The free installation of Napster 2.0 is for users in the U.S. only and is currently only compatible with systems running Microsoft's Windows XP or Windows 2000, according to Melissa Foo, Napster's retail marketing manager in the U.K.

As an added incentive to sign up for the Napster service, the company is also offering five free tracks that can be burned to CD or transferred to one of 40 compatible portable music devices for those who subscribe to the service for $ 9.95 per month after their free trial ends.

Holiday Shopping

The paid-service Napster has licensing deals with all five major labels and a handful of independents. Though such licensing deals put constrictions on the Napster service, Roxio is still a CD-burning software provider, and as part of its holiday marketing blitz, it is offering Napster Burnpak. The product couples Napster with Roxio's Easy CD & DVD Creator 6 Starter Kit for $ 29.99, and with the December offer consumers get to choose five free tracks from Napster that they can download to burn to CD or DVD.

Last, but not least, the company is offering a stocking-stuffer-sized prepaid Napster Music Card that holds 15 digital music downloads for $ 14.85. The cards can be obtained at nearly 20,000 retail locations in the U.S., Napster said.

As for a Napster 2.0 outside of the U.S., Foo would only say that the company does have a gameplan for launching the service in Europe sometime in the new year.