Hey guys, there's a new site launching tonight at midnight (EST) called QTrax. Remember how much I've been raving about Rhapsody? Well, this is just like Rhapsody. Only difference is it's totally free plus it's totally legal with the permission of four of the major labels. 25 million songs. Free. The only problem with it is the songs are DRM'ed and in WMA format which means that you can't play them on an IPod (but they say they should be able to be by March...not sure how...)

Things are finally getting better in the music industry! Maybe. We'll see in an hour or so!

http://qtrax.com/

I'll try it - cheers...

Great ! Hope it won't be US-only
Or we will have it in a few months..

Doesn't have a licensing agreement with the major labels, Warner, EMI and Universal have denied agreement.

Mostly I won't be using this as it's basically a massive advert holding, DRM crap, bad quality MP3's and renewing licenses. No thanks.

Yeah, it was too good to be true. Don't download it because you'll have to register and you don't want to register if it's illegal. I really thought the industry took a tiny step but I was wrong again.

I was reading where file sharing sites like Rapidshare and Mega Upload are among the most popular sites on the internet based on amount of traffic and that they are making very good money off advertising.

Imagine how much money could be made if the labels agreed to license their stuff, DRM-free to a massive file sharing service with a $5 monthly charge for, say, 50 downloads. I think a lot of people would sign up at that rate (way more than use Rapidshare). Instead of getting nothing, the artists would be getting a cut of what certainly would be a hugely popular website.

The advantages to users would be:

- high quality DRM-fee mp3s
- legal
- no risk of tampered with files or viruses
- easy to use interface (I'm assuming i-tunes as a model)
- opportunity to stream full songs (at least 2x per song)

The advantages to rights-holders:

-get a big piece of the online market that is currently going for free
-generate huge interest in music (if done correctly).
-money from subscriptions and advertising.

When will somebody figure this out? File-sharing is not going away. Best strategy would be to get on board and try to get some of the money.

The major labels have to realize that their main "product" (i.e., the ability to control distribution of music) is dead. Either they will get on board with the new way of doing things or die off.

It's gotta be better than $5 for 50 downloads. It has to be unlimited or nobody is going to buy it. It has to be equal to what's out there right now and people will pay a certain amount to be on the right side of the law.

The problem lies with Itunes and Apple. They have this product that people have bought into hook, line and sinker and meanwhile companies are trying to work on new models but they are failing because of the stranglehold Apple has on the entertainment world. NBC tried to launch Hulu which is a great site for watching television programs but it's failing even though it's free. Advertisers aren't paying for it.

People need to stop paying premium prices and learn to adapt to things when businesses try to make productive steps. Otherwise, we're going to continue to be asked to pay 10 dollars for a digital album, 4 dollars for a movie rental and 2 dollars to watch a TV program. Stop using ITunes. I have no problem with Apple or the Ipod but the Itunes business model is keeping the digital revolution at a standstill because people keep paying those ridiculous prices.

I would pay 10 cents per track, but I'm used to paying a lot more. Now days that's probably high.

I think people are going to stop using i-Tunes. To me, the DRM is more annoying than the cost. Amazon has a very big selection that's DRM-free and at a higher bit rate.

Plus, people are investing a lot in the future of Apple and Ipods. Just think where we'd be today if Sony sold cassettes and CD's that only played in Walkmans and Discmans. I can't believe people pay full price for AAC songs that you have to convert (losing quality from average quality AAC files) to play anywhere other than their computer or Ipod.

DRM'ed files don't bother me if I'm not paying for them or buying a subscription. They should never be on a song you payed full price for. DRM'ed files also bother me when they aren't able to be played on any player. There's Apple rearing it's ugly head again.

This is why I stick to vinyl

I'd stick to vinyl if there were a way to transfer an LP through a fiber optic cable. The instant gratification of mp3s is too nice to ignore.

whatever happened to actually buying albums? =( but thanks for the update i'm going to definitely check out this site

It's not working so don't bother. You can download the software but you can't download anything. I'd stay clear of it for now.

oh alright man