All the Rave: The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning’s Napster by Joseph Menn

In Joseph Menn’s engaging and insightful book “All the Rave: The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning’s Napster”, he takes us through the meteoric rise and dramatic downfall of Shawn Fanning, and his dream of revolutionizing the industry of music downloading. Menn shows how this nineteen year old kid had a vision and how it was nearly impossible for him to stop even when the onslaught of corporate lawsuits threatened to derail him. We discover how this young genius was up against not just the music industry but, how he also had to fight technology, hackers, venture capitalists, software companies and the all-powerful Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA.

Menn begins by giving us a backdrop of the music industry in the late 90’s. Prior to the introduction of Napster, the music market dominated by physical records was in decline and compact discs were the mainstay. The industry was confused and feared the changes technology would bring. Fanning launched the program Napster hoping to revolutionize the music industry by enabling individuals to easily swap music with each other for free.

At the time, no one had heard of the program, let alone dreamed of the impact it would have across the music industry. In the book, Menn gives us an in-depth look at Andreessen, Fanning, and their battles with the music industry. Fanning and his team of coders developed a simple but sophisticated piece of software that would facilitate free music transfer and digtal sharing of audio files.

The program was an immediate hit, spreading rapidly around the world and gaining millions of users. However, the success was not long-lived, as the RIAA brought a massive lawsuit to shut down the service. They claimed that the infringement of copyrighted music was not only illegal, but financially damaging to the industry as well. The case went to court and ended in a conclusive victory for the music industry. This was a monumental loss for technology and the concept of intellectual property.

Menn follows the lives of Fanning and Andreessen after the demise of Napster. Despite the legal woes, Fanning and his team continued to develop newer and better pieces of software, culminating in the launch of their own MusicDNA. MusicDNA offered consumers a way to purchase music from any device as well as an incredible range of radio-style music options.

While MusicDNA never achieved the same level of success that Napster did, Menn in his book shows that its development changed the way people think about digital music and changed the way the music industry does business. Fanning ultimately achieved a partial victory against the music industry, but his journey to make digital downloading a reality was filled with challenges, court battles, and legally approved technology.

In the end, Menn’s book provides us with an extraordinary look into the rise, fall, and potential resurrection of Fanning’s dream. We learn of the trials and tribulations he faced and the bitter legal battles he had to endure. Through the lens the author provides us with, we are able to better understand the social, technological, and legal implications of a revolutionary idea like Napster. By the time we finish reading, we may have a much better understanding of the industry, its players, and the power of a strong vision.