AOL has done its bit to help Napster with its 'hack' problem.
As previously reported, there has been much talk this week about how a tool in the WinAmp software can be used to make a digital recording of tracks available via download platforms. Although this tool can be used with any download platform, subscription based platforms like Napster are most vulnerable because for a relatively small sum of money you can access the company's entire music catalogue and, if you wish (and have no morals whatsoever), can proceed to record every track in there, so you can keep them after your subscription has expired. Although not a new tool, there has been much coverage of the hack since a 'how to do it' guide started circulating on the web last week.
With all that in mind AOL, who bought the company who made WinAmp back in 1999 (even though its creator, Justin Frankel, was also behind the Gnutella P2P network that companies like AOL tried to crush!), yesterday deleted the tool that allows you to record online tracks, though no doubt copies of the tool will circulate on message boards for some time.
Napster are lucky Apple didn't own WinAmp. With Napster's main competitor apparently overjoyed by all the bad press Napster the download platform have been getting, Steve Jobs would probably have emailed every one in the world a copy of the hack tool (he's already reportedly sent label bosses a link to it!).