Dell and Napster Provide Free Music to Customers

Napster signed a deal with Dell to bundle 12 months of access to its streaming music subscription service on Inspiron and Studio laptops.

The package is worth $60 and includes 60 free downloads. The qualifying devices will be sold initially in the US through Best Buy, the parent company of Napster, but will be available through Dell’s website in November.
According to Dell, select Dell systems will come loaded with one free year of Napster including 60 free MP3s and 12 months of free music streaming.

The program allows consumers to download the MP3s onto any compatible device, including Zunes, iPods and music-enabled mobile phones. Napster automatically adds music to your iTunes or Windows Media Player. Napster comes preloaded on the Dell computers, so it’s a simple boot up and play.

The company’s VP and GM of consumer sales and marketing Michael Tatelman said, “We had a lot of options when we were thinking about what to do here. And whether we went directly through labels or publishers, this is a really great deal for consumers. It is the first time we’ve added a third-party aggregator service.”

Both companies have, however, worked together in the past, offering discounted music subscriptions to US college students back in 2005 as a way to promote legal services.

This Dell/Napster deal comes after HP began offering consumers in Asia (excluding Japan) access to 1,000 free Universal Music downloads with the purchase of an HP notebook over 12 months. Customers will be able to keep 120 of the tracks after the year is up.
 

TopTenREVIEWS offers side-by-side comparisons of the best laptops, and if your heart is set on a Dell, we've got the same side-by-side comparisons.