Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Good news for music lovers out there








Music is soothing to the soul. It's common knowledge that Filipinos love music. It is is no wonder than that a large number of Filipinos join singing contests (just look as Philippine Idol and Pinoy Dream Academy), and the business of selling music CDs, mostly pirated, is a thriving enterprise. As a result, we are always on the watchlist of the United States for software piracy.

What accounts for this continuous abuse of the intellectual property rights of the music producers/composers/singers? My guess is that since we are a poor nation, with more than half of the population living below the poverty line, the masses in general cannot afford the stiff prices being charged by these music companies for original CDs.

Which is why I think that the new venture being planned by Universal Music Group to launch Spiral Frog, is music to the ears of music lovers out there. According to its official website, Spiral Frog, touted to revolutionize the music industry, is the new online music destination offering advertising-supported legal downloads of audio and video content licensed from the catalogs of the world's leading record laels and from independents. It likewise offers music-lovers a compelling alternative to illegal file-sharing and pirate sites, with a secure environment for them to satisfy their unyielding passion and thirst for music, entertainment, information and brands at no cost except their time and attention.

Spiral Frog will offer users of its no-cost web-based service the ability to legally download music by many of the world's most popular and award winning artists. How does Spiral Frog earn revenues from this venture? It will instead rely on advertising as a source of its revenues instead of charging the consumers directly. Many advertisers have expressed their desire to be part of the project.

Are you excited already? Whoa, hold your horses. This service wil be made available to the public starting December, 2006 and will be initally offered for residents of the United States and Canada. I just hope that this service reaches the Philippines soon. For more info, please visit this article on the New York Times.

Tag category: Intellectual Property Rights/Law

23 comments:

JMom said...

interesting news, ladybug! I'll be sure to share this info with my daughters.

ipanema said...

hmmm...what's the catch here huh. I have not read the article cuz am having breakfst [coffee n toast] in front of the pc while doing my work. I'll read again later. :)

But hey, free download, why not? Every thing free is welcome news. Thanks for this info ladybug.

Abaniko said...

I think this is more for those in the US and Canada because their laws on IPR are stricter. In the Philippines, I have yet to hear someone being sued for illegally downloading a music file. But it's good. At least it's legal and those who abide by the law will not have any hesitation anymore to download their favorite songs from the web.

Anonymous said...

Is this the same company that will allow you to download for free but first you have to watch the advertisements? Sorry, didn't have time yet to read the article link. :)

Anonymous said...

Sound like a very good deal; too good to be true in fact as I see it. I really want to see this project get started and be successful. I used to download a lot of music online but I have realized that its virtually thieving and my conscience had bogged me somehow. But maybe this December, we'd have guilt-free downloads...

ladybug said...

jmom> Definitely interesting. This will surely be a hit among teenagers.

ipanema> The catch? I'm not sure. They will only be offering music produced by Universal Music Group first. They are still trying to convince Warner, EMI and Sony-BMG to join this venture. Customers will be able to download music to their computer and one other device, and those songs cannot be transferred to a compact disc. Moreover, they need to visit the site at least once a month to maintain access to their music. Kasi nga naman, kung di ka bibisita sa site nila, pano mo makikita yung advertisement? Eh dun lang nga sila kikita. :-)

ladybug said...

abaniko> Kaya nga nagtaka ako kung bakit nakalagay sa official website nila "available for legal downloading in the US and Canada via Spiral Frog's advertising-supported service." I don't know the reason for this.

niceheart> I'm not sure if that's the same company. But this one is not yet operational and will be launched in December 2006. Maybe you're talking about the new Napster where they allow you to listen up to five tracks for free while viewing some advertisements.

ladybug said...

major tom> Well, sounds too good to be true nga. Anyway, I agree, better na rin to take advantage of this "free" system than to violate the intellectual property rights of others. (Ouch...)

ipanema said...

Thanks ladybug. Ok to. It will take time siguro before it reaches here.

ladybug said...

ipanema> Ok nga...pero sana malapit na. Excited na ako eh.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ladybug! When I read this in the NY Times last night, I was excited about it too until I found out that it's in WMV format which means I can't upload it to my iPod and to find another player would be too expensive. It also requires that you must go back to listen/watch the advertisements. I agree that's not too much to pay for legal downloads.

Anonymous said...

So here is the catch:"At the heart of these ventures is the proposition that young consumers will be willing to endure advertising as the price for their music. Mr Kent said that his research revealed that they were receptive as long as the brands and products were relevant to the audience."

What brands and products are relevant is another big question.

Anyhow, let us see first if this will reach our country.

célèbre said...

Hey ladybug! thanks for tagging my blog!Are you a badminton afficionado like me too? =D take care!

ladybug said...

bugsybee> That's the downside of it. i think the reason why it can't be downloaded to an ipod is because it's in direct competition with Apple's iTunes store. Too bad. :-(

myepinoy> what kinds of advertisement this venture will attract is another big question. I hust hope that it will be beneficial and not harmful to the young kids who will patronize this kind of service.

celebre> Thanks for dropping by! I'm also a badminton aficionado like you. I just play for fun though. :-)

Rey said...

i'VE HEARD OF THIS TOO... TOO BAD IT WON'T COME THIS WAY SOON.

ladybug said...

rey> My sentiments too. I just hope this comes our way soon. :-)

Manang said...

I am very very interested in this, kasi kahit mahilig ako sa muscic, I am too kuripot to buy. I love free downloads, though. It is a good thing that Spiral Frog realized the power of advertising. It is the main driving force why a lot of bloggers keep on blogging (via AdSense income), so this is a good model for other music companies to follow. I am sure sa dami ng gagamit ng site nila, they will become too popular, at magsisisi yung mga hindi nakisakay.

ladybug said...

manang> pareho pala tayong kuripot. :-) Sana nga matuloy na to. Tsaka sana sumama pa yung ibang companies.

Anonymous said...

There is a catch, first, the music is very protected. second, you have to come back every month to re doownload the songs, or they will dissapear. and of course, all that time you will be forced to watch ads and commercials.

SlipOn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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