Profile – SpiralFrog

Company: SpiralFrog

Location: Headquartered in New York City

Launch Date: Will debut in December 2006

In the company’s own words, what is it?

SpiralFrog is a new online music destination, offering ad-supported legal downloads of audio and video content licensed from the catalogs of the world’s major and independent record labels.

SpiralFrog will be a secure environment where music lovers can satisfy their unyielding passion and thirst for music, entertainment, and information. Our site will be as multifaceted, smart, and current as the audience we hope to attract. An audience that we believe is the driving force behind the way music is created, discovered, and consumed today.

Outside quote about company:

Quoted on PRNewsWire.com: “We are very pleased to help launch SpiralFrog,” said Roger Faxon, Co-CEO of EMI Music Publishing. “It is a very exciting concept which fuses advertising with music downloads and other services to recapture consumer demand which has been hijacked by online piracy. Anytime we can create a new revenue stream for our songwriters and combat online piracy, you will see EMI Music Publishing leading the charge.”

Quoted on weblog Raydeo: “The (big) downside here is that the music at SpiralFrog will be wrapped in a strange DRM that requires regular logging in the the ad driven SpiralFrog service in order for the music files to continue playing. Standard DRM of limited devices, copies and Windows only applies as well.”

Quoted on weblog TechCrunch: “Some people say it’s still a big step because it’s free music, I (and others) question the technical coercion and wish there was some better way to do it.” In an earlier weblog post TechCrunch also stated that, “Music lovers have been demanding a different business model for some time, and it looks like at least some industry heavy hitters are going to give it a go via SpiralFrog. We’ve profiled several independent sites experimenting with new business models for music lately (Amie Street, Sellaband and Magnatune) but you had to expect the big guys to try something more traditional. See also eMusic, low cost and DRM free. See also eMusic, low cost and DRM free.”

Management/Directors:

Robin Kent, Chief Executive Officer
Tom Patrylak, Chief Financial Officer
Vesa Suomalainen, Chief Technology Officer
Lance J. O. Ford, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer
Robert Goodale, Chief Strategy Officer
Eric W. McClean, Chief Operating Officer, U.K. & Europe
Joe Mohen, Chairman

Relevant Links:

EMI to add free music to SpiralFrog

EMI Music Publishing First to License Music and Lyrics to SpiralFrog for Advertising-Supported Download Service

SpiralFrog and Universal Music Group Partner in Advertising-Supported Legal Music Download Service