SillyDog701

[Antony]

From 7News last night (27 Jan 2008),
there's a new music service Qtrax that has agreements with major records companies (Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI and Universal) that allowing users to download and listen to music for free.

The deal: you get the music absolutely free legally, but you agree to accept ads.

(they) invite music fans to obtain songs in return for accepting advertising. QTrax also records how often tracks are played and by whom valuable information for labels.

Qtrax: http://www.qtrax.com

More detail: Qtrax offers free music downloads

Please feel free to discuss. (except promoting piracy or any illegal activities)

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[richard mitnick]

I am using mp3 download quite a bit, but I am using Amazon, not free, but quite reasonable. I do not mind paying a fair price.

I do a lot with music with internet streaming. My current paradigm is to keep up a stream from Live365, WPRB-FM at Princeton University, or WNYC2, the 24/7/365 web stream from WNYC Public Radio in New York City.

I keep the web site open to the proper page so that I can see to what I am listening. If I like it enough to buy it, I just hop over to Amazon on another tab and buy the mp3 album. The downloads are slick and quick.

>>RSM

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[Don_HH2K]

An interesting article up at Reuters: Music labels say no deal with Qtrax.

The world's biggest music companies, including Warner Music Group Corp and Sony BMG, denied that they have agreed to license songs for a free download service that was launched by Qtrax on Monday.

Qtrax told Reuters and other media outlets last week that it had deals with the major labels representing about 75 percent of all music sales, to let users download songs for free in a new service to be supported by advertising revenue.

But by Monday, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner had publicly denied that they had agreed to back the new Qtrax service.

A source close to Universal Music, the largest of the group, said it also had not signed a deal for the new Qtrax service and is still in discussions.

And a source close to EMI Group said that while its song publishing unit has an agreement with Qtrax, its recorded music arm, EMI Music, does not.

I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it turns out that Qtrax either misimplemented the rights given to them by recording companies, jumped the gun on making offers before signing contracts, or plain-out is an illegitimate service.

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[richard mitnick]

You know, I don't know if anyone else is offering free downloads for the price of watching advertisements, and I certainly does not interest me.

But, if there is a market for this, and the ads allow the company offering the downloads to pay the royalties and still make a profit, then the music companies are passing up another way to get their product out.

>>RSM

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[Antony]

Personally, I don't mind some slight-restrictive music I pay for. Specially for only 99cents (before iTunes Plus), I am allowed to own it and listen to it on up-to 5 computers (at one time), and to burn unlimited numbers of CDs.

Some start to believe that Qtrax is getting publicity by intentional misleading. Free music from Qtrax: just a misleading trick? (IT Wire)

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