Napster, once the largest online community for illegal music, will debut on Thursday as a legal alternative to obtaining music via the Internet.

Purchased by Roxio for $5 million last year, Napster will launch with 500 000 songs, more than double what iTunes launched with earlier this year. In addition, Roxio’s subscription based service, Pressplay, will shut down on Tuesday.

Users will have a choice between an a la carte service or a monthly fee. If you choose the monthly fee option, there will be a fee to burn the tracks to CD, but you will be able to download an unlimited amount of songs.

“Within the Napster environment, it’s yours,” says Roxio CEO Chris Gorog. “But if you elect to move it, you can click and buy it.”






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