Rhapsody Buys Napster
NEW YORK -- Online music subscription service Rhapsody International Inc. has announced it is acquiring rival Napster from parent Best Buy Co. The move comes as competition from start-ups continues to intensify in the online music industry.

The deal ends Best Buy's efforts to groom Napster into a brand that would have broad appeal to shoppers buying mobile phones and computers at its nearly 1,400 stores. Best Buy, which is based in Richfield, Minn., bought Napster for $122 million in cash in October 2008.

Since then, other music services, such as Internet radio station Pandora Media Inc. and Spotify, have emerged as more popular channels.

After starting out as a dorm-room project in the late 1990s, Napster morphed into a notorious outlet for people looking to get free music. Recording artists and studios launched a legal crusade that eventually crippled Napster. Gadget maker Roxio Inc. bought Napster's name and other intellectual property in a 2002 bankruptcy auction. Roxio revived Napster as a subscription service and eventually adopted the Napster name as its corporate identity.

Rhapsody, which is based in Seattle, has gone through its ups and downs, too, since it started in 1999 as Listen.com. The service was spun off as a separate entity last year by its previous owners, RealNetworks Inc. and Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks. Rhapsody's monthly subscriptions start at $10 per month for access to a library of more than 12 million songs.

Napster's subscribers will be added to Rhapsody's 800,000 subscribers and Best Buy will receive a minority stake in Rhapsody. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rhapsody is owned by Real Networks and Viacom Inc's MV networks.

DSN Featured Stories

Soundtrack To The End Times
Los Angeles -- The Mayans may have predicted that the year 2012 may be the prelude to the end of the world - but what about an album dedicated to the event? Problem solved with DSN Music's compilation rock release "Soundtrack To The End Times," featuring fifteen emerging hard rock and heavy metal artists. "Soundtrack To The End Times" provides a musical platform for a diverse mix of political and social issues in today's complex world. Each of the artists featured on the release write and perform about such topics, giving the album a serious tone in substance, such as biblical prophecy, global financial collapse, and a break down in our social system.  Full Story

Is Radio Dead?
Las Vegas -- At the recent International Consumer Electronics Show here, all kinds of out of this world gadgets were displayed. Many of them targeting the audio business, shaping the future of how consumers get their music and digital content. It would be safe to say within the halls of the convention center, were many whispers about the future of the radio business. Broadcasters are beginning to see their huge slice of the pie shrink incredibly fast, as new digital platforms threaten their once dominant medium. Full Story

Sedona.. Hollywood's Forgotten Backlot
Sedona -- Late February brings scores of film fans from around the world to attend the annual Sedona International Film Festival, a five-day festival that features documentaries, foreign films, shorts, animation and student films. Most film buffs who visit the red rocks of Northern Arizona, have no idea that they are actually walking on the grounds of former movie backlots. In its heyday, Sedona Arizona was home to over 60 Hollywood productions, mostly consisting of Westerns. With classic stars on site such as John Wayne, Joan Crawford, Elvis, Burt Lancaster, Rock Hudson, Donna Reed, and Art Carney to name a few. Full Story

Hollywood Rebounds
Hollywood -- According to U.S. government reports, our economy has officially been in a recession since December 2007. That comes as no surprise to most of us, who have battled the day to day pains due to the crisis. Many industries have collapsed such as the auto and retail sectors. However, one unusual bright spot comes out of Southern California... Hollywood! The film industry is actually reversing its fortunes due to tough times, after years of erosion due to digital technology. Full Story

Rockin' On Heaven's Door
Las Vegas -- For many rockers, the name Madd Maxx Hammer may conjure up memories of the first time they heard the likes of Metallica and Pantera on their radio's. During the 1980s and 1990s America's most popular rock jock was none other than Madd Maxx Hammer. An in your face rocker who was heard across the nation via the legendary Z-Rock radio network, as well as many other high profile rock stations. Hammer was also a popular broadcast boxing announcer and syndicated writer for the sport. Full Story

Aliens Exposed In The Media
Sedona -- Recently there has been a rise in awareness from the media when it comes to the topic of Extraterrestrials. Mainstream networks such as ABC and FOX openly reporting about the subject, as well as big budget movies hitting the big screen; Universal's The Fourth Kind. Certainly there has always been an interest in the unknown, going back to Close Encounters of the Third Kind to the X Files. Full Story