"From today, feel free to download another 25 million songs - legally"

[kstar]

Qtrax is a P2P based network which will provide access to over 25 million songs from EMI, Universal and Warner . . . free. Basically, endure some ads and get access to all of this music free. Apparently, from the article, not iPod compatible, so it appears they may be using some funky format?

I haven't read the small print, but it sounds good.

The site: http://qtrax.com/

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

edit: iPod support in April, songs have DRM to count downloads so that artists and labels get paid for popularity of songs and get a proportional share of ad revenue.

edit2: Available now.

edit3: Available now for Windows, March 18 for Mac.

FYI.

Best,

Kurt

[Hugh R]

I've seen this before with Universal Music Group, why not IPod compatabile? I don't get it, I can buy a $35 mpg3 player and it will work, but not an Ipod? Why?

[kstar]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I've seen this before with Universal Music Group, why not IPod compatabile? I don't get it, I can buy a $35 mpg3 player and it will work, but not an Ipod? Why?

I don't know, Hugh, but from the article it sounds like Apple was the one causing the problem - but, again from the article, it sounds like this has been worked out with an iPod solution in April.

FWIW.

Best,

Kurt

[trekkor]

Are there really 25 million songs out there?!?

Wowzer!


KT

[kstar]

Here's some more info from Slashdot:

normant writes in with a note about QTrax, a 5-year-old startup that just announced deals with all the major labels to provide free, ad-supported music downloads. The new wrinkle is that, though the free tracks come encumbered with Windows Media DRM, QTrax claims that they will be playable soon on iPods. Wired's assumption is that the company is on the verge of a deal with Apple to allow use of its FairPlay DRM in place of Microsoft's. (Apple hasn't licensed FairPlay to anyone so far.) The AP coverage of the story assumes that QTrax has found a way around FairPlay on the iPod, and if so, that its solution will break the next time Apple updates iTunes.

Here's the discussion:

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/08/01/27/2237255.shtml

[gprsh924]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

Isn't this just like Rhapsody?

-Wayne

I might be mistaken but it looks like this actually allows you to download for free. You have to pay a monthly fee for rhapsody.

[Zef]

I'm always feel free to do this...!

[kstar]

Uh Oh for Qtrax!

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS SITE IN CHAOS AS RECORD GIANTS PULL OUT

Source: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23434386-details/Free+music+downloads+site+in+chaos+as+record+giant s+pull+out/article.do

Music fans around the world faced confusion today as it was announced they would be able to download unlimited, free songs without breaking the law.

A revamped online file-sharing service had vowed to offer a catalogue of 30million free songs that are compatible with iPods, but record labels have denied they had granted permission to share the songs.

Qtrax, which makes its debut today, is the latest online music venture counting on the lure of free songs to draw in music fans.

The key to their revolutionary venture was thought to be advertising, which they hope will pay the bills, namely record company licensing fees.

The New York-based service was among several peer-to-peer file-sharing applications that emerged following the shutdown of Napster, the pioneer service that enabled millions to illegally copy songs stored in other computers.

But Warner Music said it had not authorised the use of its tracks by Qtrax - and later Universal Music Group and EMI followed suit, saying they did not have licensing deals with Qtrax and discussions were continuing.
Justin Kazmark, a spokesman for New York-based Qtrax, has declined to comment.

To take advantage of the free but legal service, the user will need to download the Qtrax software which displays adverts while the user is searching and downloading songs.

The site was expected to feature special sections including one called "Last Night" where users can search for newly added tracks from live concerts that were recorded the night before.

It will also feature music videos, artist documentaries, interviews, album reviews and biographies among other features.

Qtrax, which makes its debut today, is the latest online music venture counting on the lure of free songs to draw in music fans

Qtrax is not the first service to offer free songs for download with advertising support.

Last September, SpiralFrog launched an ad-supported free service with music from just one of the major record companies Universal Music. It is still in talks with other labels.

The latest version of Qtrax still lets users tap into file-sharing networks to search for music, but downloads come with copy-protection technology known as digital-rights management, or DRM, to prevent users from burning copies to a CD and calculate how to share out advertising sales with labels.

Qtrax downloads can be stored indefinitely on PCs and transferred on to portable music players, however.
The service, which boasts a selection of up to 30million tracks, also hopes that its music downloads will be playable on Apple's iPods and Macintosh computers as early as March.

iPods only play back unrestricted MP3s files or tracks with Apple's proprietary version of DRM, dubbed FairPlay.

CDs sales are falling and file-sharing companies are satisfying the demand for free music online

"We've had a technical breakthrough which enables us to put songs on an iPod without any interference from FairPlay," said Allen Klepfisz, Qtrax's president and chief executive.

Klepfisz declined to give specifics on how Qtrax will make its audio files compatible with Apple devices, but noted that "Apple has nothing to do with it".

Qtrax downloads can be stored indefinitely on PCs and transferred onto portable music players.
Apple has been resistant in the past to license FairPlay to other online music retailers.

That stance has effectively limited iPod users to loading up their players with tracks purchased from Apple's iTunes Music Store, or MP3s ripped from CDs or bought from vendors such as eMusic or Amazon.com.

Rob Enderle, technology analyst at the San Jose-based Enderle Group, said he expects Apple would take steps to block Qtrax files from working on iPods.

It's thought Apple would be unlikely to allow tracks downloaded from its rival to be compatible with its players.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I've seen this before with Universal Music Group, why not IPod compatabile? I don't get it, I can buy a $35 mpg3 player and it will work, but not an Ipod? Why?

Because that would nerf I-tunes, and apple is all about proprietary stuff.

[id10t]

And yet some of us just go to pawn shops and used CD stores and buy discs used and rip 'em...

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Scott R

Because that would nerf I-tunes, and apple is all about proprietary stuff.

yeah, and widows DRM is open source...

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by nostatic

yeah, and widows DRM is open source...

I don't use, just remove it, thats best.

[kstar]

Looks like Qtrax is a bust! Ouch!

From Engadget:

Qtrax goes "live," tracks nowhere to be found

Sorry to disappoint, but Qtrax is falling just a bit short of its promised 25 million tracks at launch. Qtrax busted out its software in "beta" this evening, but isn't offering a single song -- or even a working music browser. The application is a barely skinned version of the open source Mozilla-based Songbird music player, which has certainly come a long ways since its infancy, and which means Qtrax has done just about nothing for you yet -- other than lie about label deals. When you launch the application it helpfully points you to a placeholder page from a Oracle application server, and that's all you'll be getting until Qtrax manages to get label deals sorted, which isn't looking likely at this point.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/qtrax-goes-live-tracks-nowhere-to-be-found/