Site Where It's Legal to Download Free Music

Jan 28, 06:07 PM

MILLIONS of songs can be downloaded free of charge from today as the record industry reluctantly endorses the practice.

A new online file-sharing service offers unlimited, free downloads that are compatible with iPods, with the blessing of major recording companies.

Qtrax hopes the lure of free music will draw in fans. It will pay record company licensing fees by selling advertising space.

The new version of Qtrax lets users tap into file-sharing networks to search for music, but downloads come with copy- protection technology known as digital-rights management, or DRM, to prevent users from burning copies to a CD.

Qtrax downloads can, however, be stored indefinitely on PCs and transferred on to portable music players.

The service, which boasts a selection of up to 30million tracks, also promises that its music downloads will be playable on Apple iPods and Macintosh computers as early as March.

That is unusual because as iPods play back unrestricted MP3s files or tracks only with Apple's proprietary version of DRM, called Fair- Play.

Allan Klepfisz, Qtrax's president and chief executive, said: 'We've had a technical breakthrough which enables us to put songs on an iPod without any interference from Fair- Play.' Mr Klepfisz declined to give specifics on how Qtrax will make its audio files compatible with Apple devices, but noted: 'Apple has nothing to do with it.' Apple has been resistant in the past to licensing FairPlay to other online music retailers..

That stance has effectively limited iPod users to loading up their players with tracks purchased from Apple's iTunes Music Store, MP3s 'ripped' from CDs or bought from vendors such as eMusic or Amazon.com.

Rob Enderle, a technology analyst, said he expects Apple would take steps to block Qtrax files from working on iPods.

Qtrax users can also download music videos and comb through album reviews, lyrics and other features.

The service guarantees that users will never download spyware, adware or bogus audio files often found on file-sharing networks.

As long as the DRM on downloads 10,000 people worldwide were sued for illegally downloading music in 2006 and advertising in the Qtrax application aren't too obtrusive, the music service may appeal to computer users now trolling for tracks via LimeWire and other unlicensed services, Mr Enderle said.

'This is a way to get the stuff for free and not take the risk of having the (recording industry) show up at your doorstep with a six- figure lawsuit,' he said.

Ford, McDonald's and Microsoft are said to be among the advertisers signed up to support the Qtrax service.

Qtrax says that adverts will not be intrusive and will not appear each time a song is played.

b.clerkin@dailymail.co.uk

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