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Think of Napster like you think of Netflix (or more specifically, Netflix Watch Instantly)- you have unlimited usage privileges while you're a subscriber, but when you stop paying, you don't have right to use the content anymore.

It's a trade-off between ownership and access. If you were to buy all 300 of those songs as MP3s from Napster (or any other digital music service), you'd be out about $300 up front. However, as a Napster subscriber, that same $300 would allow you to access those songs (and all the others available on Napster) for 20 months.

If you only ever want those 300 songs, it probably makes more sense to buy them, but if you add more than 15 songs to your collection on average every month, it's cheaper to maintain a subscription than to buy every song you want.

As for why your account was canceled, I'm guessing you signed up with a gift card and didn't supply a credit card, or your credit card got denied when it came time to renew your subscription. As with most monthly subscriptions, your account is going to stay active as long you don't cancel and they can keep charging your card.

If you sign up for a Napster To Go account, you get unlimited downloads that work on your PC and compatible devices. When you stop your subscription, the files stop working. If you want tracks that will work after you stop your subscription (MP3s), you need to pay per track, just like pretty much every other legal service. You'll need an account, but not a subscription to purchase MP3s from Napster.