In the 2020s, even the lawsuits are retro: Sony Music is suing Napster and its parent company Rhapsody International for $9.2 million in unpaid royalties, with the potential for $36 million in damages. Alongside Metallica, the RIAA, and just about every pre-digital music company, Sony last sued Napster 26 years ago.
Napster was acquired by tech startup Infinite Reality for $207 million last March. But Reality turned out to be stubbornly finite, and as Pitchfork reports, Napster had failed to make any payments for over a year. At the time of purchase, IR reportedly agreed to a payment plan with Sony Music. The lawsuit alleges that IR hasn’t made a single payment, while continuing to give your parents’ computer viruses stream music.
This might come as a shock, but in 2025 Napster may be struggling with its business model. According to Billboard, at least half a dozen labels have complained, with payments late by a few months to more than a year. SoundExchange has already sued Napster and Sonos over unpaid royalties, and if Napster can’t get it together, the whole industry might have to call Metallica and party like it’s 1999.
Content shared from consequence.net.