Mashboxx, Altnet, SnoCap...all these names and many others are closely associated with the latest P2P fad, pay P2P. The concept works similarly to free P2P - however instead of distributing unprotected files, DRM (Digital Rights Management) is incorporated to ensure royalty payments. Altnet and SnoCap work a bit differently than Mashboxx, as they use existing P2P networks to distribute their customer’s files.

Bitmunk, a relative newcomer has been in existence since mid-2004. However, Bitmunk stated today in a press release their P2P software is now available to the public. Much like other companies associated with pay P2P, Bitmunk currently deals with independent artists. However they hope to expand into the mainstream as their service is open to all music labels. From browsing their catalog, most - if not all - of their music is redistributed from CD Baby. CD Baby is a "little online record store that sells CDs by independent musicians."

Bitmunk has an interesting option that may be of interest to other pay P2P networks. When an individual downloads a song, he or she may resell that song to other individuals on the network. They won't make a fortune, but its a little extra cash on the side.

"One of the many great features of Bitmunk is that once you buy a song from the network, you may then re-sell that song to anybody else on the network for a small profit," added Michael Johnson, COO of Digital Bazaar, "You can then use the money you earn selling songs to purchase new songs that interest you. We have created a very symbiotic relationship between the labels, artists, distributors and fans - one where everyone has an incentive to participate."

While RIAA dominated programs such as iTunes and Napster hand over most of the profits to the music industry executives - not artists, Bitmunk takes a very different approach.

"Artists can capture as much as 84% of the sale price of each song...We're incredibly pro-artist while staying very pro-fan as well" said Johnson.

While many in the P2P community may be reluctant to give their money to RIAA-sanctioned services such as iTunes or Napster, Bitmunk hopes to be a different story. It has the elements of a P2P network, supports independent artists, and costs less than other services - 50 to 95 cents for singles or $6 to $9 for a full album.

This story is filed in these Slyck News categories
Authorized P2P :: Commercial P2P Clients

You can read the press release here.

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