PLA 2010 Conference: DRM-Free Downloadable (Sony) Music at the Library
Public Library Association - PLA 2010 - Annual Conference - Portland
By Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 03/24/2010
- 20 downloads per week, per person, max
- Compatible with numerous devices
- More than 50 labels, hundreds of thousands of songs
In a significant step toward offering public library patrons DRM-free downloadable music, Library Ideas LLC, a new company that has previously hooked up libraries with Redbox video dispensers, has joined with Sony 
Music Entertainment to launch the Freegal Music Service, offering public library subscribers access to hundreds of thousands of songs in Sony’s catalog.
Sony includes more than 50 labels, in genres ranging from rock and country to rap and classical.
The libraries must pre-pay for a minimum number of downloads from Freegal, and each library user will be limited to, at most, 20 downloads per week. Libraries that see a spike in use can limit the number of systemwide downloads in a week or month to ensure wider access, and library card holders can also reserve downloads.
No download manager is required—a step that has complicated audiobook downloading. The songs are delivered as MP3 files and thus are compatible with iPods and other devices, some of which have not been compatible with library audio.
Strategic product
“This is an important, strategic product for libraries,” said Brian Downing, co-founder of Library Ideas and former publisher of Recorded Books. “Libraries have been extremely successful in making themselves a focal point of the community on a walk-in basis. Now they have to do the same thing on the Internet. Freegal music is a tool to help them do that.”
“We think this service will be incredibly popular with our patrons and will help the library in marketing all of its services to the community,” said Mary Anne Hodel, Director of the Orange County Library System, Orlando, FL. Other libraries that have signed up include the Nashville Public Library, the Princeton Public Library, NJ, the Santa Clara County Library, CA, and six others.
No DRM
While there is no digital rights management (DRM), some libraries can, as a matter of policy, require patrons to delete the content, but Freegal—as befits the name—does not require it.
How did Library Ideas achieve a DRM-free deal? “Libraries need full compatibility for devices,” Downing told LJ. “We were not going to offer a music service claiming to have great content and then not make it available to all devices.”
What about concerns over content being shared downstream? “I’m sure all the labels are concerned about this,” said Downing, who noted that some library users borrow library CDs and then download the files. “Part of the terms and conditions of this service is people agree not to share the files. We hope they abide by copyright law.”
Pricing
Downing said Freegal does not charge a platform fee nor a fee for access to the catalog. “Libraries are only charged for the use, or per download,” he said, calling the price “competitive in the retail market,” along with “a site just for them that interacts with their authentication, gives them real-time reporting use and allows them to manage their downloads on a weekly basis so they don't exceed their budget.”
Libraries must make a minimum annual commitment based upon size (total circ), ranging approximately from $1,500 to $20,000. “Many libraries are choosing to allocate monies beyond those numbers in anticipation of popularity and we give them a discount to do so,” he said.
Will Freegal expand to other libraries or music labels? It’s too soon to tell, he said.
Click here for more PLA 2010 Conference News coverage from the editors of Library Journal and School Library Journal.
