Napster Q4 Revenue Hits $31 Million

Shares of Napster Inc. jumped Thursday after the online music retailer said it expects its revenue for the fiscal fourth-quarter, which ended March 31, totaled about $31 million, beating analysts' predictions. The company's revenue totaled $29.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Napster also said its subscriber base rose to about 760,000 by the end of March. (Billboard, Digital Music News)

Napster and Telefonica's O2 link up to offer 5 mln tracks

Telefonica unit O2 has signed a deal with online music site Napster (NASDAQ:NAPS) that gives the mobile operator's subscribers access to 5 mln tracks for download to both the phone and PC, according to The Independent. (Thomson Financial, The Independent)

Napster Posts Smaller 3Q Deficit

With a 15 percent jump in revenue from subscriptions, online music retailer Napster Inc. said Wednesday it spent less and lost much less in its third quarter than a year earlier. For the three months ended Dec. 31, the company posted a net loss of $2.8 million, or 6 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $9.5 million, or 22 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue totaled $32.8 million, up 15 percent from $28.4 million in the year-ago quarter, with the rise driven primarily by growth in subscription and wireless music sales, the company said. (AP)

Napster Mobile Diplomacy Continues, Chilean Pact Emerges

Napster Mobile broadened its platform into Latin America on Monday, the latest chip in a global expansion. The deal involves Chilean operator Entel PCS, a division of telecommunications company Entel. Napster Mobile, a joint venture between Napster and Ericsson, will supply Entel with a catalog of roughly four million, full-track songs, as well as a substantial master ringtone collection. (Digital Music News)

Napster To Sell Unprotected MP3s

Napster Inc. said yesterday (Jan. 6) it will begin selling music downloads as unprotected MP3 files in the spring, joining other online retailers. The file format change will apply only to single tracks and album purchases, according to a company press release. Tracks downloaded as part of the company's music subscription service will continue to have copyright restrictions. (Billboard)