Spiral Frog?

[Prudence]

This website (http://www.spiralfrog.com/) was in the news this morning, described as a free download site (with gobs of advertisement-based DRM.)

Has anyone else heard about this? Is it great, once you get past the advertising questions? Or is it the very essence of evil, monitoring your every key stroke 'til the end of time?

[BarTopDancer]

Concept sounds interesting but a few things concern me:

to deter users from posting copies of songs and videos they get from SpiralFrog, the service requires that users register and log on to the site at least once a month. Otherwise, the content locks up and can't be played.

Not sure how that will deter people from posting copies of songs and videos.

Downloads cannot be burned to a CD, but they can be transferred to dozens of digital music players. The content, however, is not compatible with Apple's Macintosh computers or its market-leading iPod.

It sounds like a free version of Napster or Rhapsody. With those two, you are basically renting the music and when you stop paying for the subscription the music ceases to work.

[Matterhorn Fan]

not compatible with [...] iPod
It doesn't matter if it's the very essence of evil, monitoring your every key stroke 'til the end of time. It won't work (the music, not the evil. I'm sure the evil will work just fine).

[BarTopDancer]

It doesn't matter if it's the very essence of evil, monitoring your every key stroke 'til the end of time. It won't work (the music, not the evil. I'm sure the evil will work just fine).

Ya, that too. But I was waiting for someone else to say that.

There are ways around Rhapsody and Napster. I'm sure there will be ways around this too. But I don't see it flying like they are thinking it will.

[Prudence]

I was seeing the non-iPodness of it as a bonus.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

No iPod, no deal. It's quite the road block for them, I'd think, not being compatible with the industry leader.

[BarTopDancer]

I was seeing the non-iPodness of it as a bonus.

Ok, but you have to consider that the iPod is the industry leader in portable audio players and it doesn't look like that is going to change any time soon. With Spiral Frog not supporting the iPod it is missing a huge customer base. Yes, it is free to the user but the advertisers are making their revenue either through a PPC (pay per click) or PPI (pay per impression) model. Without the traffic the advertisers don't make money. Without making money, they pull advertising. Without advertisers, Sprial Frog won't exist.

Finally, to quote myself:


It sounds like a free version of Napster or Rhapsody. With those two, you are basically renting the music and when you stop paying for the subscription the music ceases to work.

If you're happy with "renting" music then go for it. I don't think anything malicious is behind it. It has the backing of Sony to do this with their music so the RIAA won't be showing up at your door.

[€uroMeinke]

I don't get the incompatible with iPod - I mean my ipod mostly carries MP3s, which seems to be the preferred media for sharing - so I'm guessing this means they're using some other proprietary format? So sharing my files involves first converting them?

Doomed I say.

[BarTopDancer]

I don't get the incompatible with iPod - I mean my ipod mostly carries MP3s, which seems to be the preferred media for sharing - so I'm guessing this means they're using some other proprietary format? So sharing my files involves first converting them?

Doomed I say.

Maybe wma. I think that is the only format an iPod can't handle. Then of course you'd just need a wma to MP3 converter. I'm sure there are or will be ways to play it on an iPod. If the iPhone can be cracked in a month or 2 after it was released this is just icing.

[€uroMeinke]

Yeah, but it means more work. People will make concessions for convenience - I'm not sure what the benefit is for this service

[Ghoulish Delight]

Yeah, I like the rent-to-own model of services like aol music (monthly fee to download and listen as much as you want on computer or player, $1/song to own it forver and burn it), but iPod is my chosen player and I know that the admittedly minor hassle of converting will none-the-less nearly nullify the convenience of unlimited downloads.

As much as I love when Apple sticks to its guns, that's one thing I'd like to seem them budge on. And I appreciate the existence of services like that stand a chance of putting pressure on them to do so. But a lot of them are going to have to try and fail before that ever happens, and I agree with BtD that until that actually happens, they're going to have a hard time getting by on ad revenue alone. Of course, if they've got clever people working for them they'll find a way to generate revenue with some secondary offering that compliments the service.

Long story short, if I had a wma capable player, I'd check it out but try not to get too attached to it lest I rue its likely demise.

[CoasterMatt]

I prefer eMusic.com

[Ghoulish Delight]

I considered emusic and definitely liked the unprotected files aspect. But the trade-off on selection was a problem. Just not enough stuff I wanted to buy.

[Prudence]

While I love emusic.com and their ability to introduce me to groups like Candypants and the Detroit Cobras, sometimes I want access to major label artists, too. And I'm not doing iTunes.

[BarTopDancer]

Of course, if they've got clever people working for them they'll find a way to generate revenue with some secondary offering that compliments the service.

As long as it doesn't involve click fraud. I suspect they will be on the watch list from the start since their sole means of revenue is PPC or PPI advertising. Any whif of click fraud and they'll be toast. Google withstood it and settled for a huge amount of money. And they are Google.

[BarTopDancer]

A review (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_hi_te/tech_test_spiralfrog;_ylt=Aj9Zq5ntL93r4Zlreo.5l9is 0NUE) of SpiralFrog.

Turns out it doesn't work on the Zune either.

But music and video downloads are only available in Windows Media format. They can only be transferred to portable music players twice, and those gadgets need to support the copyright-protection technology. Zune and iPod owners are out of luck. It doesn't allow copying to a CD.

Snip

SpiralFrog membership must be renewed by taking a survey every 30 days, which includes questions about your experiences on the site. Otherwise your downloaded content will eventually expire — and you can't get any more songs until you renew.