Popular file sharing site Rapidshare will close next month, hit by the rise of streaming services and a crackdown on piracy.
The site has endured a long period of decline, including sacking 75 per cent of its staff in 2013.
The rise of legal streaming services (such as Rdio, Spotify and Soundcloud) has also affected the service considerably.
The Swiss company appears never to have recovered from introducing strict anti-piracy measures in 2013 as well as scrapping its free service
Users have now been advised that they need to back up their date because as of 31 March all accounts will be deleted.
A message on the company’s website reads:
“Dear RapidShare Customers
Kindly note that RapidShare will stop the active service on March 31st, 2015. Extensions of STANDARD PLUS and PREMIUM will be possible until February 28th, 2015.
We strongly recommend all customers to secure their data. After March 31st, 2015 all accounts will no longer be accessible and will be deleted automatically.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send us an e-mail to support@rapidshare.com
Thank you for many years of trust. Your RapidShare Team”
“It’s clear that Rapidshare lost the majority of its users in recent years, after it implemented a series of anti-piracy measure,” Ernesto van der Sar, editor of TorrentFreak, told the BBC. “This visitor exodus has led to a sharp decline in revenues. The announced shutdown suggests that it was no longer viable for Rapidshare to offer its services in the present form.”