Over the past few months, Roxio
The market wants to like you, Roxio, so why are you playing so hard to get? The digital media specialist is getting ready to launch a legal -- read "pay" -- version of Napster next week. By acquiring the struggling yet established pressplay service to smoothen out the learning curve of subscriber-based downloads, it also has Sony
Along with Apple
They had the proper anti-establishment pedigree. Apple's "Rip, Mix, Burn" campaign pissed off the labels and Roxio's Easy CD Creator software has been a popular choice for millions of illegal MP3 downloaders -- and that one honest kid in Duluth.
But while Roxio's shares have quadrupled over the past year, it still doesn't get it. It's still doling out an overly generous amount of its stock in the form of employee stock options and it's bleeding red at a time when investors favor some fiscal harmony in their music.
What's the deal, Roxio? You've got a great song to sing. Now you just have to learn to sing it in tune.
Does Napster pose a threat to Apple's successful iTunes run? Will they be able to play together, like ebony and ivory, together in perfect harmony, side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord, why can't we? All this and more -- in the Apple discussion board. Only on Fool.com.