L.A. Times: Sony BMG, Grokster Partner on Mashboxx Song Download Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2004 - 4:25am.

Los Angeles -- The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that, in a major departure from the industry's legal campaign against peer-to-peer file-sharing technology, major record label Sony BMG is cooperating with Grokster -- a file-sharing company it also sued for copyright infringement -- on a new venture called Mashboxx that will offer its songs as paid downloads. Mashboxx is being headed by former Grokster president Wayne Rosso, who resigned last year to head Spanish P2P firm Blubster. While it's unclear if Mashboxx will be a true peer-to-peer service, people familiar with the venture told The Times that it would likely only offers users who search for a Sony BMG track the ability to download an authorized version of the song, such as a free low-quality version that included an offer to buy the CD-quality version. The service will also likely use technology developed by Snocap, a start-up founded by Napster founder Shawn Fanning. The Times reported that impetus for the Mashboxx project came from Sony BMG CEO Andrew Lack, who has urged other labels to support the venture.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-music29oct29.story
http://www.grokster.com
http://www.mashboxx.com