Music Business

15 Years Ago Yesterday The Music Industry Changed Forever

image from cdn4.pitchfork.comNapster launched 15 years ago yesterday on June 1, 1999. Love it or hate it, Napster changed the music industry and how music is consumed, forever. Napster was co-founded by Shawn Fanning, John Fanning, and Sean Parker. Envisioned as a peer-to-peer file sharing service, it operated between June '99 and July '01.

For those too young to remember, Napster allowed music fans to easily share their MP3s with others. Although the original service was shut down by the courts, the Napster brand survives as part of Rhapsody after the company's assets were liquidated through bankruptcy proceedings.

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