[darktruth]

A RADICAL online music service offering free song downloads will launch today.

File-sharing site QTrax, funded by advertisers and backed by the pop industry, will begin with five million songs - similar to online music store iTunes.

And its Melbourne pioneer says he plans to eventually deliver about 25 million free songs.

The site, launched in Cannes, France, with stars James Blunt and LL Cool J, could signal the death knell for CDs and challenge iTunes.

"This will profoundly change music " QTrax chief Allan Klepfisz said.

"Once the genie is out of the bottle, the industry won't turn back. It's time for free music."

Big record companies, which have sued file sharing or peer-to-peer sites, back QTrax, which has licensing agreements with EMI, SonyBMG, Universal Music and Warner Music.

Mr Klepfisz, 52, of Camberwell, has been working on QTrax for eight years, first in Melbourne and then in New York.

Artists and record labels were supporting QTrax to stem a losing fight against stolen music, and QTrax would compensate artists, unlike illegal music download sites, he said.

Record companies would get an equal split of advertising revenue and royalty fees from Qtrax. After launching, download free music from http://www.qtrax.com

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0...62,00.html

This is interesting...Qtrax compensating the artists while it allows users to download music from major artists for free. What do you guys think?