Wierd

[andrewducker]

There's recently been a little fanfare about PlayLouder, an ISP which allows you to legally share music, then sees how much music is shared and pays some of your monthly subscription to the rights owners.

It seems to work by redirecting P2P stuff so that it only works internally, and then scanning the packets to learn what you're sharing.

So far as I can make out, the functionality is the same as a regular ADSL connection + Napster's subscription model.  Except that they aren't actually making the music available themselves, just allowing you to share your own, which means you'll be really stuck to actually find anything even slightly obscure.  They haven't made it clear whether there's any DRM on the music either, which would just make it a lose, lose situation all round.

I can't see any positive side to this _at all_.  Anyone care to illuminate me?

Comments

[flickgc.livejournal.com]

I believe* it also allows you to legally DL those labels' tracks from anywhere, thus soothing your conscience.

* drplokta said, when he was telling me about it.

[andrewducker]

They've already said that they will redirect all P2P stuff to point internally to their network. Which means you're stuck downloading P2P from other people also subscribed to them.

From their webpage:
PLMSP employs specially configured routers and firewall technology using 'deep packet searches' to identify and re-route all file sharing traffic. This process ensures that file sharing can occur only between subscribers within the PLMSP "walled garden".

Also:
Only an ISP is licensable in this way because only an ISP can control the network itself to prevent P2P traffic from escaping into the internet and only the ISP can monitor the network to ensure that all P2P downloads are accounted for, even those going direct from one user to another

If they wanted to allow legal downloading, then a central website with a subscription would seem better for the users...

[flickgc.livejournal.com]

Ah, fair enough. I don't know, then.

[drplokta]

The article on BoingBoing, which resulted from direct conversations with PlayLouder's senior people, is explicit that PlayLouder customers can download music from anywhere, not just their own network, and thay can share music as they do at present. The only intervention that PlayLouder make is to filter Sony tracks out so that those tracks, and only those tracks, can't leave the PlayLouder network. PlayLouder's own website is less clear on these issues. But assuming BoingBoing has got it right, then the situation is as I stated.

[andrewducker]

Well that makes a _lot_ more sense.

_If_ the BoingBoing article is correct and the website isn't, it sounds like a fantastic idea (and the best way of sorting the music sharing 'problem').

I am, however, going to wait and see whether the actual service works that well. I'm a tad nervous about how well it's going to work until a fair number of people are signed up, but we'll see. If they could get Telewest signed up, I'd be rather happy...