Napster has opened its 1.5m-song catalogue to music downloaders in Germany, the company said today.

The tracks are available to buy on a one-off basis for €0.99 a song, and Napster is offering its usual unlimited-download rental service for €9.95, or €14.95 with the opportunity to transfer songs to digital music players.

Germany is the fourth country Napster has set up shop. Since its 2003 US debut as the legal Napster 2.0, the company has launched in the UK and Canada (April and May 2004, respectively). That leaves it some way behind its nearest rival, Apple's iTunes Music Store, which has branches in 21 countries, including all the territories Napster is operating in.

Germany has other legal music services, many of them run by Loudeye subsidiary OD2, but Napster is believed to be the first to offer an all-you-can-eat subscription package. ®

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