Who did what now?
September 15, 2008 7:53 PM   Subscribe

NYT: Best Buy buys Napster
posted by blue_beetle (34 comments total)
 
What's next, Montgomery Ward's buys CompuServe?
posted by box at 7:57 PM on September 15, 2008 [22 favorites]


Yeah, but then they found it wouldn't play on their iPod.
posted by yhbc at 7:58 PM on September 15, 2008


Did they run this by Metallica?
posted by netbros at 8:03 PM on September 15, 2008


The third largest music retailer in the U.S. buys a music service. That's insane!
posted by basicchannel at 8:08 PM on September 15, 2008


In its announcement, it is significant that Best Buy hardly mentioned music subscription. Rather, it described the company’s emerging capabilities to offer services through cellphones, its technology and customer service operations.

The already awesome customer service provided by Best Buy is about to get awesomer.
posted by Science! at 8:12 PM on September 15, 2008 [8 favorites]


Science!'s comment made me lol a little.
posted by Michael Roberts at 8:14 PM on September 15, 2008


Did they run this by Metallica?
Revenge will be swift. Death will be magnetic. Lars will be sad.
posted by mannequito at 8:15 PM on September 15, 2008


I'm sure it'll do them a lot of good.
posted by Caduceus at 8:39 PM on September 15, 2008 [1 favorite]


Cool. One of the businesses that has been at the forefront of selling products that nobody in America made any money on through staff that don't get paid anything unless they sell a valueless non-service agreement along with it is now moving in the hot new direction of selling nothing to speak of to nobody I can think of.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:48 PM on September 15, 2008 [16 favorites]


Now best buy will make a download service that people will buy songs from, listen to, copy, and then return for a full refund...
posted by SJLaw at 8:49 PM on September 15, 2008


Oh great! another service from best buy that doesn't work and when you look around for help all the staff looks the opposite direction.

meh, I guess napster was doomed when they went public anyhoo...
posted by noriyori at 8:52 PM on September 15, 2008


Whoa, dudes, this news is wiggy.

Former hip outlaw web site bought by cheesebox franchise.

It's like a gangsta kingpin getting his butt kicked by his grammaw...and if that wasn't bad enough, you know it's gonna be *downhill* for him after that...
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 8:54 PM on September 15, 2008


I am surprised to learn that Napster still exists even in name only.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:55 PM on September 15, 2008 [3 favorites]


If I was going to buy a music downloading service, I'd buy the Pirate Bay. I'm not sure what the plan is for any of the others.
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:56 PM on September 15, 2008


Man, Napster somehow has 9 lives. Can't it just die already?
posted by Eekacat at 9:16 PM on September 15, 2008


This post is such a waste of the blue.
posted by oddman at 9:28 PM on September 15, 2008


I am surprised to learn that Napster still exists even in name only.

I was a litte, "Huh... Really?" on that count myself.

I'm a bit more surprised that people somehow expect Best Buy to have customer service. And I'm not dogging on the employees. But "would you like the extended service contract?" is pretty much the same thing as "would you like fries with that?" when you're talking about Best Buy.

What the fuck did you expect?
posted by Cyrano at 9:29 PM on September 15, 2008


I think not, Cyrano. Fries are tasty, extended service contracts, not so much.

On a more serious note, my nephew used to work for one of these places like Best Buy, maybe it was Best Buy even, and I was amazed at what percentage commission he got for the extended service contract. I want to say like 50%.
posted by Eekacat at 9:48 PM on September 15, 2008


I predict this will be about as successful as AOL-Time Warner, and for about the same reasons.

Really Best Buy, the only company you could think to buy was Napster (and Napster2.0, which is really RoxioLite)?
posted by librarylis at 10:28 PM on September 15, 2008


This thread needs more breathless commentary in the style of a technology blogger regurgitating a press release: "Game-changer vertical space user-experience transformation!!!"
posted by milkrate at 11:03 PM on September 15, 2008


Can't it just die already?

Napster died a long, long time ago. This is just somebody else taking its desiccated corpse out on a date.
posted by tracert at 11:41 PM on September 15, 2008


Two great tastes!

Shit's a taste, right?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 12:26 AM on September 16, 2008 [1 favorite]


Can a headline be eponysterical or is there a different word for that?

Man, Napster somehow has 9 lives. Can't it just die already?

Someone keep fanning the flames.

[so, sooo sorry].
posted by mandal at 1:25 AM on September 16, 2008


More like WORST BUY, amirite?
posted by emelenjr at 2:13 AM on September 16, 2008 [1 favorite]


I bet this is a wacky promotion for Chuck.
posted by mecran01 at 2:42 AM on September 16, 2008


Napster died for our sins.
posted by CautionToTheWind at 4:21 AM on September 16, 2008


This comic strip totally applies here. Just use your Mind Photoshoppe© to make the first guy Best Buy, and the second guy Napster.
posted by Dr-Baa at 6:38 AM on September 16, 2008


This bailout will not save the broken music services economy.
posted by rokusan at 8:34 AM on September 16, 2008


What they didn't tell you is that Napster is going back to its roots of bootlegging vinyl records. My phonograph and I can't wait, Best Buy!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:55 AM on September 16, 2008


This is just somebody else taking its desiccated corpse out on a date.

I never figured I'd have so much in common with Best Buy.
posted by quin at 9:23 AM on September 16, 2008


It's a pretty odd move, considering how tied to the Rhapsody service their offerings were.
posted by tmt at 10:26 AM on September 16, 2008


tracert: Napster died a long, long time ago. This is just somebody else taking its desiccated corpse out on a date.

Ooh, brand necrophilia.
posted by Pronoiac at 10:30 AM on September 16, 2008


I strangely interesting in what happens to old trademarks that someone thinks has value. Who decides this stuff? How do they assess the value? It just seems incredible if not crazy to pay these prices for what is just a brand. I mean, how is Winamp doing, did AOL make any money off that? Or the people who bought the pets.com puppet?
posted by damn dirty ape at 12:30 PM on September 16, 2008


Later that week, Best Buy would shock the world when it announced that Napster would be the only download service t be integrated into the operating system of the resurrected Amiga.
posted by egypturnash at 5:04 PM on September 16, 2008


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