SpiralFrog at Midem
p2pnet.net News:- Ad-funded songs may not be all Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG, the members of the Big 4 Organized Music cartel, had hoped, it would seem.
SpiralFrog’s ideas of getting rich quick through ad-supported music downloads, “made headlines as a bold but natural step, giving the label a share of the fast-growing Internet advertising pie, while squeezing out pirates,” says The Age.
A bold but natural step? heh
Anyhow, “Soon after Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group came on board in August, EMI Group PLC also struck a deal with the formerly obscure startup” and, “Suddenly, downloads from mainstream music catalogs were to become free.”
Whoopee !!!!
But not whoopee.
“SpiralFrog will be a secure environment where music lovers can satisfy their unyielding passion and thirst for music, entertainment, and information,” it burbles. “Our site will be as multifaceted, smart, and current as the audience we hope to attract. An audience that we believe is the driving force behind the way music is created, discovered, and consumed today.”
All three passions are currently very well taken catered to by free indie pages and services, blogs and news sites, thanks. In short, the SpiralFrog idea is as dumb as the name and meanwhile, “SpiralFrog sent its attorney to the Midem music industry gathering in Cannes to replace former CEO Robin Kent, who was ousted late last month when the service had been set to go live”.
We can see it now: the lawyer gets an arm-lock on Kent who’s in the middle of a throng of admiring Midem groupies and just about to spiral his 17th glass of grog ;p
“SpiralFrog and other embryonic ad-supported services promise a new approach to tackling piracy,” The Age goes on. “Proponents see massive demand from peer-to-peer users who, they believe, would gladly put up with commercial messages in return for the peace of mind that legality brings. If you can’t beat them, the theory goes, then at least make some money out of them.”
Actually, the only people with legality on their minds are the attorneys who are raking it in as they represent the Big 4, trying to sue customers into buying ‘product’
But Intent (??) founder Les Ottolenghi thinks he has the right idea, to wit, “It’s such a significant stream that, if you can monetize it and take it over, you can get paid a lot of money.”
Right.
“The market may be there, but doubts remain over whether the terms on offer can persuade enough established recording companies to enter it seriously,” the story continues.
One again, there seems to be a disconnect between reality and day-dreams. No need to worry about Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG, the members of the Big 4 Organized Music cartel, being talked into it. Just wave promises of money in front of them and they’ll go for it and for sure there’ll be streams —- of drool.
The real problem would be getting music lovers to waste money on SpiralFrog, or any other form of spinning amphibian.
However, Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am has the right perspective.
“To be honest I’m afraid of the music industry falling apart,” he’s quoted as saying.
“The thing that makes me nervous is the hesitation that record companies have about the new technologies.”
Also See:
The Age - MLabels Cautious Over Ad-Funded Songs, January 27, 2007
dumb as the name - Is SpiralFrog about to croak?, January 24, 2007
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January 31st, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Subject header says it all…