Synthetic intelligence startup Infinite Actuality has acquired the music-pirating app turned music streaming service Napster in a $207 million deal and plans so as to add a music-focused metaverse.
Infinite Actuality said in a March 25 assertion that Napster would supply “branded 3D digital areas” to permit virtual concerts and “social listening events” together with the power to supply digital merchandise.
“Think about stepping right into a digital venue to observe an unique present with pals, chat along with your favourite artist in their very own digital hangout as they drop their new single, and have the ability to immediately purchase their unique digital and bodily merch,” stated Napster CEO Jon Vlassopulos, who will proceed in his position amid the acquisition.
“The web has advanced from desktop to cell, from cell to social, and now we’re getting into the immersive period,” he added.
“Probably the most legendary collab?! Infinite Actuality has acquired iconic on-line music model @Napster.
With this acquisition, we’re increasing and reimagining Napster, empowering artists with new viewers monetization and engagement capabilities, underpinned by iR’s #immersive… pic.twitter.com/L4Fig7QFct
— Infinite Actuality (@Infinite_iR) March 25, 2025
Infinite Actuality added that it additionally plans for Napster to permit musicians to make use of AI buyer and group administration brokers and analytics dashboards to trace fan habits and cross-promotion with its different leisure properties, resembling Esports groups.
Napster’s newest repurposing
Napster was a pioneer in piracy, launching in 1999 as a peer-to-peer (P2P) filing-sharing service largely for music. It shuttered in 2001, buried by a court docket order after a wave of copyright infringement lawsuits.
The now-bankrupt firm bought its model, which was relaunched as a music-streaming service earlier than bouncing between homeowners for the following 20 years. The blockchain agency Algorand and crypto funding agency Hivemind most lately purchased it in 2022.
Associated: Here’s what musicians actually think of tokenizing content in Web3
Napster had made a number of strikes within the Web3 area, announcing plans in June 2022 to launch its personal Napster token on the Algorand blockchain that may very well be used to purchase music subscriptions and different content material. The model additionally purchased Web3 music startup Mint Songs in February 2023.
Supply: Napster
John Acunto, co-founder and CEO of Infinite Actuality, stated the group hopes to steer an “web trade shift from a flat 2D clickable net to a 3D conversational one.”
Infinite Actuality says the acquisition of Napster is slated to shut in a number of weeks. In response to the agency, it hopes to evolve the Napster model to turn out to be the main immersive music platform for artists, followers and curators by means of viewers monetization and engagement capabilities.
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