Konrad Hilbers, Napster's newly appointed chief executive, told the German newspaper Stern that the fee was necessary to pay royalties to the musicians. He also said that Napster users will be able to share their own CDs via their own computer and internet connection.
Napster has been working on a subscription-based service ever since a US court slapped an injunction on the company in March, banning it from allowing users to share copyrighted music.
The company struggled to filter out copyrighted material and another court order on July 11 halted the company's operations until it was able to comply fully with the injunction. The Court of Appeals has since stayed the ruling and Napster hopes to be online again soon.
German media giant Bertelsmann signed a deal earlier this year with Napster to help develop the subscription-based service.
Napster has also signed a worldwide licensing agreement with 150 independent record labels in the UK and Europe. Music from the independent labels will be available on the service, alongside music from BMG, EMI and AOL Time Warner.