Napster is/would be 20

[Gary]

I was gonna start this thread yesterday, but the board was down.

Anyways, with (yesterday I believe) Napster turning 20 years old, I thought we could use a thread about it. Talk about weird songs/audio files you downloaded, the whole legal issue with it, Lars Ulrich trying to make a point but coming off as a dick, that time you thought you downloaded System of a Down doing a song about Pokemon but it was actually someone else, how long it took to download songs, the day it died and other Napster related subjects. Other old file sharing services can also be discussed.

 

[Fall of Epic]

Being a hardcore Metallica fan in 2000, I was pretty conflicted with Napster. I refused to download anything for awhile but once my friend made me a mix CD, it was all over. I still supported my favorite artists but the concept of getting any song I wanted with the speed of what 56K allowed me, there was no turning back. I think making Lars Ulrich a thing beyond the drum kit was the worst thing Napster ever did to be honest.

I don't recall any interesting downloads other than the time I thought I had downloaded the then-new Deftones song (Back to School) only for it to be a Bill Clinton prank call.

 

[AA484]

I was kind of late to the game; more of a Kazaa guy, myself. Funniest thing I ever saw was CCR's "Fortunate Son" simply listed as "Vietnam War Song."

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

audiogalazy satellite was my first big thing when it came to music and was my first online community too

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I was all about Napster and credit it for helping me growing my musical background as a teen. I was still mostly about the popular stuff but it was notable in me finding a few songs then buying an actual album *GASP* of said band's output. The Offspring were a notable effect of this having already been a fan of 'Come Out and Play' thanks to Raven but discovering other songs like 'Gotta Get Away' and 'Nitro' made me get their middle 4 albums (Smash, Ixnay on the Hombre, Americana, and Conspiracy of One). Without Napster I legit probably wouldn't own 1/2 the CDs I still have today. I also probably wouldn't have gone as deep into Grunge, Riot Grrrl, Blues, Industrial, etc. that I ended up.

After Napster went down is when I transitioned to Kazaa briefly then Youtube.

The downside of this is that I mainly became a 'Singles' listener since the mid 2000s. I've enjoyed the albums I own but I find myself looking up specific songs from albums/bands rather than going the Spotify spend 50-70 minutes listening to an entire album.

 

[Fall of Epic]

For me I think it went from Napster - Kazaa - Audio Galaxy - Soulseek - Limewire - Torrents

 

[Brocklock]

Yeah I was late to Napster, but I loved Kazaa/Limewire/Soulseek back in the day.

One thing I hated back in the day was when you'd get about 30 seconds of a song and then it turns into horrifyingly loud electronic noise or something of that sort. I remember it happening when I tried downloading This Godless Endeavor by Nevermore around 05 or 06.

 

[SFH]

I didn't know the difference between file extensions (pause for judging) so while trying to download an Aurora Snow video it didn't occur to me that .mp3 meant it was going to be a song.

Finger Eleven, "One Thing." Titled with "Aurora Snow." Fuck you, Limewire.

 

[AA484]

I still use Soulseek if it is something that is hard to find but I've rarely used anything since Spotify came out. I have enough 1000+ songs to last me for life.

 

[Kageho]

Napster was how I managed to get access to things like Final Fantasy: Celtic Moon, which if I tried to import it, would costed me like 100 back then that I didn't have. Technically still don't.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I didn't use Napster but dug in deep with Kazaa. It definitely helped me find new music to listen to, especially when I started the deep dive into death metal. I downloaded a few tracks by Exhumed and Dying Fetus after already discovering Nile, Skinless, and Cannibal Corpse via friends and magazines, and it even made me appreciate Graves-era Misfits after I'd been a Danzig-era only fan for a few years.