Snocap settles on Warner Music deal

P2P content tracking company Snocap has added Warner Music Group to its list of recording companies whose song catalogues it is able to monitor.

The deal completes Snocap's set of partnerships with the world's biggest labels. The company already has agreements in place with Sony BMG, EMI and Universal, not to mention many of the largest independent labels.

Snocap was founded by Napster creator Shawn Fanning, and its technology is intended to allow P2P users to freely share songs, as before, but provide content owners with the ability to ensure they're recompensed for downloads.

Snocap's sells its tracking service to companies establishing legal P2P services. The technology detects which songs are being shared, allowing a downloaded song to be substituted for, say, a low-quality version or a 30-second sample until the downloader chooses to buy the high-quality, full-length version of the song.

Snocap also provides artists and labels with the ability to specify how a given song can be traded, allowing some tracks to be shared freely as a promotional exercise.

The system is already being implemented by P2P company Mashboxx which also owns the Grokster P2P client. It is working to base a future Grokster client, due out by the end of the year, on Snocap's tracking technology.

The deal with Warner is a key stage in Snocap's development. Building a solid database of registered songs has been crucial to the technology's effectiveness, though it's up to the labels themselves to ensure as many of their songs as possible are registered to ensure few tracks slip past the filter. ®