When Napster first went live 10 years ago this month, the music industry didn’t immediately notice. It wasn’t until around September 1999 that the RIAA got wise, and not until December that a lawsuit was filed.
Leading the organization at that time was Hilary Rosen, who presided over the case that shut down Napster and all the music industry moves that followed until she resigned in 2003. Now, as managing partner of the pr and communications strategy firm The Brunswick Group, as well as CNN political commentator, Huffington Post editor-at-large, and Internet entrepreneur behind the OurChart social networking site for Showtime’s “The L Word,” Rosen has kept a close eye on the music industry’s developments over the years.
She’s been on record saying she thought the labels should have struck a deal with Napster, had concerns about the DRM interoperability issue from the start, and is a firm believer that labels still play an important role in the music ecosystem.
On this 10th anniversary of the service that shook up the music industry forever, Rosen shares her thoughts and memories with Billboard.
© 2009 Billboard.biz (full story)
Leave a Reply