[jqp]

It seems so surreal at first - it is a little hard to understands without reading about it here in just a few seconds...

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080127-qtraxs-free-ad-based-p2p-gnutella-meets-zune-esque-drm.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/27/midem_qtrax_launch/

and here

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080128-qtraxs-free-legal-p2p-scheme-is-vaporware-for-now.html

Basically an attempt to make money selling ads with free DRMed music as the bait.

Some thoughts

Assuming this would happen, will Apple's iTunes seems so blatant now - I have always hated the concept of paying for restictions and compromise. I put iTunes on a machine of mine to experiment with free Starbucks iTunes, but I am removing it - hate it.

This would be a kind of Windows iTunes, yet not directly benefiting MS. So much of what MS has done over the years with consumer Windows is geared to allow businesses to make money via Windows.

Since I do not listen on mobile devices I would not sreiously use either system.

For me it kind of puts the whole lossy DRMed music scene in the context of an attempt to make money (successful or not) while degrading music. ONe of the writers summed it up nicely for me : "To me, the formula is simple: just sell me DRM-free, lossless audio already. Once I buy it, it should be mine to do with as I please."

[BradJudy]

I've read a bit on this QTrax thing and it seems shady.  They make an announcement saying they have agreements with labels and the labels immediately respond that there are no such agreements in place.  Their parent company is a penny stock which shoots up at the news (50% gain), then plummets back down once the labels come forward.  All along, they are just using an existing technology to do nothing new.

I don't expect anything real will come of this.  Ad-funded big label music might be in our future, but not from this circus. 

[lonewolfny42]

News Link....

[jqp]

These guys have been really following it - they even installed the client, and ...wow

not quite sure what the Ernest and Julio Gallo reference is yet...

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080129-qtrax-the-most-jacked-up-disappointing-launch-in-years.html