For more background info, look at
this presentation. You can find some interesting info there.
At first sight, the deal looks great: unlimited MP3 downloads for $49 a year, and there are quite some mainstream artists present in their catalog. My first thoughts were "Where's the catch ? How can this be 100% legal ?".
Well, I noticed that there are some downsides:
- Their catalog is - at his moment - a bit limited compared to e.g. the iTunes catalog.
- There are quite some restrictions (check out the slides about "how do we protect the material"): they can restrict the time period a song is available, or they can restrict certain geographical locations (I fear this may restrict a lot of music for non-US citizens). They also mention "This can be changed to fit release schedules and reflect each recording’s value in the marketplace." So how this will work out in practice is anyone's guess.
- Ads. Lots of them. According to the presentation, there will be five adds on the screen at any time. Let's hope they don't sneak any spyware into it.
They do have a sense of humour, though:
- If you want a Linux or Mac client, you can send an e-mail to enoughbillgatesalready@wippit.com.
- On the "about" page, they mention "Wippit is approved by the Music Industry, meaning that all the poor, struggling, limo riding, multi-millionaire, diamond toothed artists and writers get paid".
Anyway, I don't think I will sign up for it just yet, but I'm curious to hear other people's experiences with this system. I'll keep an eye on it.
