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Vlassopulos told me that there’s a lot of interest in Web3 among music executives.

The labels are actually on board this time around. Over time, this could include turning the profiles of Napster subscribers into Web3 wallets and offering unique live music experiences. Napster also wants to use the existing service to introduce Web3 features to new audiences.“That moat is very hard to replicate,” Vlassopulos said. One reason for that are the existing relationships with record labels and other music rights holders. At the same time, Napster wants to keep operating its existing streaming service.The two companies and a number of new investors now want to turn Napster into a Web3-focused music company Vlassopulos projects that Web3 could eventually generate “billions and billions of dollars” for the music industry.During that time, it has undergone multiple ownership changes, including an acquisition earlier this year by crypto investment company Hivemind and Web3 tech startup Algorand.The company has been operating as a legitimate streaming service similar to Spotify and Apple Music since 2003. If Napster’s past was MP3s, its future is Web3, Vlassopulos believes. “It felt a little naughty at the time, but it stood for something,” Vlassopulos said.

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Free music was obviously Napster’s biggest draw, but the file-sharing network also gave people access to obscure bootleg recordings, mash-ups, and a vibrant community of music lovers.

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Back then, Napster had 100 million users who were using the company’s software to trade MP3s with each other.

“We never showed the world what we were planning for Napster 2.0, the legitimate version, but it was still, in my opinion, better than anything that's come since,” he said.The deal didn’t happen, and Napster was forced to shut down. “We offered a billion dollars to the industry for legitimizing Napster,” Vlassopulos said.

Vlassopulos’ history with Napster goes beyond the classic T-shirt: While working for German media giant Bertelsmann in 1999, he was part of the team that invested in the file-sharing network, with the goal of striking a peace deal with the record labels.

Vlassopulos held onto it and has been wearing it more often as he prepares for his new role. His wife had wanted to throw the shirt out many times over the years, he told me. Vlassopulos’ Napster shirt is more than 20 years old, it turns out, and stems from a time when the company was still running its file-sharing network, drawing the ire of the global music industry. That’s because Vlassopuloss hadn’t actually started at the company yet - and Napster hasn’t sold any shirts featuring the famous cat with headphones in years. But when I interviewed former Roblox head of music and incoming Napster CEO Jon Vlassopulos over Zoom last week, I wasn’t expecting him to don a shirt with the Napster logo. It’s not uncommon for CEOs to wear company swag. Napster’s new CEO has a history with Napster

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