New Site Claims To Offer Legal Music Downloads - Recording Industry Disagrees

from the try-again dept

Thanks to a large (American-based) PR campaign, a new music download service from Spain is getting a ton of press. They claim that they're offering completely legal downloads of a large number of unrestricted MP3s - without getting permission of the music labels. They say it's still completely legal, because Spanish law says they only need to get the permission of the Spanish authors' and performers' rights societies, which they have done. This allows them to offer music from artists who have been notoriously stingy when it comes to working with online music providers. The company claims that they'll be paying royalties back to the artists. They're charging fees based on how long you use the system and at what time. So, for example, on a weekday night between midnight and 8am, you can get unlimited downloads for $4, but the same time frame over the weekend will run you $10. The prices, of course, will seem high to anyone using a free file sharing system. As for the legality, that's still very much up in the air, and there's a good chance the company will get shut down fairly quickly. A similar company in Spain has gone through a series of lawsuits and lost every one. The recording industry will attack this company with everything they've got.

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