Industry & Culture
The Bite in the Apple Is About To Get Bigger
Either a desperate attempt to stabilize the record industry's crippled economy or a crafty RIAA-concocted, Dreamweaver-designed, peer-to-peer-disguised trap intended to seize mp3 embezzlers - you decide. But as of midnight tonight (EST), a new file-sharing program is being introduced to the record-thieving public that is designed, not to combat the relentless custom of illegal downloading that has left the industry with virtually no pragmatism, but to assist it through concession.In layman terms, the premise of Qtrax is simple: in exchange for low profile advertising being littered all throughout the program, users who utilize the service will have access to over 25 million songs. For free. No memberships. No fees. No limits. All with the blessing of the 4 major record labels (EMI, Sony, Universal, Warner). And, according to their skillfully worded disclaimer, it's 100% legal (provided you don't steal works you're not legally allowed to own or use and understand that you are solely responsible for any copyrighted material you choose to download).
Some will take this as the final nail hammered in the coffin of an already comatose record industry. Others will count it as an embrace of change and a catalyst for a future industry revolution. And still others will consider it a catch-22 and accept that illegal-turned-legal downloading is an unavoidable battle not to be won or lost. As Queen Mary J. Blige sees it, "it is what it is...accept it for now, until someone stands up and says, 'okay, let's pull the plug on this'".
[QTrax]
Tags: qtrax
Comments
Ummmm, I dunno about this. Something reeks of corporate snooping...the same way that Microsoft basically hijacks your computer through embedded programs that sniff out any illegal versions of software you may be using. I don't think this is kosher at all. Long live LimeWire. LOL
Stephanie Renee | February 5, 2008 8:46 AM | PermalinkAdorable, Qtrax is really designed to help the industry moreso than the consumer because 80% of the revenue generated from all the advertising will be paid to the labels and artists in exchange for the music. The help to you is that you can now "safely" download music for free and not run the risk of being sodomized by the RIAA (again, provided you understand the legal ramifications of downloading and possessing copyrighted materials and don't steal music you haven't been given permission to own and use).
And Ill Mami, Qtrax will be Mac-friendly come March 18th. Viva La Musica Revolucion!
Shooter | January 28, 2008 5:02 PM | PermalinkYeah, Ant, I did mention the advertising (that was promised to not be a nuisance) but failed to mention that it's an actual program you have to download and install. And the DRM should be removed in the next month so that all the songs will be iTunes-friendly. Small price to pay, no? And word to the wise : downloading copyrighted material without consent is illegal so you're on your own once you use their service to download said copyright material if the RIAA decides to come after you. It's the classic "we'll give you the bullets and the gun but you're responsible for the trigger" scenario.
Shooter | January 28, 2008 5:00 PM | PermalinkI changed my mind! I don't care how free it is, it ain't free enough for me to have to download some software to play the stuff, the software is some player that takes up your whole damn screen, and to top it off, there are ads and shit in the player, plus the mp3s have DRM embedded in them. No ma'am! Like Shooter said, I will stick with what has been working for me, either buying what I want or acquiring it by other means!
AntBee | January 28, 2008 2:08 PM | PermalinkI am still confused, I do not get what Qtrax is suppose to help.
Adorable | January 28, 2008 2:07 PM | PermalinkI think I'll stick wih the Russian websites. QTrax is not feeling my Apple. Windows only? C'mon, Q-Trax. Give us Mac users some love!
Ill Mami | January 28, 2008 2:02 PM | PermalinkIt's tempting but iTunes, zShare, Ares, and Soulseek work pretty fine for me. Lemme know how it goes, though.
Shooter | January 28, 2008 1:48 PM | PermalinkI'll do it if you'll do it. Lemme know, OK?
AntBee | January 28, 2008 1:35 PM | Permalink