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August 29, 2006
SpiralFrog
Wow - another new take on a model for content distribution!
We've watched Napster, KaZaA, Limewire, iTunes, YouTube, Yahoo Video, Google Video and the rest work up experiments in the emerging ways video and audio (formerly hard copy formats in DVD and CD) and changing user expectations about immediacy, cost and copyright.
Anyway, SpiralFrog is launching this year - probably December to take advantage of all those new Xmas iPods and laptops. It has free (yes free) music from Universal (largest music company in the world) and EMI is probably up next along with others. Its innovation is that the music is free and legal. There's DRM but you have to keep using the site to keep your listening rights. It's ad supported.
Read more here, and here and here.
I see some mashup potential here for libraries (or at least their users). Is this the beginning of user acceptable DRM? Try it for free and get used to it before we monetize it...? Is this an applicable model for digitized books? What if the four largest book publishers started playing ths way? What if they did it through Google BookSearch and offered rentals without ads and free with? Hmmmm. Not too far fetched.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at August 29, 2006 9:20 PM
Comments
SpiralDog.com is set to become the place to download new movies free of charge with ad support. The buissness model is still in negoation but hopes to be available in early 2007.
Posted by: Stu at September 4, 2006 3:57 AM
This looks like a great business model. We get ads blasted at us online all the time anyway so we are used to it. I'll be using it when it comes out in europe definately.
Many seem to have an aversion to DRMs - in which case they should use sites like eMusic and pay for the privilege. Don't see why they should expect a free lunch.
Posted by: alex at September 13, 2006 9:11 PM
just wait... a new offering is going to be released in the coming weeks that will be even more appealing then spiral frog.
Posted by: j at September 13, 2006 11:57 PM