Napster have announced that they are to launch the biggest mp3 music site on the web, and hope to knock Apple's mighty iTunes from the top of the downloads tree.

The new site is described as "more than 50 percent larger than any other MP3 store" and not only the "largest major label MP3 catalog in the industry, but also the largest library of independent music available anywhere."

Apple's iTunes also boasts around 6 million tracks, but their downloads are encoded in the AAC format, and most are protected from copying.

Napster will be charging 99 cents for single MP3 tracks and $9.95 for most MP3 albums, roughly the same as iTunes.