iMesh unveils legitimate file-swapping service
After free trial period, users must pay to download songs
Monday, November 07, 2005
Dawn C . Chmielewski
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
One of the former bete noires of Internet file-swapping, iMesh, has been reborn as a strictly legit online file-swapping service.
This music-industry-approved version of iMesh manages to capture the guilty pleasure that is file-swapping. You can find virtually any song or video clip you can name.
And for a limited trial period, itÂ’s absolutely free.
This is the feat that the original fileswapping phenomenon, Napster, failed to pull off with its October 2003 reintroduction as a licensed music service.
But aficionados of file-swapping services will doubtless find frustration with the reincarnated iMesh, because you can’t burn popular songs to a CD without first buying the tracks. And you can’t buy any music yet — although iMesh says that’s only days away.
Even that long-time staple of file-swapping — community elements that let you chat with other people online — is unavailable for another 30 days.
iMesh will remain free for the next month or two, as it attempts to coax its 5 million active visitors to download the latest version of the software, which contains new features — including those designed to prevent music piracy.
Within 60 days, iMesh plans to begin charging a monthly subscription fee of $6.95 for access to its online catalog.
As with other subscription services, such as RealNetworksÂ’ Rhapsody or Yahoo! Music, this flat monthly fee entitles you to listen to an unlimited number of tracks on your computer. You can even take songs with you on a portable music player, so long as it uses MicrosoftÂ’s Plays for Sure technology.
If you plan to burn a copy of Fiona AppleÂ’s new release, Extraordinary Machine, to CD, youÂ’ll need to purchase the individual tracks for 99 cents each.
The new iMesh bears a striking resemblance to Apple’s iTunes store — right down to its look.
Starting up the program brings up an opening page that highlights new releases, such as the new recordings by Franz Ferdinand and Cheryl Crow; and lists the most popularly downloaded albums and songs. It even recommends playlists by genre, say, British Invasion II Britpop
collection.
If youÂ’re looking for a music service that makes sophisticated music recommendations, based on your listening habits, youÂ’ll be disappointed. As with all other file-swapping applications, youÂ’ll need to know what you want when you go online.
There are significant differences between iMesh and other online music services.
iMesh remains connected to the venerable Gnutella file-swapping network, so youÂ’ll also find up to 20 million songs that are free for the taking.
For anybody who abandoned Napster when the recording industry embarked on its campaign of suing people for copyright infringement, this is a welcome return to the freedom of try-it-before-you-buy-it.