Spiralfrog
Encyclopedia
SpiralFrog was a music download
service based in New York
that launched in the United States
and Canada
on September 17, 2007. SpiralFrog offered free and legal music downloads, all supported by advertising, and was the largest site of its kind in North America. On March 19, 2009, SpiralFrog terminated operations due to loan recalls.
, allowing free download of its music. The ads were presented in the form of banner ads much like any news website rather than in the form of popups or adware. Songs downloaded from the service could not be burned to a CD, put on more than two portable devices and would not work on Mac OS X
or the Apple iPod
, iPhone
, or the Microsoft
Zune
. However, they would work with any digital audio player or music phone that supports WMA PlaysForSure subscription services. Customers had to visit the site at least once every 60 days and renew their license by signing in or downloading a song, and the songs would work for sixty days after the last license renewal. In the event that the license should expire, it could always be renewed at a later date to restore function to the tracks. For songs that were on portable devices, the device had to be synced with a computer once every 60 days to keep the songs active. In addition to music, Spiralfrog had 5000+ music videos also available for free at 300Kbps streaming or 1000Kbps if you chose to download it. Spiralfrog boasted approximately 800,000 songs upon its launch and offered more than 3 million tracks for download. When active Spiralfrog.com had 3,000,000+ songs and 5,000+ music videos available for free download, and at peak had more than 6,000,000 monthly visitors, and 2.6 million registered users.
, Canada
and in Britain
.
. Joe Mohen, then chairman and founder of SpiralFrog Inc. stated: "With SpiralFrog you know what you're getting ... there's no threat of viruses, adware or spyware; We believe it will be a very powerful alternative to the pirate sites." At initial launch, it offered 800,000 tracks and 3,500 music videos for download (by way of Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group
).
. DRM does not allow burning music to a CD but allows sideloading
music to up to two portable audio devices. Music from SpiralFrog was not compatible with the Apple iPod or Microsoft's Zune.
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
service based in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
that launched in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on September 17, 2007. SpiralFrog offered free and legal music downloads, all supported by advertising, and was the largest site of its kind in North America. On March 19, 2009, SpiralFrog terminated operations due to loan recalls.
Business model
SpiralFrog was entirely supported by advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, allowing free download of its music. The ads were presented in the form of banner ads much like any news website rather than in the form of popups or adware. Songs downloaded from the service could not be burned to a CD, put on more than two portable devices and would not work on Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
or the Apple iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, or the Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Zune
Zune
Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...
. However, they would work with any digital audio player or music phone that supports WMA PlaysForSure subscription services. Customers had to visit the site at least once every 60 days and renew their license by signing in or downloading a song, and the songs would work for sixty days after the last license renewal. In the event that the license should expire, it could always be renewed at a later date to restore function to the tracks. For songs that were on portable devices, the device had to be synced with a computer once every 60 days to keep the songs active. In addition to music, Spiralfrog had 5000+ music videos also available for free at 300Kbps streaming or 1000Kbps if you chose to download it. Spiralfrog boasted approximately 800,000 songs upon its launch and offered more than 3 million tracks for download. When active Spiralfrog.com had 3,000,000+ songs and 5,000+ music videos available for free download, and at peak had more than 6,000,000 monthly visitors, and 2.6 million registered users.
Music selection
SpiralFrog had licensing agreements with most major music owners in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
-
- EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Music Publishing - BMIBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
- Universal Music GroupUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
- Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights AgencyCanadian Musical Reproduction Rights AgencyThe Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. is a music licensing agency based in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1975, CMRRA is a non-profit organization which represents music publishers and music copyright owners. On their behalf, CMRRA issues licenses authorizing the reproduction of...
(CMRRA-SODRAC Inc., CSI) (The licensing agency which represents authors and music publishers and licenses the reproduction of their songs in Canada to online music distribution services.) - Sony/ATV Music PublishingSony/ATV Music PublishingSony/ATV Music Publishing is a music publishing company co-owned by The Michael Jackson Family Trust and Sony. The organisation was originally founded as Associated TeleVision in 1955 by Lew Grade. In 1957, ATV acquired Pye Records as a wholly owned subsidiary...
- KOCH RecordsKoch RecordsE1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is the largest independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name E1 Universal...
- Helene Blue
- GoDigital Media Group
- Kudos Records
- Click Record Productions
- IODAIODAIODA is an abbreviation that may refer to:* Independent Online Distribution Alliance, a digital distribution company* International Optimist Dinghy Association, see Optimist...
- INgroovesINgroovesIngrooves is a San Francisco-based, global digital distribution and music licensing company that provides various distribution, marketing, publishing and administrative services for selected independent record labels and recording artists, film and video companies, print media publishers and...
digital distributor - The Orchard digital distributor
- EMI
Launching
On September 17, 2007, SpiralFrog.com formally launched in United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Joe Mohen, then chairman and founder of SpiralFrog Inc. stated: "With SpiralFrog you know what you're getting ... there's no threat of viruses, adware or spyware; We believe it will be a very powerful alternative to the pirate sites." At initial launch, it offered 800,000 tracks and 3,500 music videos for download (by way of Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
).
File formats
SpiralFrog utilized 128 kbit/s which is the standard for most digital music stores such as the Walmart digital music store or 192 kbit/s (for more complex songs that would otherwise sound distorted) Windows Media Audio files wrapped in Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRMDigital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
. DRM does not allow burning music to a CD but allows sideloading
Sideloading
Sideloading is a term used in Internet culture, similar to "upload" and "download", but in reference to the process of transferring data between two local devices, in particular between a computer and a mobile device such as a cellphone, smartphone, PDA, or portable media player.Sideloading...
music to up to two portable audio devices. Music from SpiralFrog was not compatible with the Apple iPod or Microsoft's Zune.
Competition
- QtraxQtraxQtrax is an advertiser-supported free music download service based in New York. The company is best known for the controversy following its launch attempt in January 2008...
is purported to be a legal peer-to-peer (P2P) music service that plans to offer ad-supported music tracks. A major launch event held at the Cannes Music Festival in January 2008 fell flat when it was discovered that Qtrax had effectively signed no agreements with any of the four major music labels. Since Midem, Qtrax has signed with EMI & Universal Music Group for recording rights and EMI, Warner Chappell, Sony/ATV and UMG/BMG for publishing. Qtrax has over 800,000 tracks, however, music can only be played within the Qtrax client and cannot be transferred to a portable device.
- imeemImeemThe online service imeem was a social media web site where users interacted with each other by streaming, uploading and sharing music and music videos...
is currently operating a free advertising supported streaming music service which follows a user generated content model. imeem has music from all the major labels in addition to a number of indie labels. Imeem, however, does not enable transfer to a portable music device.
- We7We7we7 is a free, advertising supported, music streaming service, with over 6.8 million tracks available for streaming in the UK and Ireland, with content from all four major record labels, and most independent labels and distributors. Most tracks and albums are also available to purchase from the...
is a UK based ad-supported music service co-founded by Peter GabrielPeter GabrielPeter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, a digital music pioneer. It offers streaming of full tracks from mixture of mainstream international artists and indie artists from Sony BMG, V2, Sanctuary Records, Big Fish Media, IRIS, InGrooves, BFM Digital, and some free downloads.
- Ruckus NetworkRuckus NetworkRuckus was a free ad-supported online music service available to students at all American colleges.The service was founded in 2003 by Vincent Han and David Galper; raised $41.5M from Battery Ventures, Shelter Capital, and others; was acquired in 2008 by Total Music, a joint venture between Sony and...
was a free ad-supported online music serviceOnline music storeAn online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
available to students at all AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
collegeCollegeA college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s. With its official launch in September 2004, Ruckus became the first online music serviceOnline music storeAn online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
focused exclusively on the collegeCollegeA college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
market. Ruckus used Microsoft's Windows Media DRM system, allowing the possibility of loading files onto compatible PlayForSureMicrosoft PlaysForSureStarting in 2004, Microsoft PlaysForSure was a certification given by Microsoft to portable devices and content services that had been tested against several hundred compatibility and performance requirements. These requirements include codec support, DRM support, UI responsiveness, device...
portable media players. Their service offered over 3 million tracks free to its users. However, in February 2009, Ruckus announced that its services will no longer be available.
- RCRD LBLRCRD LBLRCRD LBL is the premier online destination for free, curated, legal MP3 downloads from the hottest marquee and emergent artists. RCRD LBL delivers free music downloads and more directly to readers with multiple personalized email properties, including the RCRD of the Day email newsletter, RCRD...
which is part music website, part social networking website and allows downloads of songs in DRMDigital rights managementDigital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
-free MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format rather than copy-protected songs, and publishes some of them under a Creative CommonsCreative CommonsCreative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
license that allows the individual to legally share it with their friends for non-commercial purposes.
- SpotifySpotifySpotify is a Swedish-founded, UK-headquartered DRM-based music streaming service offering streaming of selected music from a range of major and independent record labels, including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group, and Universal. Launched in October 2008 by Swedish startup Spotify AB, the service had...
is a proprietary music streaming program, which allows instant listening to specific tracks or albums with almost no buffering delay.
Demise and Shut Down
- On Friday March 20, 2009 at 4:00 PDT, Spiral Frog servers shut down for good. Unnamed sources say that the music provider supposedly tried to borrow at least $9 million last year to stay in business . Its shut down comes on the heels of another ad-supported music provider, Ruckus, which was geared toward college students.
- Spiralfrog announced that the downloaded music it provided will play for sixty days, after which time the license will expire and any music downloaded will no longer work.