Download Squad

TuneSquare is a new ad-supported music download service that lives somewhere in between the world of illegal P2P sites and paid services like iTunes and Rhapsody.

Here's how it works. You visit TuneSquare, browse for songs by category or use the search bar, and begin listening to music. While you listen, a video ad will play. If you like what you hear, you can download the track for free. That's all there is to it.

Unlike some other free download services (Spiral Frog, we're looking at you), there's no DRM on the songs. You can burn them to a CD, and you don't have to revisit the site 30 days to keep your music collection active.

Musicians who sign up for TuneSquare accounts can split the advertising revenue generated every time someone listens to their songs on the site. It sounds like a win-win situation. But as with many music startups, there's a chicken and egg problem. TuneSquare primarily features music from artists you've never heard of. And that means the site won't likely get a ton of traffic, which means it won't be able to charge much for advertising -- which means that most of the artists who sign up for the site will be musicians you've never heard of.

Still, we like the concept, and just because you're not familiar with the artists doesn't mean that their music stinks. Well, sometimes. Anyway, if you've got a few minutes to kill, you might want to do some music browsing. Even if you don't like what you hear, you'll be helping out a few starving artists while you look for something to listen to on the way to work tomorrow.

[via The Plugg]