The Napster portal was once a pioneer in downloading all kinds of music on the Internet. Initially, however, without any legal basis (i.e. totally illegal), because the music industry was hostile to this new topic for a long time.
Napster later reinvented itself as a (legal) streaming portal.
No more music to stream
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The Napster option no longer makes sense for many o2 customers.
Bild: Picture Alliance / dpa
The situation has now changed again. Napster no longer offers any “real” streaming of licensed music from pop and rock, etc., and all contracts with music publishers and record labels have been terminated. Now Napster is looking for salvation in “AI music“, where there hardly seem to be any rights problems or costs. Now some users have booked a subscription to Napster through their mobile phone provider or it is/was part of a mobile phone tariff, such as Aldi-Talk.
We asked o2 and have now received an answer as to what happens next for o2 customers with the Napster option.
o2 Telefónica Standard customers: Napster can be canceled monthly
For o2 customers, o2-Telefónica told us: “The Napster Music Flat is an additional option that can be booked separately and is independent of the mobile phone tariff.” During the test phase it can be ended at any time, “after which it can be canceled on a monthly basis”.
o2 admitted that “proactive information” (i.e. from o2 without any prior request from customers) had not yet been sent to all customers because the option could be canceled very flexibly. However, o2 is taking the changed scope of services at Napster as an opportunity to “currently examine the option and evaluate possible adjustments so that the offer remains consistent”.
New regulations for Aldi-Talk music package
At Aldi Talk, the Napster service is available as part of a music package. According to information from o2-Telefónica, Aldi Talk had been sending “proactive SMS communication” to music package customers since December 18, 2025, announcing the discontinuation of the tariff.
The text for this was as follows: Important contract information: Your currently booked music package will no longer be offered in the future. The reason for this is the heavily reduced Napster music streaming offer. It is possible to switch to another Aldi Talk tariff option, e.g. combination packages or S/M/L tariff, at any time. If you do nothing, you will automatically revert to the basic tariff (0.24 euros/MB; 0.11 euros/min./SMS) at the end of the term of your active package. Thank you very much for your understanding. Your Aldi Talk Team”
An assessment (by Henning Gajek)
Nothing is more constant than change. You can’t blame o2-Telefónica here at all, because they have no influence on Napster’s business policy. It was foreseeable that the market for music streaming services would clear up over time. In addition, a simmering discussion about the sometimes questionable remuneration of individual musicians could gain further momentum, which is likely to increase market pressure.
Artists in particular who are little to “medium” known receive fees in the thousandths of a cent (per streaming access) from the streaming portals, but only if the title has been accessed more than 1,000 times in a year for more than 30 seconds each.
Only “superstars” like Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift (to give examples without judging their music) receive significant income from streaming portals. But no one wants to go back to the old model, where you had to buy records or CDs “on suspicion” for 10-20 euros or more.
What is still missing is a “news flat rate” that allows you to read all newspapers and magazines. A viable model that is affordable for users and offers authors and publishers a living has not yet been able to establish itself.
The topic of music also always plays a role at teltarif.de.
