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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]

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