Growing as a legitimate pay-to-play music download service and leaving its peer-to-peer past further behind, the resurrected Napster is said to be thinking about getting into film and video game downloads as part of a new subscriber drive.
"We are currently considering moving into video, particularly to tap the younger video-game generation," Napster chief executive Chris Gorog told reporters covering the Midem music industry conference in Cannes, France. "I do think that while there are huge players in the delivery of movies like Sky, there could be a role for Napster."
That announcement came in hand with Gorog saying Napster would open an operation in Germany this year, looking for strategic partners along the line of the British model where Napster promotes itself through links with retailer Dixons, cable group NTL, and Virgin Radio.
Subscription, Gorog said, was the most likely video model for Napster. And if their move to a German music service operation proves successful enough, he added, Napster could seek likewise in France.
Napster has not broken even yet but is expected by analysts to bring full-year revenues between $35-40 million, following a jump in subscribers to 270,000.
