I had the exact same idea a few months before Napster became really popular. Instead of a separate client/server, my idea was to use IRC (and a specialized fil

I had the exact same idea a few months before Napster became really popular. Instead of a separate client/server, my idea was to use IRC (and a specialized fileserver) for sharing mp3s. One night while I was working on this project (I got it to a functional level), I turned on the TV and saw a special report on the old TechTV talking about Napster. I gave up on it a week later. Even if I pursued the idea, I don't know if I would have gotten very far. I had no money for servers/bandwidth and no way to get venture capital. Not to mention that most of the filesharing clients that were around during that time were sued out of existence.