Napster Opens Music Subscription Service in Japan

Napster is launching its music subscription service in Japan, the second largest music market after the US, offering more than 1.5 million Japanese and foreign music downloads.

The new Napster Japan service is a product of the company’s joint venture with Tower Records Japan (TRJ), the biggest music retailer in the country.

Napster says the service launch marks the introduction of the digital music subscription model to Japanese consumers, who until now have only been able to experience digital music legally by paying for each track and album individually via download stores like Apple’s iTunes.

Napster Japan will feature a music catalog of nearly two million tracks spanning all genres from both major and independent record labels. The service also features a variety of community features, interactive, commercial-free radio stations, and Napster playlists.

There are currently over 20 portable devices in the Japanese market that are compatible with Napster To Go, including MP3 player models from Creative, iRiver, JVC and Toshiba. More Napster To Go-compatible portable devices from a variety of manufacturers are expected to hit the Japanese market in the coming months.