At SXSW 2012, Napster co-founders Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker will sit down with actor-filmmaker Alex Winter to discuss their first company and its aftermath. Winter is currently finishing "Downloaded," a documentary with central contributions from Parker and Fanning, as well as notable musicians and executives. The film will be part of VH1's Emmy Award Winning "Rock Docs" franchise.

The revolutionary promise of digital music became reality with the rise of Napster. The file sharing network pioneered a functional and comprehensive catalog of music with its enthusiastic users. Developed by then-teenaged Shawn Fanning in 1998, Napster became a worldwide phenomenon in less than a year. Co-founder Sean Parker helped develop Napster into a company. Mass acceptance came quickly, but legal challenges ultimately doomed the original service. Despite the controversy and lawsuits, Napster changed the music business and paved the way for iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify and other music services. The divide between the cultural establishment and technology innovators was defined by the disputes raised by Napster. After more than a decade of declining sales of recorded music and imperfect attempts to present a licensed alternative, the influence of Napster continues to be felt.

'Downloaded: The SXSW Interview' will take place on Wednesday, March 14 at the Austin Convention Center. This session will be open to SXSW Music and Platinum registrants, as well as registered SXSW showcasing artists. This session will kick off four days of panels, workshops and unique events which make up the SXSW Music Conference.

For more information on SXSW, visit www.sxsw.com.
For more information on "Downloaded: The Movie" visit www.downloadedthemovie.com.
For more information on VH1 Rock Docs, visit www.rockdocs.vh1.com.

Alex Winter photo courtesy of Jordan Strauss.