From Napster to Netflix: The History and Impact of Streaming Services | Retro Report

The software was called Napster, so named by its 18-year-old developer, and its usage soon exploded on college campuses across the country. No longer did music lovers have to go to the record store to buy CDs – with the click of a mouse, they could gain free access to their favorite tunes. Seeing a fundamental threat to its long-profitable business model, the record industry took to the courts to shut down the upstart company. But a generation of consumers had tasted instant entertainment on demand, and there was no turning back.