"We are going from streaming music to streaming intelligence," CEO John Acunto said, pitching the move as an update to a brand that once shook up the music industry. "Napster really changed the world of music, and we're really looking to change the world of agentic AI specifically." The reboot centers on selling AI agents via Microsoft Corp.'s Azure cloud platform, which Acunto framed as a natural fit with the company's disruptive roots. He added that he played a key role in Infinite Reality's $207 million purchase of Napster last year.
Napster is keeping things asset light. Rather than stand up its own compute stack, the firm plugs its agents into established large language models, leaving Azure to manage the underlying infrastructure while Napster provides the front end, according to Acunto. The core offering powers one-to-one interactions between businesses and their customers, whether online or in a physical store, and can surface why shoppers bail before buying.
Acunto pegged the price at about one cent per minute, while competitors charge from 25 cents up to $1 per minute. "The cost difference is the first thing you feel," he said.
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Napster points to its AI concierge "Jack," which ran at the Spa Formula 1 Grand Prix in Belgium. According to the company, Jack engaged in over 17,000 chats spanning 21 languages and contributed to a projected $285,000 in extra revenue. Acunto added that, with Microsoft's arrangement, clients retain ownership of their data, maintain direct ties to their customers, and preserve control over their own models.
As for the original music app, Napster shut it down in January. Acunto left the door open to reviving the brand through AI-driven music experiences, while noting the creative arena is sensitive. For your wallet, here's the takeaway: Napster is betting that ultra-cheap, business-facing AI that plugs into Azure can generate measurable sales lift. If it works, that cost gap is the feature that could matter most.