What's remarkable about the new Napster is how similar it feels to the old one. This is still very much a file sharing technology. The best things about Napster - browsing through a real person's music collection, sending them messages and recommending them new music - are still there.

But so are the disadvantages - broken tracks, cancelled transfers - and a complete inability to stream or preview tracks. Now we know why Napster doesn't intend to get a performance royalty license... this is a download-only service.

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