Universal backs free music offer... ad supported

[method77]

Vivendi Universal, the world's biggest music group, has signed a deal to make its music catalogue available on a free legal downloads service.

Under the agreement, Spiralfrog will offer Universal's songs online in the US and Canada.

New York-based Spiralfrog will launch its service in December and make its money by carrying adverts on the site.

BBC

[DudeAsInCool]

Napster is doing the same thing. The question is whether the music will be streaming or actual downloads. According to the article, the company hasnt figured out their business model--what to charge advertisers, what to give artists... It will be interesting to see how it all goes down

[KiwiCoromandel]

SpiralFrog, a new music download service, on Tuesday said it would make Vivendi's Universal Music Group's catalogue available for free legal downloading in the United States and Canada.

The new advertising-supported service, due to launch later this year, joins the ranks of rivals battling for a piece of the digital music market in the shadow of Apple Computer's dominant iTunes music store.

New York-based SpiralFrog said it would offer users of its free, web-based service the ability to legally download music of Universal's roster, which includes U2, Gwen Stefani and The Roots.

"Offering young consumers an easy-to-use alternative to pirated music sites will be compelling," SpiralFrog Chief Executive Robin Kent said in a statement.

Kent said SpiralFrog's business model is based on sharing income from advertising with content partners like Universal.

The company's research revealed that consumers are willing to "pay" for their content by watching non-intrusive, contextually-relevant, targeted advertising, Kent said.

According to SpiralFrog's website, Kent is a former chairman and CEO of media communications agency Universal McCann Worldwide.

SpiralFrog said its target audience is people between the ages of 13 and 34.

source:Reuters

image:hypebot.typepad.com:SpiralFfrog..free music download deal...

[Redneck4sure]

SpiralFrog said its target audience is people between the ages of 13 and 34.

They missed me just barely.

[DudeAsInCool]

Music download deal bypasses NZ

New Zealand music fans will miss out on a free download service set to rock the international entertainment industry.

Universal Music, the world's largest record company, yesterday shook up the industry by announcing it would make its song catalogue available as free internet downloads.

The music will be available from Spiralfrog.com in the US and Canada from December, and become available in Europe in early 2007.

It will be one of the first sites to offer free music legally, allowing fans to download songs by some of the record company's list of artists, including U2, Gwen Stefani and The Roots.

Revenue will come from advertisements featured on the website, although questions remain over how the artists featured will be paid.

However, Universal Music New Zealand managing director Adam Holt said there were no plans to launch the service here.

Source

[Shawn]

I'd be pretty shocked if this isn't a puss filled lie.

As in, my suspicious mind expects their 'downloads' to not be downloads at all but streaming material.