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Peter Gabriel shakes the tree, ad-supported MP3s fall out
arstechnica.com — Peter Gabriel shocks the monkey music industry by funding a new startup called We7 that plans to offer free music without DRM in return for listening to 10 second advertisements.
H3LLSL337- 476 diggs
- digg it
- RShACkSUX, on 10/12/2007, -6/+17Bukkake
- TroubleInMind, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14My monkey is shocked by this.
- jjremy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+38perhaps 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 can remove those pesky advertisments!
- gxcdesign, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11And this is where QuickTime Pro comes handy to cut off the first 10 seconds
- overneath42, on 10/12/2007, -12/+1Yes, let's figure out a way to cut the artist's income out from under them.
- iSEPIC, on 10/12/2007, -8/+609 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 (c) (tm) (R) (please use it properly)
- deeek, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2@overneath42
This sounds like a great platform for indy artists who aren't so "lucky" to be with the RIAA. - darkcrystal, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1If I am understanding this properly then...
we7 + soundforge = omgbbq free music!!! - eth3l, on 10/12/2007, -8/+6Why not listen to the ads so that the artist can make some money. Then maybe the labels will follow with DRM free music ...
- gxcdesign, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1We'll need a program like Adobe® AudioShop®
- Philluminati, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Increase spending on products advertised until RIAA join. Then BAMMMMMM cut off the adverts and copy to limewire. I'm just joking Universal :-) I love you really. Even though you are *****
- audiowizard, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Listen to ads in order to listen to music? HAHAHAHAHA
F*ck that - Ngai, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1No need to worry everyone...
if its software...
it can be hacked... - tateswayz91, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ lespic and gxcdesign
Since not all of us are on digg very much, could someone please explain these references?
- bwinebarger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Talk about digging in the dirt...wow.
- mrminty, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5...but only Peter Gabriel mp3s, right?
- deeek, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Well, if you had read the article you would know this:
"""
Some labels might play ball with the new service; two have already signed up for SpiralFrog, a US ad-funded service. That service will use DRM to prevent redistribution of the music, and is funded in part by the labels, both of which make it easier for the majors to sign on. We7 will face a tougher battle. The company told the Times that it had yet to sign any major labels and would launch with only a few thousand tracks, though more should arrive in short order.
""" - zengonzo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11 ***** major labels.
- himey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17This rocks. Now I can build up my collection of advertisements. Does anyone have a script to strip out the music and keep just the ads?
- deeek, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Well, if you had read the article you would know this:
- zengonzo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17
This is great news.
It might not be the ultimate answer, but it is at the very least an attempt to develop a new business model that doesn't attempt to brute force reality.
Peter Gabriel has always been a people's artist. - kitchensj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18Well you only have to listen to the ad for 4 weeks. Then you get to download the track w/out the ad (still free). Doesn't sound too bad to me.
- spyrochaete, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Amen to that. Music industry is an oxymoron. There is no pretty way to trade musical enjoyment for dollar bills. P2P for life!
- Technopundit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There are lots of ways to add value to musical downloads and sell commercials. How about visual ads or maybe crawl lines. Sure, these things can be stripped away, but many people wouldn't bother. I know I'd play music on my PC if there were accompanying visuals I could ignore, but would often see, playing along with the songs. Add merchandising, concert and artist information, visualizations and photo's, and I probably would watch quite often.
How about streaming video? Was it all a dream, or didn't MTV used to make bales of money playing music video's? Limit the audio bitstream on commerciallized previews, then sell full fidelity at a price.
The so-called "innovators" who run the music and film industries are a bunch of complete absolute mentally defective morons. I simply cannot believe the revenue streams they are letting slide through their greedy fingers while they are busy threatening and suing music fans.
- flashboy131, on 10/12/2007, -12/+210 seconds of advertising? How about no DRM no Advertising.
Not good try again.- zengonzo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18 Yeah, and the musicians can eat inspiration for breakfast and the site can be maintained on hopes and dreams!
- spyrochaete, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1Or maybe musicians could get jobs instead of panhandling for a living.
- uberchaoslord, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Why don't you go do your job for free for a while, then see how your attitude changes. Not that it matters, you're probably still in that "I'm 14, I don't have to work, mommy/daddy support me, so I don't give a *****" mode. Get a job, and we'll see how you turn out.
- zengonzo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Panhandling? I don't get it. They're making music and getting a check for it. If you don't listen to the music, you won't be supporting them. How is that not a job?
- spyrochaete, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Musicians perform publicly and release their works into the public domain. In this day and age piracy is inevitable, thus any funds received are more or less charitable. Thus, panhandling.
Now musicians are begging us to listen to ads for a month? Why should I when I can just download it P2P or hear it on the radio or television for free? That's BS.
Singing is not a job. It's a hobby. It is not worthy of money. I understand my opinion is not the popular one, but as a musician hobbyist who has given his original music away for free for over a decade I feel strongly about this.
Doctors and janitors and architects and journalists deserve the money we give to professional musicians. Musicians are hobbyists and nothing more. I do not consider it a noble profession. - zengonzo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1spyrochaete, you have a bizarre worldview.
A song is a commodity. Anything that people are willing to trade for something else is validation of that commodity.
If we want more songs then we have to influence others to continue making songs - be it through sponsorship, promotion or otherwise.
By extension of your reasoning everyone is panhandling because they could simply be forced to do their work by the king's guard instead of fairly compensated for it as they are.
- pwolfe, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3IMO, this is just a band-aid fix at best, and personally I think its even worse than drm. I F-ing hate advertisements.
- jackmaninov, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3It's yet another way to get music. This is a good thing. Just like having a new record store near you is a good thing. Go competition breaking the big music monopolies.
- Technopundit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What is this "record store" you speak of?
- hedgefighter, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Doomed to failure: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/digitalmusic/0,39029432,49290117,00.htm
- ongie, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I just hope my girlfriend doesn't mind the 10-second advertisement when I play Peter Gabriel at full blast outside her window from a boombox I'm holding over my head, decked-out in my tan trenchcoat.
If that tact still works even with these ads, then you can count me in. - xandifenn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0peter's drm free playlist http://www.seeqpod.com/music/?q=peter+gabriel
- wbowen05, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I think this is an excellent idea. We get free music and the artist get paid.
P.S. For those of you crying about the ads you can always fastward 10 seconds on your player and those of you with iTunes can always start the song 10 seconds later under Get Info. - jcdick1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Peter Gabriel is great for coming up with this alternative for all sorts of recording artists ... except himself. I've been to the site, perused the library. Not a single Peter Gabriel tune to be found.
- BigSlacker, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0It will last until scripts start floating around to bypass the 10 second advertisement.
- Phoenixfury, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Honestly this is a compromise I'm willing to live with. Granted I don't like advertisements anymore than the next guy, but I think this is a fair exchange for getting music for free. Look at the bright side in this, after a month passes they allow you to get the same music with out advertisements attached to it. so in my opinion it's a win win situation for music lovers anyway.
- geekcomputing, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0I'll pass on this.
i like my art FILTH free.
i refuse to support in any way any medium that subjects me to spam .. be it music or games.- geoman2k, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0thank you
- ih8apple, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I joined, and am currently listening to Hall and Oats, Bananarama, and Dave Matthews Band....seems like a solid idea. the Ads are 100% un-intrusive and you can actually fast forward through them....but just listen to them, and then once the record labels...i mean artists (yeah right, they dont see any money anyway)...see that the model works, more will follow.
- mookieXL, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Let me guess, ads are at least 12dB louder than track itself.
- ultrahombre, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Welcome to the Big Time.
- ultrahombre, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Knobody legal will ever beat P2P.
The only reason I would even consider going legal is that when you buy legal tracks the ID3 tags are in there, but when you download off of P2P networks often they are missing. - Andreasvb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I tried it, seems pretty good, the ads are not bad, right now it's only their own. I guess it will be other ads when it gets bigger.
Tags are present, it's ID3v1 & ID3v2.3 with some iTunes tags. The quality is only 128 kbps though, which I think is a bit low, 192 kbps would've been much better, but hey, it's free and legal. Overall, a very good idea. - xmuzik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1this is doomed to failure
- Andreasvb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I tried it, seems pretty good. The ads are not bad, right now it's only their own ad that says "Don't steal it, We7 it, it's free". I guess it will be other ads when this gets bigger.
Tags are present, it's ID3v1 & ID3v2.3 with some iTunes tags. The quality is only 128 kbps though, which I think is a bit low, 192 kbps would've been much better, but hey, it's free and legal. Overall, a very good idea. - doogie68, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Overall, sounds like an innovative idea. Might not work, but they're thinking out of the box.
I wonder how the "return to download a clean copy after one month" business is going to work. And of course, once you have the ad-free copy, you could distribute that with impunity all over the place... - TBirdMustang, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I am already signed up!
They have about 15 songs already from artists like Coolio, Dave Matthews, etc...
I have d/led most of them and right now there are NO ads except for 10 sec at the start using We7's catchline
I put it through Audacity (Free Audio Editor) and it is clear, however I will keep it on there to support We7
@mookieXL: the ads arent louder
I would recomennd this.... get off those p2p networks ASAP!.... because the RIAA is in ur Internetz!!!
-TBird- Synapse84, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0exactly what i was thinking reading the title + description.
(MP3 + We7) = Crappy Ads + (Audacity / 10 seconds) = MP3 without Ad...
- Synapse84, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0exactly what i was thinking reading the title + description.
- RickHavoc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It's like radio but:
- higher quality
- you choose the programming
- you get ad-free music after 1 month
- you give artists a reason to put effort into their songs
I see no downside though 192kbps would be better (ogg too). - dogstylee, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Who the ***** is Peter Gabriel?
*consults Wikipedia*
Ah. Who the ***** cares about Peter Gabriel.
"I used to be in Genesis. Buy my mp3s!"
So you people would like to listen to music like this:
*buy our ***** product buy our ***** product buy our ***** product* * music* *buy our ***** product buy our.. * etc.
How long do you think it will take before someone releases a program to automatically strip the ad out of the song? Hell I can do it with some simple shareware in about 10 seconds, so it shouldn't be too complicated to automatically chop the first 10 seconds or so off the front of each mp3, right?
Stick to BitTorrenting. - tlcwater, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Peter Gabriel
Solsbury Hill
Sledgehammer
In Your Eyes
http://www.seeqpod.com/music/?plid=a527f9ff4b- nutzngum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Don't Give Up
Wallflower
Biko
Big Time
- nutzngum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Don't Give Up
- bigtech64, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0I think the "7" is supposed to be an upside-down "L" -- they have a mini banner that reads "don't steal it, we7 it". So I'm assuming it's pronounced like "wheel".
- Andreasvb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1In the ads she say "we seven it"
But if we use the 1337 language... ;)
- Andreasvb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1In the ads she say "we seven it"
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