Joni Mitchell ad, the Record Group, and "Bill Gates came by my office": From Cornyn, Exploding Exploding, pp. 116, 309310.
Early internet marketing by Jeff Gold and Marc Geiger: Author interviews with Gold and Geiger: "Fantastic...but don't forget your real job": Author interview with Gold. Mo Ostin did not respond to an interview request.
The Madison Project: Author interview with Paul Vidich. Sony Music's investment in eUniverse and "A lot of those investments wound up being very successful": Author interview with Fred Ehrlich.
"I met with people until I was blue in the face": Author interview with John Grady.
Real Networks background and Rob Glaser meeting with major-label executives: Author interview with Rob Glaser.
Professor Dieter Seitzer's role: From "The Story of MP3," Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, http://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/EN/bf/amm/mp3history/mp3history01.jsp, interview with Seitzer for "The MP3 Inventors," dir. Gerd Brohasga, Petra Wagner, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft documentary, 2007, available in YouTube snippet, and author interviews with Bernhard Grill, Rocky Caldwell, and Karlheinz Brandenburg.
"Everybody contributed ideas": Author interview with Karlheinz Brandenburg. Psychoacoustics: From Schmid, John, "German Creators of MP3 March to Different Tune," International Herald Tribune International Herald Tribune, November 5, 2001, p. 11.
Haas effect: From Wilburn, Thomas, "The AudioFile: Understanding MP3 Compression," Ars Technica: The Art of Technology Ars Technica: The Art of Technology, www.arstechnica.com, October 3, 2007.
This was complicated: From Schmid, International Herald Tribune International Herald Tribune, November 5, 2001, p. 11; Heingartner, Douglas, "Patent Fights Are a Legacy of MP3's Tangled Origins," New York Times, New York Times, March 5, 2007, p. C3; Wilburn, Thomas, "The AudioFile: Understanding MP3 Compression: From Anonymity to Ubiquity," March 5, 2007, p. C3; Wilburn, Thomas, "The AudioFile: Understanding MP3 Compression: From Anonymity to Ubiquity," Ars Technica: The Art of Technology Ars Technica: The Art of Technology, arstechnica.com, October 3, 2007; author interview with Talal Shamoon, who tied much of this information together and reviewed technical passages; and author interviews with Harald Popp and Bernhard Grill, who filled in some of the blanks.
"In 1988 somebody asked me what will become of this": From "MP3 Creator Speaks Out: MP3 Is Well-Known to Millions of the World's Teenagers But Its Mere Mention Sends Shivers Down the Spines," BBC News Online, July 13, 2003.
Moving Picture Experts Group: From "The Story of MP3," Fraunhofer Institute, and Heingartner, Douglas, New York Times New York Times, March 5, 2007, p. C3.
"It's not a straightforward story, unfortunately": Author interview with Bernhard Grill.
"There was not that much interest at that time": Ibid.
Rob Lord and Jeff Patterson detail: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 3031, and author interview with Lord.
"A few other companies got into that technology game" and Cryptolope: Author interview with Bob Buziak.
"One day in a moment of pure honesty": Author interview with Gerry Kearby.
Frank Creighton background: Author interview with Creighton; and Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 161163.
Creighton-Rosen exchange: Author interview with Hilary Rosen.
Frank Creighton conversations with John Fanning, Shawn Fanning, and Eileen Richardson: Author interview with Creighton and Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 163.
In 1996, Shawn Fanning: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 1317.
"Money was always a pretty big issue": From Ante, Spencer, "Shawn Fanning's Struggle: An Uncle Helped the Troubled Teen Find His Way-and He Went On to Create the Smash Napster Program," Business Week Business Week, May 1, 2000, p. 197.
"I told him that I had talked to my wife": From Gorov, Lynda, "Hi, I'm Napster," Boston Globe Boston Globe, June 11, 2000, p. A1.
Harwich High School, purple BMW, and Macintosh: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 1317. "He set me up with internet access": Author interview with Shawn Fanning, 2000 (for Knopper, Steve, "Napster Creator Wonders What All the Fuss Is About," Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune, April 10, 2000, Tempo section, p. 1).
Uncle John was an entrepreneur, John Fanning background, and Shawn's internship at Chess.net: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 5255.
"We set up a little computer for him": Author interview with Ali Aydar. IRCs and w00w00: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 3435. $7,000 laptop: From Ante, Business Week Business Week, May 1, 2000, p. 197. "It gained some popularity": Author interview with Shawn Fanning, 2000. John Fanning's debt: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 54.
Shawn Fanning at Northeastern: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 3437, 5354.
"I was living in downtown Chicago": Author interview with Ali Aydar.
One of Shawn's first important IRC contacts: Sean Parker biography, from Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 2327.
"We were basically hackers": Author interview with Parker.
Fanning's 7030 split: From Menn, All the Rave, All the Rave, p. 54. Confirmed by Eileen Richardson. p. 54. Confirmed by Eileen Richardson.
Fifteen thousand people had downloaded Napster: From Ante, Business Week Business Week, May 1, 2000, p. 197. "I had to focus on functionality, to keep it real simple": From Greenfeld, Karl Taro, "Meet the Napster," Time, Time, October 2, 2000, p. 60. October 2, 2000, p. 60.
"practice meeting" and "I had been shopping the deal around northern Virginia": Author interview with Sean Parker.
Ben Lilienthal investor meeting detail: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 5771.
"John is a gamer": Author interview with Sean Parker. John Fanning did not respond to interview requests.
Yosi Amram biography: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 7885.
"This was kind of the height of the internet boom": Author interview with Amram.
Eileen Richardson biography and quotes: Author interview with Richardson.
A few details, such as the Palo Alto Coffee Co. description and Richardson's purchase of 333,000 Napster shares: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 8793, 98.
Shawn Fanning at the chess master's house: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 86. Fanning and Parker apartment details, Mazda, and gym rat: From Gorov, Lynda, Boston Globe Boston Globe, June 11, 2000, p. A1. "I kind of forgot about that phase": Author interview with Shawn Fanning, 2007.
"I would put on a presentation for Bill and Eileen": From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 100.
Shawn FanningTed Cohen encounter and "Oh, I'm sure they'll be out soon": Author interview with Ted Cohen.
"John Fanning absolutely was completely thinking a different thing": Author interview with Eileen Richardson.
Richardson exchanges with Creighton and Rosen: Author interview with Richardson. "Either a really bad manipulator or naive": Author interview with Rosen.
"It was her job to lobby": Author interview with Richardson.
150,000 registered users: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 101; $2 million financing, Ibid., p. 116.
Eddie Kessler biography and quotes: Author interview with Kessler.
Shawn Fanning as compulsive workaholic: Author theory based on Fanning's publicly known work habits, confirmed by confidential source. "There's no question it was exciting and stressful": Author interview with Fanning, 2007.
In November 1999 (server fix): From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 120. N.W.A. detail: Confidential source. "One of the most stressful experiences ever": Author interview with Shawn Fanning, 2007.
"If they call to say, 'Don't you know this is illegal?'": Author interview with Ted Cohen.
"Rock stars and people that play music seriously": Author interview with Shawn Fanning, 2007.
Love, Courtney, "Courtney Love Does the Math": From Salon, Salon, June 14, 2000. June 14, 2000.
"It just grew and grew": Author interview with Hilary Rosen.
Chad Paulson: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 134135. "Some people got it": Author interview with Erin Yasgar.
Super Bowl and "Those opportunities met with failure": Author interview with Ghuneim.
"We were saying, 'It's a new form of radio'": Author interview with Pete Heimbold.
"I hit a point": Author interview with Liz Brooks.
"If you can come up with another way": Author interview with Bill Allen. "If you can afford a computer": Quoted in Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 141.
"Napster spun it cleverly": Author interview with Joel Amsterdam.
Lars Ulrich goes to Napster: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 144145. Napster employee asking for autograph: Author interview with Liz Brooks.
"my future husband": Love quoted in Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 258. Eileen Richardson meets Guy Oseary and Madonna and "The RIAA went on the huge tour": Author interview with Richardson. 136 "three of the finest and best venture firms" and Doerr details: Author interview with Eileen Richardson.
"We felt that they had a pretty good case": Author interview with Hank Barry.
George Borkowski and Sean Parker's email: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 230.
David Boies biography and participation: Author interview with Boies.
"Plaintiffs have shown persuasively": From A&M Records Inc. et al. vs. Napster Inc. A&M Records Inc. et al. vs. Napster Inc., US District Court, Northern District of California, August 10, 2000. "Oh my God": Quoted in Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 246.
Alex Kozinski background and "This is like the playoffs": From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 248249.
Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s distaste for Napster: From Mann, Charles C., "The Heavenly Jukebox: Rampant Music Piracy May Hurt Musicians Less Than They Fear," The Atlantic The Atlantic, September 2000, pp. 3959. Bronfman also saw that the labels could make a lot of money: Author interviews with Bronfman and Hank Barry.
Idei...said in later interviews that Japanese law prohibited a service like Napster: From "Interview with Nobuyuki Idei-'We Have to Believe That We'll Be Out of the Darkness Someday'," Tech-On! Tech-On!, April 9, 2001.
Anti-Napster brigade and "It became clear": Confidential source.
"I very much wanted to make a deal with Napster": Author interview with Edgar Bronfman Jr.
"These were business meetings": Author interview with Hank Barry.
Sun Valley meetings and presence of Idei, Stringer, Middelhoff, and aides: Author interviews with Edgar Bronfman Jr., Hank Barry, Thomas Middelhoff, and John Hummer. Middelhoff squeezed himself between Hummer and Barry: From author interview with Middelhoff. "Thomas, your seat's over here here": Author interview with Barry. Bronfman says he doesn't remember but doubts anybody refused to sit next to anybody.
Bronfman recalls a...friendly, cordial relationship with the Napster people: Author interview with Bronfman. Napster and label execs didn't like each other and "This was an unbelievably brief meeting": Author interview with Thomas Middelhoff.
Hummer went "radio-silent," called Bronfman, and mentioned AOL's $2 billion offer: Author interview with Bronfman. "Please think about it": Bronfman-Hummer exchange from author interview with Bronfman.
Hummer denies claiming: Author interview with Hummer. AOL was interested but didn't make an offer: Author interview with George Vradenburg. Barry proposed a 50 percent: Author interview with Barry.
"It was not what the perception is": Author interview with Al Smith.
Napster's peak of 26.4 million users in February 2001: This widely used estimate comes from Jupiter Media Metrix, "Global Napster Usage Plummets, but New File-Sharing Alternatives Gaining Ground," July 20, 2001.
"We will take down the music industry": Quote from John Fanning comes from author interview with Eileen Richardson. "I am the record companies' worst nightmare": John Hummer quote from Tully, Shawn, "Big Man Against Big Music," Fortune, Fortune, August 14, 2000, p. 186. August 14, 2000, p. 186.
"I feel very strongly about that moment in time": Author interview with Jeff Kwatinetz.
"Hating Hilary," the Oxford debate, Rosen's personal background, and John Podesta quote: From Bai, Matt, "Hating Hilary," Wired Wired, February 2003, pp. 9496.
"Hilary, just stop it": Author interview with Hilary Rosen.
"I think Al Smith enjoyed our meetings": Author interview with Alan Citron.
Criticism of Rosen as disingenuous: Confidential sources.
"I say this with the most affection possible": Author interview with Hilary Rosen.
Thomas Middelhoff biography: From Gunther, Marc, "Bertelsmann's New Media Man," Fortune Fortune, November 23, 1998, p. 176, and Kirkpatrick, David D., "Thomas Middelhoff Has A Hunch," New York Times Magazine New York Times Magazine, June 10, 2001, pp. 7277.
"He was a charming guy": Author interview with Gerry Kearby.
a loan of $60 million: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 264.
Middelhoff recalls Zelnick: Author interview with Middelhoff. "Without our support or knowledge": Author interview with Zelnick.
"Easy way to be in the headlines": Author interview with Al Smith.
$120,000 salary and $60,000 bonus: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 265. "He was like the most positive and optimistic person": Author interview with Shawn Fanning, 2007.
Essex House detail and "When a Napster user is sitting at his PC": From Kirkpatrick, New York Times Magazine, New York Times Magazine, June 10, 2001, pp. 7277. June 10, 2001, pp. 7277.
"It was just terrible": Author interview with Shawn Fanning, 2007.
[Hilbers] figured $30 million: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, p. 284. $95 million: Ibid., p. 289. Fanning and Middelhoff secret plan: Ibid., p. 301.
"Essentially, that was the end of the game": Author interview with Lyn Jensen.
Cute MX and Gnutella background: From Menn, All the Rave All the Rave, pp. 170175.
"The AOL people said, 'This could be dangerous'": Author interview with Howie Klein. "Neither Warner Music nor anyone else there": Anonymous AOL executive from Swisher, Kara, There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003), p. 187. "Napster is good": Ibid., p. 186. (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003), p. 187. "Napster is good": Ibid., p. 186.
Big Music's Big Mistakes, Part 6: The Secure Digital Music Initiative SDMI itinerary provided by Randy Cole. $5 million to $10 million, from Harris, Ron, "Whatever Happened to SDMI?," Salon Salon, April 29, 2002, which reports that each of the 200 participating companies paid $20,000 to be on the panel. That comes out to $4 million. Some former SDMI members say the costs were higher.
The meetings began informally: Author interviews with Gary Johnson, Randy Cole, and David W. Stebbings.
SDMI T-shirts: Author interview with Albhy Galuten. $200,000 logo and "It's quite a nice logo!": Author interview with Randy Cole, who provided a picture of the logo.
SDMI...portable-device specifications: From Secure Digital Music Initiative, "SDMI Portable Device Specification, Vol. 1," July 8, 1999. Label reps loved it. Electronics firms hated: This is the opinion of several SDMI members, including David W. Stebbings, Randy Cole, Gary Johnson, and others.
Leonardo Chiariglioni background: From chiariglioni.org and author interview with Chiariglioni. "the Famous Leonardo": Author interview with Randy Cole. "Leonardo was essentially a technology socialist": Author interview with Talal Shamoon.