Downloaders Help Napster Fortunes

Online music pioneer Napster is predicting a healthier rise in revenue due to increased subscriptions and strong music download sales. The Los Angeles-based company said it added 153,000 new subscribers in the final three months of 2004, up 53% on the third quarter of last year. A new service enabling the download of an unlimited amount of music has also generated interest in Napster.

Consumers do not have to pay for each song with the service. Members who subscribe to Napster To Go, which was launched in February, have access to an extensive music catalogue of around one million tracks.

BBC News