RSS
Subscribe to magazine
Follow us on:
  • Recommend:
  • 0 Comments

Kazaa Launches Premium Service

File sharing site tries to shift to pay-to-play (legally).

By Stacy Cowley, IDG News   

The developers of peer-to-peer file sharing program Kazaa are launching Friday a fee-carrying version of the software, a further step in their efforts to shake off Kazaa's reputation as a piracy haven and to build a viable business around the software.

Premium Features

A $30 fee buys users a license to Kazaa Plus, which is advertising-free and offers more-advanced search and download options. Kazaa owner Sharman Networks will continue distributing a free version of Kazaa, which is partially supported by pop-up and banner ads.

Under the new Kazaa Plus, users can download files from as many as 40 sources at once. The move does away with the eight-source restriction on the free version of the client.

Kazaa Plus also provides enhanced virus protection and customer support via e-mail, according to Sharman Networks.

Ongoing Battles

Kazaa remains one of the peer-to-peer services in the sights of governmental regulators and entertainment industry executives because of the file pirating that its network enables.

Earlier this year, Sharman Networks released a software update that allowed the company to sell "premium" music, software, and video files through Kazaa.

As an apparent move toward legal legitimacy, the content in that selection came from professional content creators. The update even included a "frequent customer" program with points and prizes.

Would you recommend this story? YES NO

  • Recommend:
  • 0 Comments
Lenovo Laptop Deals

Subscribe to the BizFeed Newsletter - weekly

See All Newsletters »
Today's Special Offers
Editors' Picks