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Musicians Turn To SML's Weed After Demise Of MP3.com

The downfall of an early leader in Internet music distribution is turning into a windfall for a Seattle startup. On December 3rd, Internet music pioneer MP3.com will shut down its servers and simply erase over 750,000 songs stored on them. But some of the most successful MP3.com artists have already moved on to Weed.

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Weed, a service of Seattle-based Shared Media Licensing, Inc. (SML), is designed to encourage Internet file sharing rather than try to stamp it out. The result is a completely new distribution opportunity for independent artists. Instead of restricting Internet file sharing, Weed actually pays people to share music on the Internet.

A song in Weed's format can be played 3 times for free before the listener is asked to buy it, using Weed's free software to conduct the transaction. Buying a Weed file unlocks it, and also allows transferring it to a portable device or CD.

The unique twist is that buyers who share Weed files with others who then buy them receive 20% of the sale. In addition, 10% of the sale price goes to the buyer one generation back, and 5% goes to the one before that. Content owners get 50% of every sale, and the remaining 15% goes to SML.

Weed's revenue-sharing model means that people who insist on stealing music and sharing it on the Internet cut themselves out of revenue along with the artist. It finally puts everyone on the same side.

"We're seeing MP3.com artists from around the world and across the musical spectrum turn to Weed," says SML President John Beezer. "For example, Dutch dance/trance/ambient composer Rody Coronel, with over 2.5 million downloads on MP3.com, is now offering Weed files on his site. The rockabilly combo, Hillbilly Hellcats, with over a quarter million downloads on MP3.com, has also made their work available in the Weed format."

Seattle producer Jack Endino, widely credited with discovering the seminal rock group Nirvana in the mid-1980's, is enthusiastic about Weed. "It's the first approach to Internet file sharing that actually makes sense. Weed means independent artists finally have a viable method for selling music on the Internet."

New York producer Alexander Perls, who has produced a string of dance hits in Europe, has also begun using Weed to sell music directly to fans. "The dance music scene is fast moving and computer-literate -- it's an ideal market for Weed files."

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