LimeWire going legit?
(Credit: LimeWire)LimeWire is best known as the latest in a long chain of software that makes it easy to find and download music for free, replacing Napster, Grokster, eDonkey, Kazaa, and all the other applications and networks that shut down or cracked down on the sharing of copyrighted material.
Lime Wire LLP, the company that makes the LimeWire software application, has also been sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), but has so far refused to cave, saying that it only manufactures the software and has no control over how users choose to employ it. Moreover, it filed a countersuit in September 2006 on antitrust grounds, calling the RIAA an illegal cartel that conspires to destroy any distribution channel that the recording industry doesn't control.
A couple of days ago, the company announced that it would begin to offer approved downloads for sale from directly within the LimeWire application. Unsurprisingly given their ongoing legal dispute with the RIAA, Lime Wire's distribution partners, IRIS and Nettwerk, represent small independent labels and artists rather than the majors. The files will be MP3s, and unprotected by DRM, meaning users won't ever face the problem that former Google Video downloaders now face. (DRM-protected files + canceled service = the content you paid for can no longer be played.)
So does this mean that Lime Wire is eventually going to follow Napster's path of trying to negotiate and build an industry-approved service? I would guess not--we all know how well that worked out for Napster. (The new Napster is merely the name, which Roxio bought for $5 million; Roxio changed its name to Napster when it sold off its other software busineses.) In fact, in a recent interview, anonymous Lime Wire staffers told Slyck News that the company is improving its existing Lime Wire application, adding a technology that improves the ability to search for files on Gnutella (the P2P network on which LimeWire operates) and is adding support for the BitTorrent protocol, which supports swapping of much larger files (like video). For the time being, the business model will remain the same: offer a free version of the LimeWire application and hope to upsell consumers to a version with more features.
Still, this could be the beginning of an exit strategy in case the courts force Lime Wire to stop distributing its software in its current form.
Matt Rosoff is an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, where he covers Microsoft's consumer products and corporate news. He's written about the technology industry since 1995, and reviewed the first Rio MP3 player for CNET.com in 1998. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network. Disclosure.
- Topics:
-
Windows Software,
-
Audio/MP3,
-
File Sharing,
-
Video,
-
Mac Software
- Tags:
-
LimeWire,
-
RIAA,
-
DRM,
-
Google Video,
-
file-sharing,
-
digital music,
-
video
- Bookmark:
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
Both posts here are legitimate views by many artists. They and they alone should have the "legitiment" final-say on the song written or performed by them. The music industry argues that the people who write and/or preform in ANY recording should enjoy the "free market." This is really the question, my cool friends: how much money should the recording companies make if they finance the artist(s) until such time as the/they repay said financing; that answer is simple, until hell freezes-over. Further, they don't even have to tell ANY artist just how much the said companies are making. Who, then you ask, is responsible for this? Those who make the most money from the activities --- Artists can be damned.
Today we still ask who is responsible for this crazy-world, the same; ironically, the very same who pay 17% federal tax than you and I who pay 33% of our gross-income. One-tenth of one%: fewer than twelve people. They receive 50-percent of all disposable income...in the world...every damned day. Now, do the math...
Any questions???
Viva le Musica, viva le musician...
I buy CD's but not as much as I did before the RIAA started their crap. I bought many more CD's back when I could download the songs without worries for a preview of the record. Now that would just be giving in to them...
i tried others and i am very happy with my new toy, the ares galaxy: it's all clean...for now, until that times comes down the road to try someone new.
if limewire becomes "legit", then so be it; technology is constantly changing and if people are smart and look around, they will see other p2p programs out there that are even better...so goodbye, limewire!
The RIAA needs to realize that people are no longer subject to there whims and price gouging. This will happen when more bands realize that they no longer need record labels to distribute their music, or when a new label comes out that gives away music of artists on their label, and then sell ads on their site, and further makes money from promotions and the sale of extra content. Let us say if you download the Album of band X at their site and make a $10 donation to the band you get a free shirt, hat, or maybe even concert tickets.
This will happen eventually, and if the dominate record labels of old along with the few bands that just do not get the new market of p2p and free downloadable music they will be left behind.
"Suppose Winamp integrated a legit P2P service with tons of cool features that made it cake to acquire and play unlimited new tracks. What would that be worth to you?\
o $14.95/month
o $9.95/month
o $4.95/month
o The pirate in me refuses to pay for a P2P service"
A bit of a coincidence aint it..?!
And its pretty much the same thing as just lending a CD to a friend and leting them Burn it or copy it. So why stop?
Limewire is a great programme for downloading rare music of all types but lately a music file download turns out to be a virus.
The owners of Limewire do not seem to be doing anything to combat this problem so i think that going legitimate may solve this problem.
I personally prefer 'Ares' 'Soulseek' and 'Shareza' of which are virus and spyware free.
thanks
me anyway. They're dumb. If I could steal food for free I'd do that too. I would
steal everything if I could and the world would be a better place. I should get to
decide how much music costs, not the record companies. They only make the
music. I listen to it. That makes me more important.
I'm just mad that when I'm downloading music illegally I get viruses. That's not
fair!
me anyway. They're dumb. If I could steal food for free I'd do that too. I would
steal everything if I could and the world would be a better place. I should get to
decide how much music costs, not the record companies. They only make the
music. I listen to it. That makes me more important.
I'm just mad that when I'm downloading music illegally I get viruses. That's not
fair!
- programa con virus
-
by Josè Omar
August 20, 2007 9:01 AM PDT
- Este programa esta infectado de virus cuidado no te confies por mucho por las descargad de musica, programas, etc... este programa esta infectado de virus igual que el kazza, el mejor es Emule ya si utilizas un detector de antivirus perfecto pero si no cuidado con el LimeWire. Mas que nada piensa primero antes de que contagias a tu computadora de virus.
-
Reply to this comment
-
-
See all 29 Comments >>