Napster hit the internet in 1999 and completely flipped the music world on its head. It was a peer-to-peer file-sharing app that let anyone trade MP3s for free, which meant your dial-up connection suddenly became a gateway to every song you’d ever wanted—no CDs, no waiting for radio. By 2000, millions of users were swapping tracks, and updates like Napster 2.0 made it even easier to search and download. But the music industry came swinging—Metallica and the RIAA lawsuits in 2000 and 2001 led to a shutdown by mid-2001. Even though it was short-lived, Napster sparked the entire era of digital music and set the stage for iTunes, streaming, and the way we consume music today.