Napster to hit Ireland by end of the summer

Napster boss Chris Gorog announced today that the company's pay-to-download service will be available in Ireland within the next six months.

Gorog heads up Roxio Inc. which bought Napster out of bankruptcy and developed its legal Napster 2.0 software.

The download service is already available in the US, but British and Irish users have been unable to avail of it unless they have a US credit card.

Napster will launch simultaneously in Britain and Ireland and Gorog said that this will happen before the end of the summer.

Downloads currently cost American customers 99 US cents for a song and $9.95 for an album.

Gorog was speaking at the Creative Financing and Music Seminar which is taking place in Dublin today.

Minister John O'Donoghue launched the Smithfield seminar by saying he hoped for an "informed, expert debate."