Napster Reborn as AI Company: Offering Personalized AI Companions for $19/Month

Napster Resurfaces As (What Else?) an AI Company. Can Its Agents Deliver?

One of the tech industry's weirder cycles of brand reincarnation has given us yet another new version of Napster: a site teeming with well-lit, photogenic people smiling confidently and talking with their hands. What was once a peer-to-peer music-copying application, then a target of successful copyright-infringement lawsuits, then a series of licensed music-streaming apps through ownership changes that saw the Napster brand vanish and then reappear, then a reinvention as a web3 company, now exists as a generative-AI platform. (The music-business plot twists alone yielded enough material for a documentary.) This new version of Napster surfaced on June 25 when a Florida company formerly known as Infinite Reality, which leveraged mysterious funding to buy the Napster brand for $207 million in March and then renamed itself after that purchase, announced "Napster Companions." These "domain-specific intelligent and personality-driven AI agents," shown off in thumbnail preview clips of their cheery selves, incorporate "thirty psychometric parameters that make each agent distinct with its own character, domain expertise, communication style, and task fluency." Think of this as trying to put a human face on AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude, except in this case, it's an infinite series of human faces that don't correspond to actual living humans. "The Napster Companion library covers a nearly infinite number of categories of knowledge such as cooking, health, finance, education, fitness, design, software development, and much more," the company's press release says. "If an agent does not already exist, the Napster Companion platform auto-generates a new one on the fly, in real-time, so no user query is left unanswered." Access costs $19 a month or $219 a year; the latter will get you a Napster View, an upcoming, circular 2.1-inch "3D holographic display" that you plug into your computer with a USB-C cable and then clip on your regular monitor. You can also buy 100 hours of Companion chat for $95 or get 200 hours for $189, with that higher-end option also including a free Napster View. But Napster, which says it runs on Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service, also offers 15 minutes free with a new account. You can sign in with a Google or Microsoft account, or register with an email address and password, after which you must click a checkbox next to this disclaimer: "I acknowledge that I will be interacting with an AI-based system and that generated responses might be inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading. I acknowledge the AI is not a licensed or certified professional, and I will not share passwords, Social Security numbers, or other sensitive personal data." I didn't want to start with anything heavy, so I opened with the query I used to test Google's "AI Mode" web search in April: "What is a good native groundcover to plant in shady ground in Northern Virginia?" Napster offered up three videos and six companions; I clicked on the first video, featuring an AI agent named Laura Patterson standing in the middle of a greenhouse. The site requested microphone access (its reliance on voice input limits its utility in public spaces), after which my software interlocutor began speaking. The movements of her mouth did not quite match her synthetic speech, while her arms and hands stayed fixed in place in an unpleasant contrast with the thumbnail previews of companions. Unfortunately, at least two of the plants she recommended were not native to the mid-Atlantic. I followed up by noting that this bare part of my lawn is very dry, yielding a supportive but unhelpful response that "Dry areas in your lawn can be challenging." I thought about asking one of the other companions offered, but their advertised areas of expertise -- for example, "Driving Innovation in Sustainable Agriculture" -- were not close to my query. So, I decided to pivot to another hobby, baking. "What are some tips to make baguettes from scratch at home?" brought an agent named Hikari Nishimura to my screen. She offered advice that tracked with my prior research and experience -- measure ingredients by weight, aim for a hydration level of 75% or more, let the dough ferment overnight, slash the loaves diagonally with a straight razor, add steam before closing the oven with a spray bottle of water -- and closed with a reminder of the trial-and-error part of baking: "Every loaf brings you closer to mastering this timeless art." But then I asked her to explain hydration level; she said "hydration level refers" and then stopped. I went with personal finance for my third query: "How can I compare the tax-adjusted return of an actively traded mutual fund with that of an index fund?" An agent named Danielle Washington correctly noted that "Many investors overlook a crucial factor: how taxes impact their return." As in, a fund with managers who sell holdings often can leave you with a nasty capital-gains tax bill due on April 15. I asked where I could look up these figures; she suggested Morningstar and Schwab. The former is a good reference for mutual-fund investors, while the latter is a stock brokerage. You can also choose one of Napster's AI agents and ask them a question directly, so I summoned one named Amit Pillai, described as a chef specializing in "Redefining Indian Cuisine with Global Flavors." I asked him how to make butter chicken in an Instant Pot, and he delivered, without my having to read through several hundred words' worth of expository essay first. Except: With a recipe and other how-to scenarios, directions you can read are more usable than those you have to watch. Video isn't the right UX for that. It could be for an extended conversation with an AI being that learns your tastes and experiences, but 15 minutes of free banter doesn't seem like a way for anybody to discover that. The stilted nature of these AI-animated videos doesn't help. Seeing people's faces move approximately with their speech while their bodies remained fixed in place reminded me of a different artifact of late-1990s digital culture: not the original Napster, but the slightly animatronic characters of interactive CD-ROM games like Cyberflix's Titanic: Adventure Out of Time. Considering the seriously checkered history of AI chatbots dispensing advice, you would be well advised to keep their limits in mind. And in particular to avoid relying on this site's counsel in such advertised areas of expertise as "Tax Strategy" and "Oncology." Try a lower-stakes topic -- say, asking about how to listen to music for free online -- before paying for anything.

Napster relaunches as $19/month AI service

Napster relaunched as an artificial intelligence company, offering AI-generated companions available through a $19 monthly subscription after an initial 15 free minutes. The latest iteration of Napster represents a significant shift in its operational focus, moving from its origins as a peer-to-peer music-sharing application to a generative AI platform. This transformation follows a complex history that included its initial rise and subsequent legal challenges for copyright infringement, a period as licensed music-streaming services under various ownership changes, and a brief reinvention as a web3 company. The brand's journey through these distinct technological and business models has been extensive, resulting in enough material for a documentary detailing its music business evolution. This new AI-centric Napster emerged on June 25, following its acquisition by a Florida-based company, formerly known as Infinite Reality. Infinite Reality, which had secured substantial funding, acquired the Napster brand for $207 million in March. Following this acquisition, the company rebranded itself as Napster. The announcement introduced "Napster Companions," described as domain-specific, intelligent, and personality-driven AI agents. These agents are presented through thumbnail preview clips, depicting individuals with confident expressions and animated hand gestures. The company states that these AI agents incorporate "thirty psychometric parameters that make each agent distinct with its own character, domain expertise, communication style, and task fluency." The concept behind these Napster Companions involves providing a human-like interface for AI chatbots, similar to established platforms such as ChatGPT or Claude. However, a key distinction is that Napster offers an expansive array of human faces that do not correspond to actual living individuals. The company's press release indicates that "The Napster Companion library covers a nearly infinite number of categories of knowledge such as cooking, health, finance, education, fitness, design, software development, and much more." Furthermore, the platform is designed to auto-generate new agents instantaneously if a specific agent does not already exist, ensuring that "no user query is left unanswered." Access to Napster Companions carries a subscription fee of $19 per month or $219 annually. The annual subscription includes a Napster View device, a circular 2.1-inch 3D holographic display. This device connects to a computer via a USB-C cable and clips onto a regular monitor, providing a visual interface for the AI companions. Alternative purchase options include 100 hours of Companion chat for $95, or 200 hours for $189, with the latter option also providing a free Napster View device. Napster is back -- and this time, went social Napster states that its services are powered by Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service. New users are offered a complimentary 15-minute trial period. Users can log in using a Google or Microsoft account, or by registering with an email address and password. Prior to accessing the service, users must acknowledge a disclaimer: "I acknowledge that I will be interacting with an AI-based system and that generated responses might be inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading. I acknowledge the AI is not a licensed or certified professional, and I will not share passwords, Social Security numbers, or other sensitive personal data." Rob Pegoraro of PCMag tried out the tool and initiated his evaluation of Napster Companions with a query concerning native groundcovers suitable for shady areas in Northern Virginia, a question he previously used to test Google's AI Mode web search. Napster's response included three video options and six companions. Pegoraro selected the first video, featuring an AI agent named Laura Patterson, depicted in a greenhouse setting. The platform requested microphone access, indicating its reliance on voice input, which could limit its practical use in public environments. Upon activation, the software interlocutor began speaking, but Pegoraro observed a disparity between the movement of her mouth and her synthetic speech. Additionally, her arms and hands remained static, presenting an "unpleasant contrast" to the dynamic poses shown in the companion thumbnail previews. Laura Patterson's recommendations for groundcover plants included at least two species that are not indigenous to the mid-Atlantic region. Following this, Pegoraro informed the AI that the specific area of his lawn was very dry. The AI responded with a statement acknowledging that "Dry areas in your lawn can be challenging," which Pegoraro characterized as supportive but ultimately unhelpful. Pegoraro considered engaging with other companions offered by the platform, but their advertised areas of expertise, such as "Driving Innovation in Sustainable Agriculture," did not align with his initial query. Consequently, he shifted his focus to another personal interest: baking. He posed the question, "What are some tips to make baguettes from scratch at home?" This query led to the appearance of an agent named Hikari Nishimura on his screen. Hikari Nishimura provided baking advice that aligned with Pegoraro's existing knowledge and prior research. Her recommendations included measuring ingredients by weight, aiming for a hydration level of 75% or more, allowing the dough to ferment overnight, slashing the loaves diagonally with a straight razor, and adding steam before closing the oven using a spray bottle of water. She concluded her guidance by emphasizing the iterative nature of baking, stating, "Every loaf brings you closer to mastering this timeless art." However, when Pegoraro subsequently asked her to elaborate on the concept of hydration level, she began her explanation with "hydration level refers" and then ceased speaking, leaving the explanation incomplete. For his third query, Pegoraro transitioned to the subject of personal finance, asking, "How can I compare the tax-adjusted return of an actively traded mutual fund with that of an index fund?" An AI agent named Danielle Washington provided a response. She correctly identified that "Many investors overlook a crucial factor: how taxes impact their return," specifically highlighting that a fund with frequently traded holdings can lead to significant capital-gains tax obligations due on April 15. When asked where such figures could be found, she suggested Morningstar and Schwab. Pegoraro noted that Morningstar is a valuable resource for mutual fund investors, while Schwab is recognized as a stock brokerage. Users also have the option to directly select a Napster AI agent and pose questions to them. Pegoraro utilized this feature, summoning Amit Pillai, an agent described as a chef specializing in "Redefining Indian Cuisine with Global Flavors." Pegoraro asked Pillai for instructions on how to prepare butter chicken using an Instant Pot. Pillai provided the requested recipe without requiring Pegoraro to navigate through extensive introductory text or narrative content, which is often prevalent in online recipes. Pegoraro observed that for procedural information, such as recipes or other how-to instructions, written directions are generally more practical than video formats. He noted that video might not be the most effective user experience for such content. While video could be suitable for more extensive conversations with an AI that learns user preferences and experiences, the 15-minute free trial period does not appear sufficient for users to discover such deeper engagement. The stilted nature of the AI-animated videos presented another challenge. Pegoraro found that the synchronized, yet unnatural, movement of the AI agents' mouths with their speech, while their bodies remained static, evoked comparisons to the animatronic characters found in interactive CD-ROM games from the late 1990s, such as Cyberflix's "Titanic: Adventure Out of Time," rather than the original Napster. Given the documented history of AI chatbots providing inaccurate or misleading advice, particularly in sensitive areas, Pegoraro advises users to remain aware of the limitations of these systems. He specifically cautions against relying on Napster's AI for advice in areas advertised as "Tax Strategy" and "Oncology." He suggests that users should initially test the service with lower-stakes topics, such as inquiries about free online music streaming services, before committing to a paid subscription.