But the failure to generate sales is a reality check on the disposition of Napster users themselves, many of whom claim to dislike record companies but still want to support individual artists. Napster declined to comment. And so far there's no telling how many CDs of the total 32 listed artists were bought in stores rather than online. For Anthony, the buycott's failure calls into question the prevailing mood about new business models for online music. Yet even with added reliability and features, says Anthony, it may be ultimately impossible to compete with free.
Some people think it's the file-sharing or the community.
At the end of the day, the draw of Napster is free product. Indeed, the next few months will be an important test for the likes of eMusic, which began as a download service early this month. Later this week, Universal Music Group will begin selling encrypted tracks that feature added content such as biographies and photographs. EMI has also begun selling 100 albums in digital format. As long as they're going to their computers to get music anyway, free is tough to beat.