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Posts with tag SpiralFrog

Filed under: Audio, Internet, Video, Features, News, Windows, Web services, Freeware, P2P

A look inside Spiralfrog's free major label download service

SpiralFrog's Canadian only beta just opened this week, after months of speculation as to what the service -- originally announced last August -- might look and act like. The long and short of it is; The service works as advertised, it doesn't include audio advertisements as many originally speculated and, they have a significant catalog on offer. There are some serious catches involved though so, read on for the full review and a screenshot tour of the first true "free and legal" music download service offering up major label tunes.

Gallery: SpiralFrog

Video Jukebox

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Filed under: Audio, Internet, News

Will ad supported music downloads work?

SpiralFrogI need to know something. You are the only one who can help me here. Why? Because I need your opinion on something. I already have my own opinion, so it is no use asking myself about it, I already know. Let's say someone was offering you free music, and you could download it legally, but the catch is that you would have to watch a 90 second ad clip before you could download the song. Would you do it? Just once or all the time, every day? Would you get sick of the ads in a month?I guess what I am asking is this: will ad-based downloads be worth it to the downloader. SpiralFrog thinks you will want to watch these ads to get free music. They think 90 seconds isn't too long to make someone wait for a tune, is it? Will ad-supported music downloads be hot or not? I am not so sure it will work the way they plan, but it could be a big hit, it is hard to say at this point. What do you think?

[Via The Age]

Filed under: Audio, Internet, News, Web services

SpiralFrog, EMI, and downloads in your cup

This week record label EMI signed a deal with SpiralFrog to provide lyrics (ad-supported) from their artists to SpiralFrog users, and allow free access for US residents to the music available from EMI. Good news for listeners, but something I read in the article on USA Today bothered me a bit. It was the statement by Roger Faxon, EMI'ss co-chief executive, that EMI wants to "recapture consumer demand, which has been hijacked by online piracy." He apparently doesn't quite know what he's talking about. Consumer demand is all but gone not because of online piracy, but because recording companies refuse to give consumers what they want. That is what it comes down to, they are inflexible and still producing CDs when the whole consumer population is moving toward using other avenues to get their music. This is the age of convenience, as mentioned in this story, where people bought and downloaded more songs OTA than expected in the UK. UBC Media got an 83% acceptance rate among users, which surprised them, and isn't bad. Like Blockbuster, recording companies need to get with the program, or they will be wiped out in the near future. The companies with the big lead (like Apple, Napster, rhapsody, others) in the digital music arena will not stand still and wait for the others to catch up, they will (and already do) dominate the market, and will continue to do so. EMI and others need to wake up and smell the downloads.

Filed under: Business, Internet, Web services

Legal Music Downloads with SpiralFrog

spiralfrog legal music downloadsSpiralFrog is coming out of the streets of New York City to prove that free legal music downloading is where its at. The service will stay in business by offering ad-supported downloads of audio and video. There are some major labels signed on to this startups project including recording giant Universal Music.

The Universal music deal will allow SpiralFrog users in Canada and the US the ability to download the Universal Music Group's catalogue. There will be no cost to the end user. There will be DRM built into all of the audio and video content. There is no word on the effect that this might have on the content, but it could potentially block it from being burned properly, or transferred to MP3 devices. The SpiralFrog service is scheduled to launch in beta form at the end of 2006.

[Via GigaOM]

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

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