Let's see now...
Dumb-ass doc-com name? Check.
Unclear revenue stream? Check.
Poor understanding of user behavior? Check.
Windows-only dumb-ass DRM? Check.
Add 'em all up, and you get this:
Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company, has agreed to make its entire library of songs available for free Internet download as long as consumers watch advertisements while downloading the tune.The experiment between Universal Music and New York startup SpiralFrog marks a significant shift for an industry that has long sought to force people to pay for music.
SpiralFrog will allow people to download any Universal Music song free of charge, as long as they watch one 90-second advertisement per song. Video downloads will require viewing a two-minute ad. Additionally, users must log onto the Web site once a month and watch additional ads or the songs cease to play.
In return, users can listen to songs, ad-free, as many times as desired on a computer, portable music player or music-enabled cell phone equipped with Microsoft Windows digital rights management software.
However, the service will not work with Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh computers or its market-leading iPod music players.
Um... yeah. The kids'll really dig it, they think!
SpiralFrog hopes that young consumers will be attracted to the service because it's free."The currency we're using is time," SpiralFrog Chairman Joe Mohen said. "Young people are already downloading free songs illegally on peer-to-peer networks. We believe that advertisers will pay to show those consumers ads, and that those payments will rival what music companies get from iTunes or other online retailers."
Again, the catch:
SpiralFrog's site is expected to go online this year. When it does, users will be able to save downloaded tunes to a hard drive or portable music player. They won't be allowed to burn songs to a CD. Users also will have to visit the SpiralFrog Web site once a month to watch more ads. Otherwise, digital locks on the music will make it inaccessible.
Not to mention — how the heck are they going to make that much money on advertising?
Personally, I'm sticking to Emusic, and tunes that I can play anywhere.
On a side note: what the heck kind of name is SpiralFrog? Is the new trend to add a movement or direction to an animal's name, run the two words together, and call it a company? In that case, I'd better hop on the bandwagon! Here are some suggestions. Remember, you saw them here first!
DownwardDog (oops, the Yoga folks came up with that one first)
DiagonalZebra
PerpendicularPuma
DescendingDalmatian
UpYourAssCheetah
So there are your names! Sorry, if you want to come up with a dumb business idea to go with, you're on your own...
