Napster Soon To Be Reborn
Napster told users it would soon be launching a second-phase test of a new membership-charging service that would mark its return to the Internet after being shut down for several weeks.
"The Beta version of the new Napster will be available before the new service launches. We'll be looking for your feedback on our new features, the ease of use, and, of course, identifying the inevitable bugs," the song-swap company said in an e-mail sent Wednesday to users who have signed up to participate in the test of Napster's soon-to-launch subscription service.
Napster said it has been testing the system internally for the past few months and is close to being ready to launch a public beta test, which would be the next step in rolling out the new service.
It would not give a specific time for the beta test, but the company has said the subscription-based service would launch sometime this summer.
In late June, Napster said that about a million people had signed up to participate in the beta test of the new service.
"Thanks for signing up to be a Beta tester for the new Napster. We're getting close to completing the basic work on the new membership service and we'll be providing you with more details about the Beta soon," Napster said in the e-mail.
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