A Napster iPhone app has been made and is good-to-go. That’s the word from Napster’s Thorsten Schliesche, who told us that his team of music mad software mavens had an app ready, but that it won’t launch until labels ease up on pricing regulations.
Schliesche, speaking at the launch of the rejigged Napster Unlimited service, told us about plans for a Napster iPhone app. “We have developed an app for the iPhone but it’s not approved by Apple yet,” he said.
However, he went on to say that it would stay behind closed doors until the labels drove down the cost of streaming to mobile phones. Citing Spotify’s £9.95 monthly price tag for its iPhone app, Schliesche said he was opposed to the premium price tag for mobile streaming.
Napster Unlimited: £5 a month for music AND downloads
“The reason we haven’t done it is that compared to the £5 we ask people to pay for home streaming, there is a premium to stream over mobile. We don’t think that’s justified.” This hints that a Napster iPhone app could undercut Spotify by a fiver.
Instead of an app, Napster would be focusing on its mobile site he said. In a veiled dig at his rivals, Schliesche said, “A lot of companies have an app just to have an app. So what we have created is a wap portal that guarantees portability.”
Out now | From £5 per month | Napster
