Los Angeles (California) - Starting the next-round of its ongoing battle against music download giant iTunes, Napster today unveiled version 3.5 of its downloadable music service software, increasing the bitrate of its MP3 files to equal that of a standard audio CD.
The statement from Napster this morning focused primarily on greater ease of use and improved navigation - phrases which could easily be photocopied from all the AOL releases of the past 15 years. But audiophiles are likely to focus on the key figure of 192k, nearly buried in the first paragraph. Up to now, many music collectors have complained that 99¢-per-song downloads, of the kind offered by both Apple's iTunes and "Napster Light," are limited to 128k bitrates and lower, and are thus susceptible to audible distortion when transferred to MP3 players such as Apple's iPod. On music forums, some have even argued that the cheap 99¢ price is justified, given that the audio quality of the song is cheap as well - at least cheaper than the 192k or higher bitrate of the same song ripped from audio CD.
An independent test conducted by fliptech.net, an audio enthusiasts' site, graphically reveals the audio deficiencies that those with trained ears have been complaining about: A digital master track was re-encoded at several standard bitrates, starting at 256k and proceeding down the list. With ever lower bitrates, sounds at lower frequencies were reduced or even eliminated. At 112k, half of the sound was missing altogether.
The bitrates for downloaded songs are limited by the codecs used by their respective song service's client software, as well as the MP3 players that support the song service. When you subscribe to a song service, the tunes you download are encoded in such a way that they can only be played back (legally) through the service's own codecs, even when you burn those songs to CD. Songs downloaded from Apple's iTunes will play through the iTunes jukebox on Macintosh and Windows, as well as through Apple's iPod. By comparison, Napster songs will play through Windows Media Player, along with so-called "Windows Media compatible" MP3 devices, including models manufactured by Creative, Dell, Rio, and Samsung. Napster's codecs, therefore, are Windows Media codecs, which may explain how it could be easier for Napster to upgrade to 192k than for Apple.
Many audio CD players now support Windows Media codecs as well as industry standards, which makes it easier for many downloaders to enjoy their music through their stereos. So if Napster's move today ends up giving the company some traction - any forward momentum whatsoever - then it could be more technically difficult for Apple to respond with a similar move.
Still, even with Napster capitalizing on these small advantages, the company still has a long way to go to level up with iTunes. For the past three years, according to reputable analysts' estimates, iTunes has commanded about 80% of a steadily growing market. Napster hasn't been as major of a player in its own market since the days when it was an illicit streaming service.
Napster's current business model is based on a two-tier subscription menu, with an option for individuals to download songs á la carte at 99¢ apiece. The $9.95 per month rate guarantees subscribers access to unlimited downloads. However, downloaded songs can generally only be played through the software of active subscribers to the service. At $14.95 per month, subscribers are enabled to transfer their downloads from their PCs to compatible MP3 players - but not iPods.
Also added to Napster v. 3.5, according to this morning's statement, is a new song recommendation service that "uses unique algorithms to develop distinctive song and playlist suggestions based on a combination of members' individual listening habits, music libraries, and professional musicologist recommendations, resulting in a truly personalized experience." The statement did not say whether the algorithms judge the content of each song recommended, or the textual metadata associated with the song.