Legit 'free' file-sharing

More evidence of innovation in digital media this week. After we heard of an anime distributor actually using BitTorrent file-sharing to promote a new series came the news of a UK-based ISP about to allow its customers to swap music files with each other, legally and at no cost above regular broadband service," The Guardian reports. The "music service provider" is called Playlouder, and it just signed a deal with SonyBMG that allows the use of Kazaa, eDonkey, etc. for sharing tunes within Playlouder's "walled garden." File-sharers won't particularly like the closed-system part, but there is some flexibility: "Because there will be no restrictions on the format in which the traded music is encoded, users will be free to transfer songs to any type of digital music player, including the market leading Apple iPod, or burn them to CD," according to The Guardian. SonyBMG, and other labels expected to follow (Playlouder already had deals with "dozens of independent labels" in the Association of Independent Music), will get a percentage of the Internet service fees. What's clear from this week's news is that there's a growing number of legal options for digital music fans. So far the work of these artists will be available: Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, George Michael, Jamiroquai, Macy Gray, Manic Street Preachers, Oasis, The Clash, Travis, Jennifer Lopez, Elvis Presley, Pink, Will Young, Outkast, Alicia Keys and Dido. Here's the BBC's coverage.