Qtrax — ‘death knell’ for CDs
p2pnet news | Music:- Yet another corporate ‘file sharing’ application that’ll “signal the death knell for CDs” and issue a “massive challenge to iTunes”has been launched.
But thanks to the free P2P file sharing networks and independent music sites and services, that’s been happening for years.
The hackneyed quote in the intro comes in a news.com.au story on something called Qtrax, yet another Audible Magic DRM platform.
Audible Magic is an RIAA favourite heavily touted by none other than RIAA spinmeister in chief Mitch Bainwol back when the Big 4 first started their campaign to gain control of how, and by whom, music is distributed online.
In 2006, “The firm behind the defunct Qtrax online file-swapping network has inked a licensing deal with Britain-based EMI Music Group PLC and aims to relaunch later this year as an ad-supported recording industry-friendly online music service,” said p2pnet, going on:
“The downloan rental application will, ‘work with and filter copyrighted content from existing peer-to-peer networks,’ says EMI.
“As with similar rental ’services,’ as soon as users stop paying, carefully compiled libraries will become useless.”
Qtrax says it has deals with Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG’s RIAA, members of the Big 4 organised music cartel, just like other corporate efforts to cash in on the online music phenomenon.
However, Warner Music, “undermined that claim, declaring in a statement that it ‘has not authorized the use of our content on Qtrax’s recently announced service’,” says Associated Press, going on:
“Universal Music Group and EMI Group PLC later confirmed they did not have licensing deals in place with Qtrax, noting discussions were still ongoing. A call to Sony BMG Music Entertainment was not immediately returned.”
According to the company’s Allan Klepfisz, (right) who’s associated with Brilliant Technologies, “Artists and record labels” are, “supporting Qtrax to stem a losing fight against stolen music,” says new.com.au.
“Qtrax started out in Australia,” said another p2pnet story, asking, “Which other Australian company also had much the same idea, exploit p2p to get ahead? Ah, Yes. Australia’s Sharman Networks, with friends and associates Brilliant Digital Entertainment.”
Klepfisz is listed here as “CEO, Brilliant Digital Technologies /QTRAX”.
Interesting coincidence.
But not at all coincidentally, last week someone was spamming very cheesy, and very obvious, comment posts which looked like attempts to promote the ’service’ for free on p2pnet.
Meanwhile, Klepfisz now acknowledges Warner Music deal hadn’t, in fact, been signed, but said he expects to reach an agreement on terms “shortly,” says AP, adding”
“With everybody else, we have agreed on all terms,” he said, “noting that in some cases, deals had yet to be formally signed.”
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UPDATE – 6:24 Pacific
Says Andrew Orlowski in The Register:
“Qtrax delivers an unlimited supply of free music to the web surfer, for them to keep, by scraping the Gnutella P2P network, sticking ads on the front end, filtering out the bogus files (that the IFPI and RIAA have put on the P2P networks in such abundance over the years), and wrapping the song files in DRM.
“If that isn’t surreal enough, the company pushed a bewildered looking James Blunt on stage with a broom to say how stealing from the sweat shop was wrong. And that he didn’t really know much about what was going on – but he’d like to.
Qtrax is staffed by refugees from SpiralFrog, the clueless ad-supported web startup that was unveiled in a blaze of publicity but never quite launched properly – yet still managed to fork over $2m to Universal Music, the world’s biggest record company, before it had made a single transaction. These business geniuses have now raised $30m from venture capital for their latest suicidal tilt at the market.
“If you’re going to fail, I guess, then fail hard and fast.
“The company has pinched what it could from open source land. The fat client is a custom version of Firefox, with a fork of the Songbird music player layered on top. Normally software developers could expect a decent license fee from a $30m start-up for use of their work – but in the new Tim O’Reilly ‘freetard’ model, the Firefox and Songbird developers don’t get a cent for their labour – merely the satisfaction that they’re ‘building a platform’.
“The company also deploys MusicIP’s filtering software to weed out noise (such as the junk tracks that contain pops and clicks) as well as unlicensed material such as The Beatles catalog.
“Qtrax has plastered Cannes with saturation advertising.”
Stay tuned.
Also See:
news.com.au – Free net music to end CDs, January 27, 2008
p2pnet – New corporate p2p effort, June 6, 2006
exploAssociated Press – Qtrax Aims to Offer IPod-Friendly Tracks, January 28, 2008
it p2p – Making you pay for p2p, April 23, 2007
The Register – $30m blown on Desperation Derby, January 27, 2008
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January 28th, 2008 at 7:00 am
So this company created a P2P app that … oh wait .. no it didn’t
“” The company has pinched what it could from open source land. The fat client is a custom version of Firefox, with a fork of the Songbird music player layered on top. Normally software developers could expect a decent license fee from a $30m start-up for use of their work – but in the new Tim 2.0′Reilly “freetard” model, the Firefox and Songbird developers don’t get a cent for their labour – merely the satisfaction that they’re “building a platform”. ”
( source http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/27/midem_qtrax_launch/ )
That supplies ‘content’ from the labels … ummm no it doesnt ..
It uses the Gnutella network, doesn’t the horrendously illegal ( sarcasm ) Frostwire
use the same network ??
Content which is completely legal because it’s supported by all the major lab … oh wait
” “Universal Music Group and EMI Group PLC later confirmed they did not have licensing deals in place with Qtrax, noting discussions were still ongoing. A call to Sony BMG Music Entertainment was not immediately returned.”
I guess that would make the legality of this pretty questionable.
All this and DRM too …
” ” The DRM ensures that music fans won’t be able to take the music to go: it’s tied to the host computer and the DRM collects play information to be beamed back to the mothership. The reporting isn’t a deal breaker, but the incompatibility may well be. Qtrax said it’s working on cracking Apple’s FairPlay to allow iPod users to take the music and go. ”
( source http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/27/midem_qtrax_launch/ )
The revolution has arrived.
( joke .. big joke )
January 28th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I can say the same thing:
O RLY?
January 28th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Hey Jon,
Looks like I really p’od the spammer
the ‘real’ Dreddsnik
January 28th, 2008 at 9:01 am
btw,
I personally don’t care if you leave that comment up.
It just shows just what lengths media people will go when
the facts don’t live up to the hype.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I would think the spammer would be happy, Jon’s posting info on
Qtrax, like he wanted.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Maybe not quite like s/he wanted.
Cheers!
January 28th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I’d rather wait for Amazon MP3.
I hate DRM and don’t want it on my computer or anywhere near it.
After the Sony DRM Issue I don’t like the idea of DRM being on anything
January 28th, 2008 at 10:29 am
me rather waits for amazon FLAC files.
No, wait! I already have the first one, now if only I could pay for it!!
http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3979054/Keith_Whitley_-_When_you_say_nothing_at_all
January 28th, 2008 at 10:34 am
actually im not a spammer or “media people”. im merely bored at work and making comments to get a rise out of someone. ive also posted as “packin’ a vienna” to argue with people about stuff.
epeen+12 for dreddsnik!
January 28th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I find it rather funny that it’s even more illegal to SHARE the music, than to download it. But, with it tapping off of the Gnutella network, they’re basically tapping off of everybody who’s violating the laws they fought to put in place.
Looks like piracy isn’t such a bad thing after all, is it RIAA?
January 28th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Isn’t there a good silver lining to this dark cloud? It means there are completely legal reasons to be using Gnutella, Limewire and all the associated software and programs. Maybe.
But at the end of the day it’s MS-DRM, non iPod compatible and therefore doomed to fail. The only winners here are the guys who get to spend that $30m of VC. I bet they had fun in Cannes.