Social media users are reacting to Napster’s placement on a list of highest-paying streaming platforms.
On Tuesday (Dec. 28), T-Pain shared a screenshot displaying the names of music apps alongside the number of streams each artist must have to earn one dollar. The list revealed that Napster required the least amount of streams, making it the highest-paying platform mentioned. The mere existence of Napster surprised fans who were shocked to learn that the site was still up and running after more than two decades.
“Finding out Napster still exists is a damn plot twist,” wrote Twitter user @naima.
“Napster?! Is it 1999 again???” @fodderyfodder reacted. “Time is a flat circle.”
@travelingcrypto took the time to reminisce on Napster’s early days. “When I was today years old when I found out that @napster still exists. Not sure why they’re trending today but a part of me is glad the name is still around,” the Twitter user penned. “Who remembers setting up their downloads the night before, hoping to burn a CD in the morning for the ride to school/work?”
Napster — founded in 1999 by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker — was all the rage in the 2000s as it allowed music lovers to download their favorite songs as well as unreleased singles and records that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. It would eventually run into legal issues after rock band Metallica helmed a slew of lawsuits accusing the platform of music piracy or the distribution of records without the artists’ consent.
Those old enough to remember Napster’s history commented on the unexpected fact that the app is now considered the best-paying streaming service.
“NAPSTER is the highest paying streaming platform????” wrote @songmess. “Just broke my neck on this plot twist.”
“Napster: from the music industry‘s bad guys in the 2000’s to paying artists more than any other streaming service in 2021…,” added @sportzstwecom.
In another tweet, @AZcomm claimed that he was “surprised to see @napster go from villain to the hero of this story…”
See the tweet that started it all below.