Circuit City, Napster team up for subscription-based music service

Following Best Buy's move to team up with SanDisk and Real for an online music service, Circuit City has now conjured up a deal of its own as it works with Napster to provide yet another subscription-based solution. The simply-titled Circuit City + Napster seemingly won't deviate from what Napster's current service already offers, but the partnership does tease "access to exclusive songs and new releases on a weekly basis" when it launches on April 29th. In what appears to be little more than a marketing effort to get the $14.95 per month service into more retail space, the low-key offering will give new customers their first month gratis, five free song downloads (you know, the ones you "keep"), and the ability to purchase individual song downloads at 99-cents apiece. Furthermore, prepaid download cards can be snapped up in bundles of 15, 25, or 60 tracks, and we can only assume the playback restrictions from the current Napster service will carry over into this.

[Via Yahoo]

[scum1 @ Apr 20th 2007 10:59AM]

I will never buy anything from CC again after the way they treat employees. You know like firing good employees because they make too much money(because they are good and loyal). Even why they say they must do this I don't see the corp bigwigs taking a pay cut.

[Rick Lyon @ Apr 20th 2007 11:12AM]

So firing full time workers to hire cheap, dumb, high schoolers teams with failed music subscription provider to ah, hmm, fail together?

[Dan @ Apr 20th 2007 11:49AM]

Circuit City is copying Best Buy once again. You'd think by now they'd learn from their mistakes and quit trying to be a wannabe, and instead be something different, yet possibly better.

[Joseph @ Apr 20th 2007 12:13PM]

The title should have read "All your moneys are belong to us"

[anonymouspimp @ Apr 20th 2007 12:14PM]

Ummm...

(Best Buy + Sandisk + Real) doesn't quite equal (Circuit City + Napster)

Best Buy teamed up with a music service (Real) and a mp3 player manufacturer (SanDisk)... Circuit City and Napster seem to just be joining forces on the music service side of things... unless I am missing something here... Shouldn't Circuit City and Napster be teaming up with some mp3 player manufacturer (like iRiver or something) before we start REALLY comparing the two?

[Joel Rossel @ Apr 20th 2007 8:38PM]

I literally just started laughing out loud when I read this headline. I mean... seriously? A HARDWARE RETAILER thinks they can break into the online music industry?? hahahahha...(sorry, laughing again)

[Mel @ Apr 20th 2007 8:58PM]

Hey it worked with DIVX didn't it?

[bobdeloyd @ Apr 21st 2007 5:31AM]

I am boycotting Circuit City (and you should too)after what they did to their logntime employees and I was surprised that Engadget would even post about a lousy company like this!