New Music Player to Spread Files Wirelessly

PontifexPrimus writes "A new P2P / media player project could allow mobile music devices to automatically transfer media files from other players running the same software. While there seems to be a certain risk (mislabeling files, creating intentionally corrupt songs) there also seems to be a huge potential to this idea (get on the subway to work and when you arrive there your available music has doubled). Of course, this also is a nightmarish scenario for the RIAA-like organizations, especially since such swapping occurs without active user participation, in a drive-by way."

Comments

No Thanks..

[Kickboy12]

I don't want the thing downloading Backstreet Boys, or even worse... getting Dashboard Confessional from some emo kid.

*shivers* Scary thought.

Re:No Thanks..

[User 956]

or even worse... getting Dashboard Confessional from some emo kid.

Is that what they're calling it? So that's what happened to Katie Holmes' face.

In that case, you're right. I don't want to be getting dashboard confessional from some emo kid either.

Re:No Thanks..

[thelost]

the idea is to have it work on the basis that it learns your listening habits, what you enjoy and then proactively retrieves music from other push enabled music players on the fly. If you don't listen to the Backstreet boys or music like that it will be very unlikely to pick that it.
Kind of like last.fm but more aggressive.

double entendre

[User 956]

And by "Spread Files Wirelessly", they mean viruses wirelessly.

Eastern Standard Tribe

[DoorFrame]

This sounds like an element from the plot of Cory Doctrow's Eastern Standard Tribe where all users of a highway system will be able to access each others music as long as they're on the same road at the same time, a real information superhighway.

if they were ubiquitous

[victorvodka]

If these things were widespread and of sufficient density, they could form their own peer-to-peer grid networks capable of sending any sort of information, untraceably. It would be its own internet, the way the internet was first envisioned. Information would finally be completely free. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Time Warner/RIAA/NSA!

Re:if they were ubiquitous

[YrWrstNtmr]

Information would finally be completely free.

And no one would produce anything, because people do actually need to eat.

Do YOU go to work for free?

Re:if they were ubiquitous

[Blastrogath]

>And no one would produce anything, because people do actually need to eat.
>
>Do YOU go to work for free?

Yes I do. There are a load of things I do for no monetary reward that others get paid for, the same is probably true for most people. Some people get paid for writing out their opinions in print, for one example.

Music predates copyright by a few thousand years. People didn't need copyright to write or play it before, they don't need it now. Writing and playing music is fun and rewarding in and of itself, and there are plenty of ways that musicians have been financially supported in the past without copyright.

By the logic you put forward nobody would play sports anymore if you took away the professional leagues.

cool pranks

[icepick72]

certain risk (mislabeling files, creating intentionally corrupt songs)

Same as regular P2P but that's survived and comes in useful.

Drive-by music. Hmmm ... I like it. I will put an MP3 on my player that consists of only my voice yelling at the listener to "WATCH OUT BEHIND YOU". See how many paranoid people I can freak out. People would be doing that walking the street, in their car, on their bicycle, on the transit system. It would be great

Interesting ONLY IF

[u16084]

Only Useful If Paris Hilton is standing next to you with her Camera Phone....

Push vs pull

[YrWrstNtmr]

...allows users to actively recommend songs by sending (or "pushing") music to other users in the proximity.

Current P2P is strictly pull. You select what you want, and get it from (wherever). Having random people push random stuff on to my hardware? Not a chance.

Would you allow someone to do this with your PC? Didn't think so. Remember that when you connect your new mp3 player to the USB port.

A potentially good idea, but we all know there is a tiny minority who will screw it up. Badly.

Re:Push vs pull

[legirons]

"Having random people push random stuff on to my hardware? Not a chance."

TiVO users accept it. Radio listeners accept it. iRate users desire it. Aren't the same type of people buying music devices too?

opens up a whole new arena for spammers

[mrycar]

Make Millions of dollars sharing information. Call 1-800-sir-spama to get into this multi-level advertising oppostunity.

Do you want to get paid to attend parties, movies, and rock concerts? Maybe you are into exercise? How about making money on your way to work? If you sign up today, those hours of congested traffic and annoying public transportation experience start making you money.

All you need to do is download our "music" everyday from our service onto your AD-pod and it will do the rest. It will share all of the its content with anyone who passes by, making you money in return.

Our technology works by attaching ads to snippets of popular music and sharing those ads with those around you. Our ads give full credit to the artists and records label and get our messgaes out to the masses.

Sign up today

Ad Hoc Networks

[kalel666]

Imagine some kind and generous soul buying these, and then leaving them in public places. Subway stations, parks, coffee houses, etc. Presuming you could hide them or otherwise make them conspicuous, you could have a repository of music from anyone nearby. Over time it would update and grow, reflecting a gestalt of what music is popular in that particular neighborhood/location. Would be kind of cool, actually.

Re:Who really thinks this is a great idea?

[Alsee]

You're absolutely right.

That's exactly why VCRs are illegal! Because people could use them to commit copyright infringment!

Oh wait, no. You're an idiot. This whole issue was resolved twenty years ago in the Sony v. Betamax supreme court ruling. This is perfectly legal and it is a good idea for the exact same reason VCRs are legal and a good idea.

Yes people could decide to commit copyright infringment. So fucking what?

I have an entire folder on my computer of public domain / Creative Commons MP3 songs. The people manyfacturing this product have every right to sell it to me, and I have every right to load those files onto the product and to distribute and redistribute those files to anyone and everyone.

Of course, the second this moves from simply audio to pictures and/or video, you could wind up with other illegal content (i.e. child porn) on your player, just by walking by someone with a similiar device who so-happens to be a pervert.

Yeah, and?

Someone can mail child porn into your mailbox. And they could put a flyer with child porn under your car windshield. And they could hand you a free innocent-looking magazine on the street as you walk by, with child porn on page 8.

Someone could choose to commit copyright infringment using or to distribute child porn with it. Just as they could use a Xerox machine to do the same things.

And whenever you find files on it that you don't want... whether it is simply crappy music or child porn or whatnot, then you delete it. And no, you are not violating any laws if someone sticks child porn into your mailbox or broadcasts it onto your device and you had no idea about it.

The answer is simple. They have the right to sell it and you have the right to buy it, and YOU are responsible not to intentionally violate any laws.

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