The Napster controversey permiates throughout the music industry with such fervour, splitting the record world down the middle. Bands alligned with record companies on both sides of the debate. From Primal Scream who declare the major record companies as "worse than the mafia" for the way they have tried to gag Napster, to artists such as Eminem who want Napster shut down.

"Whoever put my shit on the internet, I want to meet that motherf**ker and beat the shit out of him, because I picture this scrawny little dickhead"
(SELECT 09/00)

Quite.

Probably the most outspoken and well known anti-Napster rock group are Metallica. In early 2000, drummer Lars Ulrich was more than mildly surprised to find six different versions of new Metallica track 'Disappear' circulating on the Internet, before it had even been finished. Actually, that's something of an understatement, as friends of Ulrich claim he was positively furious. And so the gauntlet first fell to Ulrich to get something done about this 'theft', where other parties were less keen to.

Lars contacted Napster to ask them to remove all Metallica songs from their site. Back came the cheary reply that they were unable to do so as none of the tracks actually existed on their site, but if Metallica would give them the names of all the members who had downloaded their music they'd be happy to bar them from the service.

Every member! How many thousands of fans had actually downloaded Metallica tracks from Napster? Not to be discouraged, Napster's management contacted NetPD in the Spring of that year to see if they could duly oblige them with the user names. It turned out that they could. NetPD monitored all transactions made by users downloading Metallica material from Napster over a single weekend and recorded their identifiers. They recorded 1.4 million Metallica downloads in total (although this includes where the download failed and was restarted).

Metallica, presenting their findings to Napster, have their wishes met and the users are blocked. Anyone logging onto Napster who had downloaded Metallica material during the weekend period are redirected to a page informing them they are in breach of copyright.

And it's not just Metallica who have taken this initiative. The Manic Street Preachers through their record company Sony only recently had access to tracks from their latest album "Know Your Enemy" blocked from Napster. The Manics Nicky Wire let rip on Napster proclaiming them to be "worse than CocaCola".

"I think the idea that Napster is a charity is hideous. They're an American company who are desperately out to conquer the world and sell their shares for as much as they can,"

"Napster to me is a symbol of the laziness of modern capitalist culture. People sit on their arse, pressing buttons."
(NME 17/02/01)

However, it would seem that the fans of such bands have other ideas. The same NME issue's letters page was filled with a tirade of letters from disgruntled Manics fans who had downloaded tracks from Napster, and like the Metallica fans, found their memberships had been blocked. One Kevin Hall justifed his downloading of MSP tracks as a means for sampling their new material.

"We should be allowed to listen to their new stuff so that we can decide whether to buy it or not. I know most Manics fans would have bought the new album anyway, as soon as it was released."

In protecting their music rights, such bands have in some respects alienated those who pay their wages. The music fans.

However, not all of the rock fraternity are anti-Napster. Courtney Love of Hole for example

"There were one billion downloads last year but music sales are way up, so how is Napster hurting the music industry? It's not. The only people who are scared of Napster are the people who have filler on their albums and are scared that if people hear more than one single they're not going to buy the album."
http://www.nme.com/NME/External/Features/Features_Interview/0,1420,4043,00.html

However whether Napster's hurting the music industry it's too earlt to tell, as Cracker's David Lowry points out, the rise in music sales during that period is more likely connected to an evitable music boom after an industry slump.
http://www.crackersoul.com/soundoff/napster.shtml

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree believes that with the advent of the Internet such things as Napster were bound to emerge.

"The idea of copyright and what it means for a writer to own a song or a recording are going to have to change. I do think that artists, writers and musicians should earn money from what they create, but it is pointless trying blindly to apply the old rules when the world has changed so much."
http://www.nme.com/NME/External/Features/Features_Interview/0,1420,4043,00.html

It would seem that Napster has permiated the music industry so effectively, that everyone has an opinion of it.

Spice Girl Mel B: "Who's Napster? (One explanation later) Really? Oooo! I don't really know much about it. Is it legal, or not? (Well it's copyrighted material) Oh well, I spose its not very good then. Well, if it's illegal, then I'm against it."
http://www.nme.com/NME/External/Features/Features_Interview/0,1420,15403,00.html

Well, almost everyone.

A number of artists seem to be more set on the Internet as the best means for releasing their material and reaching their fanbase. Take Prince for example. Since his legal rangling with record company Sony which led to him changing his name to The Artist, he has all but disappeared from the commercial scene. He can however be found living in Cyber Space at the New Power Generation Online http://www.npgonlineltd.com/home2000.html. Here fans can join up an receive new unreleased tracks, live streamed concerts and an "xclusive array of xperiences".

Prince himself appears to be in favour of the idea of Napster, in allowing music fans access to music in ways that the record companies cannot control. However, he is wary of such issues as the potential corporate nature of Napster precipitated by the proposed merger with Bertlesmann Music Group.

"A company xists 2 make money, not 2 create some kind of idealistic on-line community of "music lovers" — as opposed 2 the attitude, mentality, hopes and dreams of most of its users."

However he sees hope in the emergence of other online file swapping services such as Gnutella and Freenet

"Initiatives such as Gnutella and Freenet demonstrate that, in the on-line world, new young people keep coming 2 the fore with more and more radical ideas"

As a result "it will become more and more difficult 4 the majors 2 rely on their traditional "weapons" (money, lawyers) 2 keep things under control".

However, Prince is still wary of the major record companies in finding a way to dispose of the file swapping services.

"Real music lovers and enthusiasts will there4 need 2 remain on their guard. As we've said b4, the specter of a much darker, sinister society always looms… "

Prince like most people, is however out to make money, charging subscribers to his service $7.77 for the Basic Monthly Club Membership or $100.00 for the Premium Membership. However, it is where such services as a unified Napster/BMG charging users he is against

"It certainly doesn't provide any clue as 2 how much of this money ; if any ; would go 2 the artists themselves".

Like Prince, David Bowie has re-emerged as what could be described as a major player on the Net, having set up Bowie Net, giving fans access to unreleased audio and video tracks, backstage footage, B-sides, rarities and live tracks. In addition, fans are able to view Bowie working in the studio via a live webcam. UK (http://davidbowie.co.uk) and US (http://www.davidbowie.com/) versions are available.

As far as Mp3's and Napster's concerned, Bowie doesn't feel threatened, and he believes the record industry shouldn't be either.

"Well more the merrier, I think mp3's great. You know something? I'm so tired of hearing people say it's going to bring down the record companies. You know what, it's goimg to make it alot harder for bootleggers, cos as soon as you put something up in mp3, you can trace the site in about 5 minutes, and they're dead."

Bowie considers Mp3s to be benefical in promoting artists work, having been one of the first major artists' to release a free Mp3 track for downloading on his website.

"I presuppose where it'll be short samples of their work, whether it be music or video, and then pay to download the whole thing"

David Lowry of mid-90s Rock band Cracker believe the Internet can aid the music industry through the distribution of music, however he see Napster itself being of little help.

"I oppose Napster because they have no coherent or viable plan to compensate artists. If Napster makes money off the dissemination of an artists copyrighted material I believe the artist should participate in those profits."

Lowry believe more artist control of whats distributed through Napster type services as the key.

"Artists would have the right to decide which of their works (if any) was available on the service, and what sort of compensation they would receive from the service."

In addition, Lowry would be more in favour of a subscription or royalty scheme similar to that operated by music radio and television stations, whereby the record companies and artists are paid a small fee for each play.

Cracker are however keen to underline that "the point is and always has been that Napster is illegally using artists songs to build a multi-million dollar business."

"Unlike the other multi-million dollar corporation that now distributes my music, I never signed a contract with Napster giving them that right, and Napster has no intention of ever paying me."
http://www.crackersoul.com/soundoff/napster.shtml

However long it takes the courts to decide on the future of Napster it seems that music industry artists are going to remain divided on the issue for a long time to come.