TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Snocap Opens to Independent Artists

Snocap Opens to Independent Artists

Lisa Minter (lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com)
Mon, 13 Jun 2005 10:18:14 -0500

The online music service Snocap said on Monday that it would allow
independent artists and small record labels to register their songs to
receive payment when they are traded over Internet "peer-to-peer"
networks.

Snocap, the latest venture of Napster founder Shawn Fanning, uses
digital "fingerprint" technology to identify songs that are swapped
online.

Peer-to-peer networks can use Snocap to block unauthorized copies of
songs and replace them with protected versions that can be controlled
by their owners.

Only one peer-to-peer service has signed up to use Snocap so far, but
the company says it is in talks with others.

Snocap officials hope that existing peer-to-peer services like Kazaa
and LimeWire will turn to Snocap as a way to end their legal battles
with recording companies and convert the millions of songs that are
copied over their networks into a steady revenue stream.

Three out of the four major labels -- Universal Music Group, (EAUG.PA)
Sony BMG (6758.T)(BERT.UL) and EMI Group Plc (EMI.L) -- have
registered their songs with Snocap, as have larger independent labels
like TVT and Rykodisc. Snocap said it is in talks with the fourth
major label, Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE:WMG - news).

Snocap founder Fanning first shot to notoriety when he turned the
music industry upside down with Napster, the first software program
that allowed users to copy music from each others' hard drives for
free.

Napster has since been relaunched as an industry-approved download
service.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

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