Industry News

Kazaa relaunches as a legit music download service

Kazaa, once a peer-to-peer file sharing site at the centre of many copyright lawsuits, has officially been re-launched as a legal subscription music service. The new online payments model, being run by new owner Brilliant Digital Entertainment (BDE), allows registered users to download unlimited music mp3 files for US$19.98 per month.

However, the new subscription package is only for PCs, meaning the files won’t play on an iPod or any other portable music device and once a subscription is terminated, access to the downloaded music ends.

The new service marks a significant change for Kazza, whose turbulent past includes a $100 million legal battle against four major record labels for copyright infringement over its former file sharing network.

In 2006, Kazaa agreed to settle with Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, EMI Group and Warner Music Group, all of which claimed Kazaa's former owner, Sharman Networks, allowed its users to breach copyright laws by sharing and swapping songs.
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Warner and YouTube still in talks over deal

Warner Music Group is still in talks with video sharing site YouTube to license its artists' music videos, as negotiations over payment reached an impasse. Videos from Warner artists like Madonna and Green Day were removed from YouTube last December after both sides were unable to agree on financial terms for the licensing rights. While talks are still ongoing no imminent announcements are expected. "We are working actively to find a resolution with YouTube that would enable the return of our artists' content to the site," Warner said in a statement.

Warner Music, the world's third largest music company, was among the first major music companies to sign a deal with YouTube. As chief executive, Warner Music's Edgar Bronfman is keen to improve terms of his previous deal with YouTube. Warner still makes videos available to MTV, MySpace Music and other sites.

The video sharing site is regarded by music industry insiders as one of the most important music discovery tools for fans. It has more than 100 million visitors every month in the United States alone and is just as popular in many other countries.
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