Tag Archive: Qtrax

Remember back in early 2008 when an upstart outfit called Qtrax promised to offer music from all four major music distributors for free using an ad-supported, peer-to-peer distribution system? Turned out there was a small problem: Qtrax didn’t actually have agreements with any of the major labels, and despite protestations such deals were imminent, Qtrax managed to go down as one of the most-hyped flame-outs of 2008. The company managed to get Universal Music on board by mid-year, brought EMI and Sony on board (in June and December 2008, respectively), and now says it has inked an agreement with Warner Music Group, the final piece of the major-label puzzle.

Universal Music Group has finally struck a deal with online music service Qtrax to enable music from Universal artists to be downloaded for free via the ad-supported service. In a joint statement, Qtrax and Universal Music Group said artists and writers will be compensated for the use of their content through a share of advertising revenue, although financial details of the arrangement were not disclosed. Users will also be able to purchase “music-related items” from the Qtrax site.  Read more...

In the war against music piracy, fighting fire with fire by peddling stolen tracks may seem like a counterproductive move, but a service called Qtrax is trying to make it work to the benefit of music labels. In a launch party on Sunday, the company declared it would go live Monday with 25 million tracks available, more than any other legal service, but several record companies have denied their own involvement in the wake of the hype parade.

Qtrax attempts to harness the existing peer-to-peer networks used for trafficking illegal songs, and delivers the same pirated songs with ads, using advertiser revenue to reimburse record companies for the songs, and in a sense “legalizing” them.