On the eve of a "music revolution" which would allow music fans to download and play thousands of songs both free and legally, new complications have arisen which cause doubt about the viability of QTRAX.
Many skeptics had voiced their surprise that major music labels were so progressive as to participate in the QTRAX business model.
It seems the skeptics may be right.
This Is London is reporting that the Free Music Promised Land, QTrax is encountering some pre-launch problems.
An earlier
Digital Journal report
detailed the planned launch of the music-sharing system:
Qtrax, with the backing of Universal Music, Warner Music and EMI, will share more than 25 million songs. Music fans will be able to listen to ad-supported content throughout the website, or download music for free via a special jukebox player.
But today's report contradicts earlier statements by the company:
Warner Music said it had not authorised the use of its tracks by Qtrax - and later Universal Music Group and EMI followed suit, saying they did not have licensing deals with Qtrax and discussions were continuing.
A Times OnLine report
offered a more blunt assessment:
A website which promised to give music lovers the world's first legal file-sharing service was forced into a humiliating climbdown today after it emerged that the company had not secured the backing of the record industry...Today it emerged that none of the four major labels had done deals with the site, putting a large dent in the promised catalogue of 25 million songs and prompting allegations that the site's founders had misled fans.
A spokesman for New York-based Qtrax, declined comment.
So, for now, it seems music lovers find themselves in a bit of a holding pattern.
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Free, Legal Downloads? Not So Fast...
