http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3261591.ece

Quote :

"With CD sales in free fall and legal downloads yet to fill the gap, the music industry has reluctantly embraced the file-sharing technology that threatened to destroy it. Qtrax, a digital service announced today, promises a catalogue of more than 25 million songs that users can download to keep, free and with no limit on the number of tracks. The service has been endorsed by the very same record companies - including EMI, Universal Music and Warner Music – that have chased file-sharers through the courts in a doomed attempt to prevent piracy. The gamble is that fans will put up with a limited amount of advertising around the Qtrax website’s jukebox in return for authorised use of almost every song available. The service will use the “peer-to-peer” network, which contains not just hit songs but rarities and live tracks from the world’s leading artists."

http://www.qtrax.com

[Edited on January 28, 2008 at 10:30 AM. Reason : .]

1/28/2008 10:29:20 AM

well ok, 5 minutes later I read this:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/01/28/downloading.music.ap/index.html

Quote :

" LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A revamped online file-sharing service that promised to offer unlimited, free music downloads from all the major record labels hit an apparent snag Sunday after one denied it had given the service permission. Qtrax says it will offer more than 25,000,000 songs available for free. Qtrax touted in a press release Sunday morning that it was the first Internet file-swapping service to be "fully embraced by the music industry," and boasted it would carry up to 30 million tracks from "all the major labels." New York-based Warner Music undermined that claim, declaring in a statement that it "has not authorized the use of our content on Qtrax's recently announced service." Universal Music Group and EMI Group PLC later confirmed they did not have licensing deals in place with Qtrax, noting discussions were still ongoing. A call to Sony BMG Music Entertainment was not immediately returned. Music services such as Qtrax must secure licensing agreements from the record companies, which own the rights to master recordings, and music publishers, which control the rights to song compositions. Each of the major recording companies also operates music publishing units. Allan Klepfisz, Qtrax's president and chief executive, acknowledged Sunday that the deal with Warner Music had not been signed, but said he expects to reach an agreement on terms "shortly." "With everybody else, we have agreed on all terms," he added, noting that in some cases, deals had yet to be formally signed. Qtrax had been scheduled to make its online debut on Monday, a day after its splashy coming-out party at the annual Midem music business conference in Cannes, France."

1/28/2008 10:33:42 AM

This is... weird... I wonder what kind of files they are using. I'm just so paranoid of these guys at this point that I wouldn't be surprised if I installed their software and it searched my computer for illegal mp3s then reported back to the RIAA for a lawsuit.

1/28/2008 11:40:47 AM

why would they endorse this if it was truly free? they'd have to be making money somehow

1/28/2008 11:46:15 AM

RTFA, advertising via jukebox on their website

1/28/2008 11:58:24 AM

Quote :

"The gamble is that fans will put up with a limited amount of advertising around the Qtrax website’s jukebox in return for authorised use of almost every song available."

1/28/2008 11:59:11 AM

here are some more subtle details:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/27/midem_qtrax_launch/

Quote :

"Reg readers will be able to spot the flaws in the plan, summarized for us by Dan Cryan of research firm Screen Digest: "Free on its own is not enough," he told us. "It's an ad-funded model built around download an application, and that's a barrier to entry in itself." The DRM ensures that music fans won't be able to take the music to go: it's tied to the host computer and the DRM collects play information to be beamed back to the mothership. The reporting isn't a deal breaker, but the incompatibility may well be. Qtrax said it's working on cracking Apple's FairPlay to allow iPod users to take the music and go."

1/28/2008 12:33:19 PM

shit i put up with advertisement banners on torrent sites already

i still dont see how the record companies could do anything but lose a ton MORE money on this but fuck em

1/28/2008 12:51:02 PM

The record industry just needs to start paying the talent less and pass the savings onto consumers. If you are going to overpay average talent to produce a cd with 1 decent song on it and charge 15 dollars what do they expect?

1/28/2008 1:11:15 PM

perhaps you misunderstand where most of the money from a cd sale goes.

1/28/2008 1:32:13 PM

yeah ~ 2/3 of that $15 goes to the record label

record labels have been fucking over artists since long before consumers started downloading music for free

1/28/2008 1:34:51 PM

I'm perfectly ok with having some advertisements as well as only being able to play files from my PC if they are free. This means I have quick access to check out artists I havent heard of and if I like their stuff then decide on buying their actual cd.

1/28/2008 1:39:45 PM

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23121891-1702,00.html

Quote :

"Now Warner Music has issued a statement denying that it authorised any of its content for use on the Qtrax network. EMI and Universal also denied a licensing deal with Qtrax despite being in discussions with the company. Sony could not be reached for comment. "

This isn't anything. Qtrax is full of lies.

1/28/2008 2:22:17 PM

you forgot:

Quote :

"Qtrax president Allan Klepfisz told AP that Warner was expected to agree to terms "shortly". He claimed that all other parties had agreed to the terms but some deals were yet to be formally signed."

i'm guessing while they overstated their agreements, the fact that the four major recording studios ARE in talks with them is promising, and EMI Group (not EMI Music) does have an agreement.

let's hope they come to these deals quickly... if they can

[Edited on January 28, 2008 at 2:28 PM. Reason : ,]

1/28/2008 2:27:24 PM

sounds like ruckus...

1/28/2008 5:20:26 PM