[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

Consolidation in the music streaming business. Rhapsody has acquired Napster International for an undislosed sum. Rhapsody will own and operate the Napster service in Germany and the United Kingdom. Users going to the Napster website are now being redirected to Rhapsody.

Jon Irwin (President, Rhapsody): The acquisition of Napster and its subscriber base in the UK and Germany gives us an ideal entry to the European market.

Rhapsody retains all Napster International employees and will operate under the Napster brand in Germany and the UK.  Napster subscribers will be migrated to Rhapsody’s infrastructure in March, and they will be able to keep the music libraries they have built. In coming months, subscribers will also see enhancements to the Web client and mobile apps, most notably improved offline playback quality and a greater ability to manage playlists, says Rhapsody.