back hard. In 2000, heavy metal band Metallica and rapper Dr. Dre sued Napster directly. The Recording Industry Association of America also filed suit. Courts ruled that Napster was responsible for enabling copyright infringement. By 2001, the service was forced to shut down its free file-sharing. The company tried to relaunch as a paid service but never regained its original popularity.
A Turning Point for Digital Music
Napster's rise and fall proved there was enormous demand for digital music. It pushed Apple to create the iTunes Store in 2003, offering legal music downloads for 99 cents per song. Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are direct descendants of the lessons Napster taught the industry. The app only lived a few years, but its impact on how we consume music is still felt today. You can explore the iTunes launch story to see what came next.