View Full Version : iTunes beater? Free MP3's from Universal music
Theoretically it's a great proposition, download tracks from Universal music for free, legally. The "catch" is you have to watch an advert (or adverts) to get your track.
The site is www.spiralfrog.com but won't go live until December. Any comments?
Here's the news story at bbc news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5294842.stm)
They won't be MP3s, they'll be DRM-encrusted WMA files.
spida1998
30-08-2006, 07:21
Not Ipod compatible either, which is the main drawback. Until some clever person writes a program that makes them Ipod compatible of course...
As someone with a Creative Zen, I'm quite happy that a company is thinking about those who DON'T have an iPod... the iPod seems to have a stranglehold on accessories, connectivity with other devices, etc.. I'm not saying that the iPod isn't any good, I just prefer (after trying a number of different beasties) the Creative Zen to Apple's offering.
As someone with a Creative Zen, I'm quite happy that a company is thinking about those who DON'T have an iPod... the iPod seems to have a stranglehold on accessories, connectivity with other devices, etc.. I'm not saying that the iPod isn't any good, I just prefer (after trying a number of different beasties) the Creative Zen to Apple's offering.
I would agree with this, I can't use any iTunes on my Creative Zen, so it's nice it should work the other way round.
On another note this service isn't as good as it sounds as I heard you can't actually burn the music on to anything, or was I misunderstanding the product?
Not Ipod compatible either
Even better! I can't believe how popular a product such as the iPod has become. The more I hear about it the worse it is. The fact that it's a HDD based player rules it out but even before the stupid restrictions
jigger_jay
30-08-2006, 17:01
spyware anyone ? lol peerguardian is gonna love this!
Having just got a nano (after years of refusing to get one) I think its a fantastic player.
So far, I've only got my own collection of mp3's on it and probably will never buy anything from itunes (I prefer music I can listen to anywhere).
The interface is pretty much perfect - easy to use and obvious
Unless I've got something wrong the Spiralfrog thing is US and Canada only.
Even better! I can't believe how popular a product such as the iPod has become. The more I hear about it the worse it is. The fact that it's a HDD based player rules it out but even before the stupid restrictions
What? The 'stupid restrictions' are from Universal. If it was an unrestricted MP3 is would play fine on the iPod.
As for it being HDD-based, the iPod is but the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle aren't. No company sells a flash-based player with a 30GB capacity, it would cost a fortune.
Drysolder
30-08-2006, 20:24
What? The 'stupid restrictions' are from Universal.
Couple of rumours claim the songs will 'expire' after 6 months, AND/OR unless you keep logging into SpiralFrog to watch the ads.
Keep in mind where Universal's concerned, nothing's ever free.
No company sells a flash-based player with a 30GB capacity, it would cost a fortune.
It's already confirmed the Zune will have a 30Gb HDD. Have a look at the HDD yourself, if you don't believe.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/25/fcc-reveals-toshiba-1089-and-its-looking-a-whole-lot-like-a/
It's the 12th picture down. ;)
If it was an unrestricted MP3 is would play fine on the iPod.
Do we know what format they're using? Does that format work on any player?
iPod is but the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle aren't. No company sells a flash-based player with a 30GB capacity
True, nano/shuffle are solid state, not sure how good they are with a battery but I bet they're not cheap. As long as they let you playback any codec you like it's not a bad thing
Drysolder
02-09-2006, 11:32
Eh? I said flash-based.
Yeah, I know - saw that after I posted, but couldn't be arsed to change it... my bad. ;)
Do we know what format they're using? Does that format work on any player?
True, nano/shuffle are solid state, not sure how good they are with a battery but I bet they're not cheap. As long as they let you playback any codec you like it's not a bad thing
Nano and shuffles are cheap. Any decent player sub £100 is cheap in my book anyway.
AS for formats, nothings been released yet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_frog
Surely DRM audio is a waste of time when most soundcards (and some software) allow you to record directly whats playing.
Most people don't have the inclination or knowledge to do that. Also, if you then convert the saved file to a lossy format such as MP3 then you lose some quality. And you have to do it real-time, so converting a lot of music would take a long time.
The RIAA/MPAA are pushing for Windows to only accept signed drivers to stop this kind of copying.
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