SpiralFrog.com, an ad-supported Web site that allows visitors to download music and videos free of charge, was scheduled to launch Monday in the U.S. and Canada after months of “beta” testing, reports the AP.
The music service, which has arranged to pay record companies a cut of its advertising revenue, aims to lure music fans who normally flock to online file-swapping networks to share and download music for free. The recording industry has sued thousands of computer users for doing so in recent years.
“We believe it will be a very powerful alternative to the pirate sites,” said Joe Mohen, chairman and founder of New York-based SpiralFrog Inc. “With SpiralFrog you know what you’re getting … there’s no threat of viruses, adware or spyware.”
To deter users from posting copies of songs and videos they get from SpiralFrog, the service requires that users register and log on to the site at least once a month. Otherwise, the content locks up and can’t be played.
The Web site’s registration screen queries users on demographic filters such as their age, gender and ZIP code. The information is used to determine what kind of ads the users see when they are on the site.
Meanwhile, Nokia is expanding its online consumer service with its acquisition of Enpocket, a specialist in the delivery of targeted mobile advertising. According to The Register, Enpocket is a leader in mobile advertising, using technologies such as MMS, WAP, and streaming video services to get the message out to mobile phones. The company has carried out ad campaigns for PepsiCo, Ford, Toyota and Snapple.
The Twango service, acquired by Nokia in July, was founded by former Microsoft veterans, and headquartered in Redmond, Washington. It allows users to share photos, video or audio files on popular social networking sites
Last month, Nokia unveiled a new music store and gaming service, and said it would wrap them with a mapping service under the new brand “Ovi“, a Finnish word for “door”.
Nokia’s S60 software platform is used extensively in Nokia’s line-up of mid- to high-end phones, but also in advanced handsets of LG Electronics and Samsung phones. Its closest rival is Microsoft’s Windows Mobile.
Revenues from running networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo on cell phones are expected to rise sharply in coming years as so-called “user-generated content”, once a niche concept, starts to win mass appeal.
Yahoo is testing an experimental social network service called Mash, apparently designed to lure users away from rivals Facebook and MySpace.
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