Napster, the digital music service featuring more than 35 million licensed songs, has officially launched in Canada. The service launched yesterday, offering on-demand access to the service’s catalogue for $9.99 per month. The service is available in both French and English, and is available on a wide array of devices, including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Web, Sonos, Chromecast, and several auto manufacturers.
While many will recognize the Napster name from the turn-of-the-millennium P2P service that became synonymous with music piracy, the brand is now owned by Rhapsody and operates as a fully licensed subscription service.
Napster features curated playlists as well as personalization algorithms, and offers tailored music recommendations through the service’s Music Inbox feature. The service offers offline playback feature to allow subscribers to download music to their phone to save on data fees or to listen in areas without a connection.
“With a deep catalogue of local artists, hand-curated playlists, and the first music experience for kids, Napster is customized specifically for Canadian music fans,” said Ethan Rudin, Napster’s chief financial officer, in a release. “It was important to us that we enter Canada with a personalized music experience that has a complete catalogue of local, national and international artists.”
The service also offers Napster KIDS, a streaming music experience specifically designed for children. The KIDS feature allows children to safely explore age-appropriate songs and playlists designed for a younger audience.
As part of their launch, Napster is offering an introductory subscription for Canadians, priced at $1 for the first three months. For more information, see the announcement on Napster’s blog.
Music Canada