The year was 1998, and the glow of a chunky CRT monitor was the only light in Elias’s bedroom. He was hunched over, watching a progress bar crawl across a grey window on Napster.

The song reached a crescendo, a howling wall of sound that transcended the cheap plastic speakers. Just as Kay screamed the final lyric, the power in the house blew.

The download speed was abysmal—2.1 KB/s. He’d been waiting four days. Every time his mother picked up the landline to make a call, the connection died, and he’d have to restart the handshake. But tonight, the house was silent. At 3:14 AM, the bar turned solid blue. Download Complete. Elias clicked 'Play.'