at 16:56 on August 29, 2006, EST.

TORONTO (CP) - A new downloading website is promising to offer free tunes and videos - legally - through an ad-driven service.

The New York-based company SpiralFrog announced Tuesday that it has signed a deal with Universal Music Group to make Universal's extensive catalogue available for downloading in Canada and the United States.

The only catch is that the target audience - those between the ages of 13 and 34 - would have to sit through advertising in order to access music and videos owned by the company, home to acts including Kanye West, the Killers, Primus and the Pussycat Dolls, and Canadians including Sarah Harmer and Rufus Wainwright.

It was unclear how the ads would be combined with the downloading process, but the tactic was cast as a boon to music nerds and college kids who frequent illegal sites.

"SpiralFrog will offer those consumers a better experience and environment than they can get from any pirate site," SpiralFrog's CEO Robin Kent said Tuesday in a release.

"This is the core audience we will attract by building a music-centric experience and destination that is second to none, legally delivering what the majority of users want - content they pay for only with their time. It's content that advertisers are willing to pay for on their behalf."

Kent said Universal Music Group benefits from the deal by sharing in the advertising income streams, but details of how the revenue would be split was not revealed.

The announcement follows years of litigation battles over downloading on both sides of the border.

SpiralFrog's audio and video content will include "digital rights management technology" to prevent illegal sharing of the downloaded music and videos, the company said.

SpiralFrog will launch in beta later this year.

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On the web: www.spiralfrog.com


©The Canadian Press, 2006

don't tell prince

purplerein said:

Why would he mind, he'd still be getting paid for his music.