Ad-supported P2P service signs EMI

Qtrax gets on-track

EMI has agreed to release its music portfolio through an ad-support peer-to-peer service. The deal is a significant coup for Qtrax, which plans to begin offering music downloads supported by ads, as well as a more conventional ad-free premium service, in the US later this year. EMI is the first major label on Qtrax’s roster. The music publisher will earn an undisclosed percentage of advertising and song sales sourced from its catalog and sold by Qtrax.

The deal, a sign that music publishers are beginning to embrace P2P technology, is unusual but not unprecedented in the entertainment industry. Warner Brothers, for example, began using P2P networks to sell TV shows and films in select markets (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

Full story: The Register