Free service promises over 25 million iPod-compatible tracks

by admin January 28, 2008 at 11:20 pm

A once controversial peer-to-peer file sharing service said this week it is relaunching with the blessing of the recording industry under an ad-supported model that will see its vast music catalog made available as free downloads, even for Apple iPod owners.

New York-based Qtrax, which now bills itself as the “World’s First Free and Legal P2P Music Service,” promises to serve up between 25 million and 30 million copyrighted tracks to users over its file sharing network, dwarfing the the number of song downloads offered by rival services such as Apple’s iTunes.

Qtrax claims to have struck a deal with all the major record labels whereby downloads will be tabulated and artists later compensated through advertising revenues garnered by the service. For end users, the service will be free, allowing unlimited music downloads that come wrapped in digital rights management (DRM) software to prevent their duplication.

Full article: appleinsider.com