SpiralFrog's "free" music download service goes live

SpiralFrog, the badly named, ad-supported music and video download portal has gone live today after months of beta testing, or so we're told. The site allows users to legally and freely download media from a catalogue of over 800,000 songs and 3,500 videos (most provided by Apple ship-jumper Universal Music Group, as mentioned way back in August 2006), and requires only that users register on the site and log in once a month (otherwise the DRM'd files go belly up). It's not all lollipops and rainbows, however, as just mentioned, the files are full of nasty, fun-murdering DRM which prevents your new tunes from being burned onto a CD. In other gloomy news, SpiralFrog's content won't work on your Mac or your iPod, and can only be placed on two media players or phones at a time. "We believe it will be a very powerful alternative to the pirate sites," said company chairman Joe Mohen, adding, "With SpiralFrog you know what you're getting." Yes Joe, and we know what we're not getting, too.

[billy bob thorton @ Sep 17th 2007 11:54AM]

the site is overloaded at the moment. i guess everyone got word at the sme time. It took almost 2 minutes to load the register screen.

[Zach @ Sep 17th 2007 11:57AM]

just wait until the DRM is broken for it then I'll consider

[Tavis Veighey @ Sep 17th 2007 1:35PM]

Maybe you should READ other comments before you comment yourself...

FairUse4WM - Google it!

[rlh82 @ Sep 17th 2007 11:59AM]

Good, I was just going to ask if FarUse4WM would work with these files. This makes it entirely okay as far as I'm concerned. The label/bands will still get their cut of the ad revenue, and I get to play my songs on whatever device (or, gasp, cd) that I want.

[dataminer49er @ Sep 17th 2007 12:00PM]

Wow, who was the marketing mastermind that decided to dis the 100 million iPod users. SpiralFrog can stick the music somewhere else. I'll take my music DRM free.

[L @ Sep 17th 2007 12:25PM]

I think it was Apple who decided that they will be the only ones providing DRMed music forthe iPod, and the record labels that decided that they just have to have DRM to annoy their customers...

I'm still waiting for that Amazon MP3 store - DRM-free, standard MP3's at a good price sound good to me.

And maybe we'll see DRM-free FLAC files sold for an OK price at some point. That'll be the moment at which I'll seriously start considering to buy music online, and not before.

[ToonPac @ Sep 17th 2007 12:59PM]

Meh I doubt those sheep would catch on to anything like this...

Although engadget does seem very ipodphilic...

[Scott @ Sep 17th 2007 2:07PM]

toon, this won't work with Zune either, so I guess you'll have to take your apple-hatin' logic to another article.

[Chris @ Sep 17th 2007 12:06PM]

*cough*analog-loophole*cough*
or FairUse4WM, whatever

[paragraph @ Sep 17th 2007 1:07PM]

always been there, always will ;)

serously, this will last a whole 3 months until they realize A) it doesn't work, and B) iPod Users want in on the action too.

Slow loading for me right now, i'll have to take a look at the selection and try it out before i totally shun it, but no iPod Support means a sad service... then again, as it's been said, there are loopholes.

[Derry Quinn @ Sep 17th 2007 12:20PM]

Nota available in Europe :( Proxy for me I suppose

[Steve Jobs @ Sep 17th 2007 12:25PM]

Is drm on audio files even worth anyones time? Imagine the poor development team that worked to create the DRM for spiral frog, those poor bastards had to do their job knowing with 100% certainty that the effort was futile.

So bring it on spiralfrog we'll just rip your fuckin DRM right off and go on our merry way!

[bane @ Sep 17th 2007 4:10PM]

man,
after whinning for years that there is available download that will suit you.
now a company makes it, and for free.
yet the rights have to be paid in a way: thus the restrictions.
and instead of greeting this with cheers, all you do is jump right into wanting to screw them, by stripping down the small restrictions (2 music players, and 1 computer. with login once a month, that will cover the add revenue)

for the first time in my life I would side with the majors: you suck man.
and with guys like you, the company will at the end be out of work: back to paying a fortune for tracks, or do it illegally.

now we know for sure, that when you downloaded illegally, it was not ffor the high price, not for the drm stuff, not even doing it because there was no proper way put in place. it was just you trying willingly to get for free what has a cost anyway: stealing.

sad: after years of majors not embrassing the digital age. they finally did. and there you come not embracing it properly yourself.
maybe they were right all these years???

[bobartig @ Sep 17th 2007 4:07PM]

They're just using an implementation of Microsoft's WM DRM, aren't they? It's no extra work for their engineers, since the stuff is already written and out there for 'safeguarding' digital files. Just gotta license it.

[Steve @ Sep 17th 2007 12:36PM]

Does anyone read anyone else's before they post? First commenter already said that the files work with FairUse, and everyone after him is like "I'm gonna wait till they crack the DRM!" or "Wait till the hackers get a load of this!"

[Preston @ Sep 17th 2007 12:43PM]

The videos have the Spiral Frog logo in the bottom right of the screen. That sucks, but at least they're free. Are there any other video download services?

[Nick Bee @ Sep 17th 2007 12:44PM]

No Mac Support, No Thanks.

[Z @ Sep 17th 2007 12:52PM]

I wonder why they dont support Macs or iPods, trying to please a certain brand by ignoring those millions of iPod users?

My bet is that most of those songs downloaded would most likely ended up being played on an iPod anyways.

[Paul Bennett @ Sep 17th 2007 12:48PM]

Before I bother, can anyone tell us what quality the tracks are? i.e. 128, 192kb?

I think SpiralFrog's business model would have been pretty welcome a year ago, but now that DRM-free legal files are available this is too little too late.

Personally, I still buy and rip CDs to a lossless for audio-quality and DRM reasons.

[rlh82 @ Sep 17th 2007 1:09PM]

128 kbps WMA files

[Balzac2m @ Sep 17th 2007 12:48PM]

Does anyone of a somewhat big site, where you can download music which is free. Like Creative Commons-free, not Torrent-free?
Good search would be nice.
I won't download anything DRM-infested. Thanks.

[David Baxtin @ Sep 17th 2007 1:02PM]

no thanks, have torrents, drm free, album art, high quality, done

[Blackster @ Sep 17th 2007 1:16PM]

oh wow great.
illegal downloads -> music-torrents aren't legal

here you can get something free, without fearing to get busted for music for christ sake :-p

[David Baxtin @ Sep 17th 2007 1:19PM]

Clearly you cannot read. I never mentioned "legal" at all in my comment.

[Blackster @ Sep 17th 2007 1:34PM]

i can, you simply didn't get my point. that's all!

[OnimushaSoki @ Sep 17th 2007 3:23PM]

He's basically saying that while downloading DRM-free, no-cost music and video is seemingly easier; the method you're using obviously not legal... and risks yourself of legal trouble.

Of the legal music/video downloading, this seems like a decent solution. But it wouldn't be hard in the least to just playback the downloaded tracks with an audio/video feed to another recordable source.

"Nothing's fully secure."

[Bob Clair @ Sep 17th 2007 9:58PM]

I just made it legal and no one I know has gotten in trouble if you are not a mass seeder. I won't have DRM trash or players on my machine.

[Pete @ Sep 17th 2007 1:02PM]

So much for "beta" testing...

Server Error in '/' Application.
---------------------------------------------------

Runtime Error

Site is DOWN.

[Richard Ahlquist @ Sep 17th 2007 3:32PM]

No more poorly named than Napster.

[xj @ Sep 17th 2007 1:28PM]

heading for a "downward spiral" if you ask me.

[bob e @ Sep 17th 2007 1:56PM]

Will these babies work on my Zune?

[theycallmetak @ Sep 17th 2007 3:46PM]

How about using iTunes or spiralfrog or lala or last.fm or whatever, Amazon if you have to to check out the tracks, then buying the music either online or used. Then you get to endcode it yourself to whatever format / bitrate you desire without DRM issues. Or is that just too much work?

[GazzyC @ Sep 17th 2007 2:52PM]

A gift for all of us I guess! DRM does not exist when you play the DRM restricted song, connect Minidisc recorder to spudif or analogue and hit the record button! Keep it forever, its yours, fuck the fat cats!

[Shan @ Sep 17th 2007 3:21PM]

With regards to the following:

1. Cannot be burned to CD.
2. Can only be uploaded to 2 devices.
3. Does not work on ipod.

The solution is simple - just use FairUse to strip the DRM and voila - use one of the billion WMA to MP3 etc converters out there and then you can burn them, upload to every device you have - as many times as you want and add it to iTunes and then onto your ipod. Sure you will lose some quality in the conversion - but once you strip the DRM - you can do whatever you want with the files - Zune, iPod .. go wild kids!

Now no more "can i play it on xxx device" comments ok people? :)

[pauly @ Sep 17th 2007 3:27PM]

Try Other Music for DRM free music!
Great service, great music at a fair price.
No I don't work there, just think they have a great product.
http://www.othermusic.com/

[billy bob thorton @ Sep 17th 2007 3:27PM]

Some of you are so stupid it hurts my head. It's a free service. What part of free don't you understand?

Windows Digital Rights Management is not supported by Apple Macintosh computers. Macintosh supports the AAC Digital Rights Management, but it is closed to Apple's own use only.

Granted the dumbest of all is Microsoft for not supporting their own "plays for sure" standard.

Creative players play the files just fine and are immune to the BS of Microsoft and Apple.

[Eric @ Sep 17th 2007 5:43PM]

AAC is an open Mpeg 4 standard. You meant Apple's "FairPlay" DRM, which makes any version of Windows Media DRM look like it was designed by the Marquis de Sade.

[yoshi @ Sep 17th 2007 6:45PM]

"Some of you are so stupid it hurts my head. It's a free service. What part of free don't you understand?....Macintosh supports the AAC Digital Rights Management...."

Talk about being stupid....AAC isn't a Digital Rights Management scheme.

[billy bob thorton @ Sep 17th 2007 7:10PM]

No I meant exactly what I said. you guys just want to post something contrary but really the same so you'll look smarter. No part of that statement is untrue. Just because I didn't use the marketed name "FairPlay". I can't believe I'm wasting time on this. I must be really bored. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairPlay

[bobartig @ Sep 17th 2007 4:07PM]

@ rlh82: So, this DRM laden music rental scheme is only ok with you because you can strip the DRM and pirate the music anyway? Just stick to bittorrent, its just as legal!

[PEZ @ Sep 17th 2007 6:22PM]

Why does engadget have to be so "matter of fact" like in most of the posts. We know the world isnt perfect, dont try the punch those companies who try to make things a little easier for those who dont own certain electronic brands. EWWEEEWWEEEEWWWwe

[Benjamin @ Sep 17th 2007 4:55PM]

seriously... as others have mentioned... this is free. IE free beer. Legal. What part of that do you not get? Yeah it has DRM, but what do you expect? I think this is the best damn thing I've seen in a while. Sure I'll rip it w/ fairuse4wm if it doesn't work on my gigabeat, but regardless I think its cool and I applaud them for making a service like this. I'm tired of worrying about getting busted for downloading illegal shit and getting busted. The record industry is finally getting it! If only they'd just have a conglomerate site of all the major labels and sell direct for $.50 a pop. drm free. Now that'd be a crazy success. And would totally cut out microsoft, apple and everyone else thats leaching off the system.

[outlawtartan @ Sep 17th 2007 5:09PM]

Why doesn't everyone just get up and go to the store and by the CD and then GASP!, you'd have your own copies of the music and you can do whatever you want with those songs like you were able to do before the internet came along! Let's see the RIAA tell you to stop making copies of CDs!

Common sense people....really, find some. The effort in doing so isn't as bad as you think.

....of course some of you argue that you have a right to download free music from your favorite bands (cause we know the day when a iTunes song will play on a SanDisk player without any DRM stripping software or hacking, will come.) Right....that foil hat on straight?

[Don @ Sep 17th 2007 5:21PM]

Tried it, liked it. Never thought I'd say this, but that song "Ayo Technology (pornography)" is actually catchy.

[cvolkerts @ Sep 17th 2007 8:35PM]

Well looks like their months of betatesting didn't quite prepare them for the hordes of folks who would be swarming the site to take a look-see. After getting the main page once and then trying to get to the registration page and timing out again and again, I can't even get the site to come up at all anymore -- el crasho. Been down for a few hours now I think. I like the idea of this and since I don't use an ipod (a card carrying hatah) I, um, don't care if they can use it or not. Course since no one can use it right now that isn't as helpful as I would like it to be.

[cvolkerts @ Sep 17th 2007 8:37PM]

And of course -- seconds after I post this -- site is back up and all snappy and speedy and responsive and such. SO there you go.

[Benjamin @ Sep 17th 2007 9:11PM]

nah its still having some growing pains... probably be a few days before its stable and quick as people catch on. Kinda surprised that a site backed by such major labels is so poorly hosted though. But hey, if youtube had the kind of traffic it has today on the first day it'd be sunk too.

[Sporkinum @ Sep 17th 2007 11:14PM]

SpiralFrog is already circling the drain. Crappy DRM need I say more?

[droe @ Sep 18th 2007 6:52PM]

TUNEBITE, you idiots. This does more for pirating than the CEO thinks!

[James @ Sep 18th 2007 9:00PM]

"and we know what we're not getting, too."

...um, indicted by the RIAA? Seriously, if you were paying for the DRM, that would be one thing, but beggars can't be choosers. Ad-supported "free" stuff can be DRM'd all they want, I'll just choose for myself whether I want to take it or leave it. Very whiny article, Engadget...