RAIN Notes: October 24, 2025
— A line erased / Chris Grosso
— All for one Adelicious
— Rising again / Napster
Napster
Napster relaunch & stock listing — an iconic brand seeks continued status with new ownership
MelodyVR will rename as Napster after acquiring the brand and assets last summer, and will list on the London Stock Exchange. This will be Napster’s fifth incarnation. As a branding asset, it is still trading on its revolutionary reputation, even though its revolutionary impact is an echo from the past. For anyone who has been following online audio for 25 years, there is a coherent historical line between the original Napster and today’s ecosystem of on-demand streaming music. Click through for details. Continue Reading
Rhapsody International announces Sonos partnership to power Sonos Radio HD
Rhapsody International, the parent brand of the Napster music streaming service (originally called Rhapsody) and Rhapsody’s B2B white-label streaming provision service, announced that it is now powering Sonos Radio HD. In this cluster of brands there is one more: “Powered by Napster” which is the platform service brought to bear for Sonos. Continue Reading
BMW brings Napster/Rhapsody into its European cars for easy on-demand audio
We received news today from Napster/Rhapsody thast BMW is bringing the global on-demand audio service into its cars in eight European countries. The service brags of 60-million tracks and 20,000 audiobooks. One interesting aspect of this is the apparent ease-of-use in getting and using the service. Continue Reading
Napster teams with Super Hi-Fi to offer brands AI-driven music experiences
Napster has entered a partnership with Super Hi-Fi, an artificial intelligence company that offers tools to improve audio transitions and customization. The parties will collaborate to provide businesses with personalized music listening experiences. Continue Reading
Napster Q3 revenue is down on-year as company shifts toward B2B
RealNetworks has posted its third-quarter financial results. The company included information about its Napster music streaming subsidiary, which generated quarterly revenue of $27.3 million, down 21.6% from $34.8 million in the year-ago period. Continue Reading
Rhapsody offers hi-res audio through MQA partnership
Rhapsody announces a partnership with MQA, an audio technology company which creates high-resolution audio in file sizes small enough to stream, to offer high-quality audio in its white-label “Powered by Napster” business. High-resolution audio now joins a suite of technologies that companies can use to build audio streaming into their consumer-facing businesses. Continue Reading
Rhapsody inks Asia deal for its Powered by Napster platform
Rhapsody International has entered a partnership with global software development firm GNT Inc. Their arrangement will expand the footprint of Rhapsody’s Powered by Napster music platform. Continue Reading
Univision reboots Uforia online listening app with Powered by Napster playlists
Napster and Univision have entered a new digital audio partnership centered on the Latin culture specialist’s Uforia app for on-demand audio and music. Under the terms of the deal, Univision’s Uforia app is now part of the “Powered by Napster” platform thanks to a new design and enhancements. Continue Reading
Rhapsody settles mechanical licensing class action
Rhapsody and Napster have settled a long-standing class-action lawsuit over mechanical licensing. The settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, will see the streaming services make payouts to self-published songwriters whose compositions were played on the music platform. Continue Reading
RealNetworks becomes majority owner of Rhapsody with doubled stake
Napster’s parent company, RealNetworks, has doubled its existing stake in the streaming service. RealNetworks acquired the debt and equity interests in Rhapsody International, an action that gives it about 84% of the outstanding stock in Napster. Continue Reading
Sony and Rhapsody launch a new hi-rez streaming service in Japan
Sony Music Entertainment and Rhapsody International have partnered to launch a streaming service in Japan. The platform, called mora qualitas, will offer high-resolution lossless FLAC audio at CD quality. It is built on Rhapsody’s Powered By Napster platform. Continue Reading