They say you’ll be able to’t preserve a superb model down. More precisely, you’ll be able to’t cease it being opportunistically mined by enterprise sorts for lingering name-recognition and nostalgia.

Case in level: the pioneering peer-to-peer music-sharing-and-piracy service Napster has been purchased by a consortium of corporations who plan to “bring the iconic music brand to web3.” What precisely meaning isn’t clear, largely as a result of web3 itself is such a nebulous idea. However, different web3-focused music startups have let musicians launch albums and singles as NFTs, so maybe anticipate one thing related in Napster’s reimagined future?

To dive down into the murky waters right here, the lead gamers shopping for Napster are Hivemind, a “a crypto-focused investment firm dedicated to blockchain technologies, crypto companies and the digital assets ecosystem,” and Algorand, operators of what’s claimed to be “the world’s most decentralized, scalable, and secure blockchain infrastructure.”

Matt Zhang, a managing companion at Hivemind, announced the acquisition on LinkedIn (which we noticed via MusicAlly), noting that “volatile market and uncertain times often bring exciting opportunities,” and that “Music x Web3 is one of the most exciting spaces we’ve come across.”

Again: we’re doing nice weapons right here with regards to buzzword bingo, however explanations of what Napster’s future enterprise mannequin would possibly truly be are skinny on the bottom.

Never thoughts. It’s maybe sufficient to know that Napster is in good (or a minimum of acquainted) firm. Earlier this yr, it was introduced that fellow star of the early-2000s piracy firmament Limewire was being revived as a platform for NFTs, whereas house owners of the once-great (and aesthetically enduring) music participant Winamp introduced they’d be promoting the software program’s unique pores and skin as an NFT and creating the Winamp Foundation “to help musicians across the world to make the music they love.” (Is the blockchain concerned? It’s not clear.)

Although web3 advocates declare that instruments just like the blockchain and NFTs are a solution to ship extra worth to smaller gamers, these applied sciences have actually come into their very own as monetary devices for leveraging nostalgia. The listing of mostly-defunct naughties manufacturers which have been revived on this method is ever-expanding, from Neopets and HotWheels to Crazy Frog and RadioShack, however the overwhelming proof is that these are company zombies — nominally alive however lifeless behind the eyes. Welcome to the crew, Napster.