Napster, the

popular music downloading site, has been in the news a lot lately.

Through the

use of the Napster program, users download MP3 files and then are able

to share them with all other users. There is no fee to use the site and

everybody is happy, except some musicians, like Metallica.

Since anybody

can go on to the site and download almost anything they want, by almost

any artist, people could download the entire catalog of any band and never

pay for the songs. Bands like Metallica argue that as Napster's popularity

rises, people will stop purchasing their albums and will simply download

the songs and burn their own CDs.

This really

does not happen that often, as downloading songs can be time consuming

and burning CDs can be expensive and even more time consuming.

I can see why

some starving artist bands may feel cheated. If their band is only moderately

popular and struggling, every album sale counts, but Metallica, one of

the best-selling rock 'n' roll bands of all time, is hardly struggling.

The band was paid one million dollars for a one-hour performance for the

Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They make millions off merchandising, concerts,

albums and videos and show no sign of slowing down.

In fact, many

people who use Napster do so to listen to new music and influence their

purchases. For instance, a person who has heard Andrea Bocelli's "Con

Te Partiro" can download more Bocelli and decide whether to purchase

an entire album.

Another thing

that many opponents of Napster should realize is that without a CD burner

or portable MP3 player, users can only listen to the songs on their computers.

I can't take my computer in the car with me and I can't lug it to the

gym when I work out.

Napster is

proposing a monthly user fee that would go into effect this summer and

users are claiming they will jump ship if this happens. They might. It

seems that there are several other programs like Napster around the world

and they work better and more efficiently at no cost. The fact that other

programs exist and that Napster-like programs will undoubtedly spring

up if and when a fee is put into effect, makes the fight against Napster

seem futile.

At any given

time 10,000 users are online and sharing files and that number is destined

to grow larger.

Napster has

been around for awhile, but I didn't download the program until December

after we got a DSL line installed. This makes download times very low

and makes Napster more worthwhile. Since the end of December I have downloaded

more than 300 songs and I have yet to come close to downloading a full

album from any artist, much less an entire catalog.

In fact, one

of the best things about Napster is the availablity of rare tracks and

cover songs that can't be purchased anywhere. It has also opened my eyes

to forms of music I would never have listened to before. I have more than

20 theme songs from some of my favorite television programs.

I urge each

and everyone of you to try out this fantastic program, before it is too

late. Log on, share your MP3 files with the world and download a Metallica

song wile you're at it.

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