Limp Bizkit Close to $2-Million Software Deal

Rock act Limp Bizkit was close to completing an estimated $2-million deal with controversial software developer Napster Inc. to sponsor the band’s next concert tour, sources said. The move flies in the face of the music industry’s vehement opposition to Napster, whose technology allows fans to easily distribute pirated music online. Last week, rock group Metallica sued Napster for copyright infringement, accusing Napster of encouraging its Web site visitors to unlawfully copy and transmit unauthorized reproductions of Metallica’s music on the Internet. Napster was also sued in December for copyright infringement by the Recording Industry Assn. of America, the trade group that represents the nation’s five largest record conglomerates. Representatives for Napster and Limp Bizkit, which releases its music through Seagram’s Interscope Records, were unavailable for comment.