RIAA-friendly P2P?
September 23, 2004 7:53 PM   Subscribe

Grouper, a different form of P2P.
"The Grouper program does not allow file sharing of music, only streaming. However, you may share other types of files as a download. On the plus side for the persons sharing, Grouper allows the formation of mini networks with email verification. The advantage of this is no script kiddies or annoying fake files from the RIAA." You are sharing privately between friends.
Welcome to the world of legal online music ambiguity. Say hello to Grouper.
posted by dash_slot- (20 comments total)
 
no mac version? : <
posted by amberglow at 8:08 PM on September 23, 2004


So, basically, I could listen to my friends' songs, and then they could zip them up and let me download them, right?
posted by headspace at 8:12 PM on September 23, 2004


Get back to me when it's not crippleware.
posted by rushmc at 8:26 PM on September 23, 2004


amberglow: Apparently not yet, m'dear.
All things come to those who wait...heheh. (",)

Yeah, that would work, headspace, but I see that as a good example of friends sharing too, which has some traditional protection. This way it's suck and see, first. Plus, it's another 'choke' on file-sharing.

rushmc: I doubt that it'll be freed up like that. The so-called crippling is a feature, not a bug.

2 thoughts:
this may be popular with the less tech-savvy, RIAA-fearful silver surfer crowd.
Also, I wonder how blogs can be used as an adjunct - will bloggers adopt this, or avoid it as a lame duck, as rushmc says? It has IM & chat features, so how else can it be extended?

Anyone feel like testing it with me?

In other news, CD album sales (excluding compilations) rose last year in the UK, whilst the Majors failed to act to halt the decline of the single. They have not adjusted to the new music economy - but they will, or will lose out to the independents in shipping units.

I suspect that Grouper will not hit sales at all, but will give folk a taste for new albums and artistes - then go and buy the CD. Westerners have such attachments to their possessions...
posted by dash_slot- at 8:38 PM on September 23, 2004


I have it installed f you want to try it out ./

same name
posted by kamylyon at 8:53 PM on September 23, 2004


kamylyon - my ISP is a bit spotty - can't reach it right now :(
I'll do it tomorrow and contact you then.
posted by dash_slot- at 9:01 PM on September 23, 2004


So how is this better than Mercora?
posted by JParker at 10:28 PM on September 23, 2004


Kamylyon, have you registered with the same e-mail address that is on your profile?
posted by skylar at 12:20 AM on September 24, 2004


How also is this different to 3 degrees. Apart from the facts that it isn't produced by Microsoft, probably doesn't integrate seamlessly into the desktop, and is probably more l33t. (I'm seanbamforth @ the hotmail thing for you three degree users.)
posted by seanyboy at 12:24 AM on September 24, 2004


Well, seanyboy & JParker, I can't answer that as I haven't tried 'em out. I have had a play around with Grouper with kamylyon & Phatty Lumpkin, and I must say I liked the experience. Streaming was good, and I got used to the interface reasonably quickly (thanks, kamylyon!)

It did seem to be hard for my wee relic of a PC to stream well to the other Groupers: maybe that's a caveat. Modern quicker machines prolly would have no problem.

Plus - I got recommendations a few new bands. It's all to the good!
posted by dash_slot- at 1:38 AM on September 24, 2004


MP3 Stream Recorder 2.2
posted by SpaceCadet at 1:54 AM on September 24, 2004


I know some of them are former Nullsoft employees, but their about section seems to be ripping off Winamp's Team page.
posted by lotsofno at 4:10 AM on September 24, 2004


Thx for the link, SpaceCadet. I'll try that out soon!
posted by dash_slot- at 4:21 AM on September 24, 2004


I'm still a fan of WASTE...
posted by angry modem at 5:47 AM on September 24, 2004


skylar: yes and I'll be on after work tonight

dash_slot and phatty lumpkin: thanks for trying it out with me. It's an excellent way of sharing non-music files, while listening to to samplings of other people's music.

angry modem: I have that installed somewhere!
posted by kamylyon at 8:36 AM on September 24, 2004


See you later, then!
posted by dash_slot- at 9:11 AM on September 24, 2004


After downloading the 1.5 MB file, it wants to download a further 24 MB for the rest of the program?? Jesus. What's WASTE - a couple of megabytes? It takes 23MB to run the "only stream MP3" rule?

Crippleware AND bloatware.

Pass. </negative ninny>
posted by Blue Stone at 10:32 AM on September 24, 2004


looks fun but I second the cripple + bloat + non-Mac etc

Matt, can I change my username to "negativeninny"?
posted by matteo at 12:58 PM on September 24, 2004


I have to say, the second setup program is shockingly overweight - glad someone else mentioned it. If anything, that will put me off: I feel like I'm left with a fucking whale, tbh.

The others mentioned are more obscure, harder to start it all up with - and scary.[/noobie]
posted by dash_slot- at 3:02 PM on September 24, 2004


Grouper is ok, but for sharing those files that Grouper won't allow (and the ones it does) the one angrymodem mentioned would be my first choice.
Waste isn't that difficult to set up, if I can do it most anyone can.
posted by kamylyon at 8:50 PM on September 25, 2004


« Older The Path to Florida   |   Chapter 3 Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments