Infinite Reality Announces $207 Million Napster Purchase

The joint Infinite Reality and Napster logo. Photo Credit: Infinite Reality

Napster has once again sold – this time to self-described “social metaverse technology company” Infinite Reality, which says it paid over $200 million.

Infinite Reality (IR) reps reached out with word of the $207 million transaction’s “definitive agreement” this morning. It’s now been four years and change since MelodyVR purchased the rebranded Napster for a reported $70 million.

(MelodyVR is seemingly defunct; Companies House documents indicate that the entity formally shut down in 2023. As things stand, the shuttered business’s web address redirects one to some sort of Indonesian-language shopping site resembling Amazon and dealing in virtual slot-machine games.)

At the time of the 2021 sale, Napster was operating not as an infamous music-sharing platform, but as a fully licensed streaming service. Keeping the focus on top-level details here, 2022 then saw Napster find yet another new owner.

Jumping back to the current year, Napster remains on the fringes in the crowded on-demand space, DMN Pro’s streaming market-share data shows.

Nevertheless, the rebranded Napster has evidently found users – though we were recently reminded of the point for less-than-positive reasons. Closer to the beginning of 2025, reports alleged multi-month royalty-payment delays from the company.

In any event, those royalty woes are presumably in the rearview with today’s deal, which also appears poised to usher in a comprehensive pivot for Napster.

According to Infinite Reality, co-founded and led by former Display Social CEO John Acunto, it intends “to transform Napster beyond streaming into a social and interactive music platform.”

Among other things, the plans include initiatives centering on Infinite Reality’s Drone Racing League and esports holdings. Having announced a $3 billion raise at a $12.25 billion valuation in January 2025, IR further deals in “AI-powered virtual stores and experiences,” IRL event production, and more, its website relays.

On the artist side (and against the backdrop of a well-documented embrace of superfan initiatives in the streaming world), Infinite Reality touched on several objectives for Napster moving forward.

The forthcoming Napster iteration, the purchaser communicated, will enable talent to sell merch (physical as well as digital), host virtual concerts and listening experiences, leverage a variety of AI customer-service tools, and tap into “enhanced analytics dashboards to better understand fan behavior,” to name a few features.

“By acquiring Napster,” Infinite Reality head John Acunto added in part, “we’re paving a path to a brighter future for artists, fans, and the music industry at large. … I firmly believe that the artist-fan relationship is evolving, with fans craving hyper-personalized, intimate access to their favorite artists, while artists are searching for innovative ways to deepen connections with fans, and access new streams of revenue.

“We’re creating the ultimate music platform where artists can thrive in the next wave of digital disruption,” the former Recording Academy member concluded.

Lastly, Napster CEO Jon Vlassopulos is expected to continue at the helm while simultaneously taking “on a broader role” within Infinite Reality.

“With Infinite Reality’s expertise in immersive 3D technology,” the former Roblox music exec Vlassopulos said in part, “we will transform Napster into a next-generation platform where fans don’t just listen on their own—they experience music in entirely new ways.”