Webnoize Says Napster Use Drops

Napster use has fallen more than 80 percent since the song-swap service began employing screening technology to block copyright songs and comply with a federal court order.

Napster users downloaded 1.59 billion songs in April - a 41 percent decline from its peak in February, according to research by Webnoize, an Internet research firm based in Cambridge, Mass.

In February, users downloaded almost 2.8 billion songs in anticipation of the possibility the online-music sharing company would be shut down by the court.

In March, users downloaded almost 2.5 billion music files, with users sharing 220 files on average. By April, the number of files shared among users dropped dramatically to 37.

"I certainly think the amount of content available through Napster has plummeted," said Matt Bailey, the Webnoize analyst who looked closely at Napster use. "It is now very difficult to get to material that has been blocked by Napster."

Bailey said there still are a lot of Napster fans attempting to use the service, thanks to the company's strong brand identity and the lack of alternatives for downloading a wide range of popular music.

But the effectiveness of Napster as a tool of music piracy rapidly is fading.

The Recording Industry Association of America, which is suing Redwood City-based Napster for copyright infringement, said the report does not prove the company is fulfilling its part of the bargain.

In March, U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ordered the company to block the downloading of all copyright work requested by the music industry.

Napster's programming allows users to share and trade MP3 formatted songs stored on computers linked by the Internet.

Napster did not immediately return calls seeking comment on Bailey's research.

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