Ad-Supported P2P

[Jason Tate]

EMI is launching (http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLJ,GGLJ:2006-13,GGLJ:en&q=Qtrax) the first ad-supported peer-to-peer music downloading service called Qtrax.

[andrewlterry]

Ad-supported = free downloading? I don't get it.

[TylerDurden911]

This is crap... Sorry, but, well, I don't think I even need to explain why this is crap...

[Tony]

Once a track has been downloaded, users are permitted to listen to it five times for free. Each time a user listens to a track, the service also offers up various click-to-buy options and encourages premium upgrades.

Users can opt to subscribe to a paid version of the service that offers carte blanche access to all music on the Qtrax network, utilizing Microsoft's Janus DRM technology. It also allows for transfer of songs to PlaysForSure-enabled portable devices for as long as the user's subscription remains active.
So, it's basically Napster, but with the 5 free listens, you're also subjected to ads?

[lassise]

yeah i dont really get why this is even being created. you can get cdigix for $2 a month and have everything you want (and then use tunebite to make those darn wma protected files ipod friendly mp3s)

[waggy]

good to see the labels going in this direction. obviously the first few incarnations will have some problems, but i'm glad they finally appear to be taking their heads out of the sand and embracing the digital music age.

[mykelefty]

first? pssh... first time i downloaded kazaa, it had ads, and i got plenty of free tunes =)

[WSUskee]

This sounds like they are on the right track. I think someone should be able to listen to the song a few times before they have to pay for it. I dont download at all now and have never paid to do so but a lot of the stuff I donwloaded off of Kazaa lite, I think it was, I would of never listened to in the first place. Record labels are finally coming around and embracing this peer to peer crap thank you lord.