Use of Napster Alternatives Rose in October - Webnoize

Users swapped 1.81 billion media files on Napster-alternative services like Kazaa, MusicCity and Grokster, which have seen usage rise since Napster shut down in July to legal pressures, a research firm said on Monday.

Web research firm Webnoize said these services' October levels represented a 20 percent increase from the 1.51 billion files downloaded during September.

All three applications use software licensed from FastTrack, an Amsterdam-based peer-to-peer technology company, and share the same network.

"The growth of the FastTrack network continues to be astounding," said Webnoize analyst Matt Bailey. "During the last four months the number of users typically logged on has risen by 480 percent, and in November will likely surpass the 1.57 million simultaneous users that Napster, the popular song-swapping service, enjoyed at its peak."

During October, 1.3 million users were typically logged on to the combined network at any one time, compared to 1 million simultaneous users in September.

Webnoize predicts the suit will further boost consumer awareness of the FastTrack system. "As higher awareness translates into higher usage, the FastTrack network may ultimately become many times larger than Napster ever was," Bailey said.

News source: Reuters