

Kim Dotcom teases details of music service Megabox with preview video - potomak
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/09/26/kim-dotcom-teases-new-music-service-megabox-preview-video/

======
jimrandomh
The business model is that it'll have users install software that replaces 15%
of third party ads on web pages with their own ads. This sort of ad
replacement has actually been done plenty of times before: by malware and by
shady toolbars. Pretty much no one is going to be okay with this. The music
industry and the US government hate the guy's guts; it's directly stealing
money from Google; it wants to directly compete with iTunes; it's directly
stealing money from every random blogger and press outlet that might cover it;
and other companies doing exactly this was responsible for destroying
Microsoft Windows' reputation in the eyes of consumers. Oh, and it's a
backdoor held by someone considered wildly untrustworthy. So on the list of
parties that have a vested interest in seeing it fail, we have:

    
    
        - The music industry  
        - The US government  
        - All ad-supported press outlets and blogs  
        - Microsoft, Apple, and Google  
        - The computer security industry
    

Oh, and it's also probably illegal (under copyright and tortious interference
grounds). I think this is really just a signaling ploy; Dotcom wants to be
able to say that he tried to come up with a monetization model for the music
industry. But to say that this is doomed a fairly significant understatement.

~~~
veb
Nobody will be okay with that? You're joking right?

Every person out there who aren't technical, won't give a shit. Free music?
They'll do anything.

I bet these people will think, "It replaces advertisements that I don't even
see anymore because I'm so used to them? Well okay!"

~~~
moe
Is "free music" really a selling point anymore?

Between grooveshark, youtube, a dozen "youtube frontends" and a dozen
streaming services that will fill you up for $10/month it seems very much like
a strawman.

------
viraptor
"revealed his team is 90 percent done with the coding for the relaunch of
Megaupload"

Great - only 90% of work left now ;)

~~~
blueprint
Logarithmic, eh?

~~~
addandsubtract
"The first 90 percent of the code accounts for the first 90 percent of the
development time. The remaining 10 percent of the code accounts for the other
90 percent of the development time." - Tom Cargill

------
just2n
I like this guy. I am hopeful that this is successful in establishing a de-
facto model that directly supports artists. I'm even more hopeful that if
successful, that this will eliminate the need for major record labels to own
all copyright and necessarily lead to the elimination of the RIAA and its
oppressive actions.

~~~
doomlaser
_This revenue comes from the Megakey application that users have to install.
Megakey works like an ad blocker, but instead of blocking ads it replaces a
small percentage with Mega’s own ads. Those who prefer not to install the app
have the option to buy the music instead. “Music will be free for users who
install the Megakey App. Anyone who does not like the App can just purchase
the music,” Dotcom explains._

Yeah, seems real noble.

[https://torrentfreak.com/top-artists-line-up-for-kim-
dotcoms...](https://torrentfreak.com/top-artists-line-up-for-kim-dotcoms-
megabox-120629/)

~~~
jlgreco
Seems like a monetized CatBlock that you can choose to use in lieu of buying
your music normally. Can't say I see a problem with that. Ad injection
_without_ the additional blocking has been subsidizing free wifi for years
now.

------
DigitalSea
I am honestly pretty excited to see what comes of this. I'm more than fine
installing an application to subsidise the music on the site. I am also a big
fan of Dotcom giving artists 90% of the profits from the site, it will be
interesting to see what feathers are ruffled by this and if it succeeds.

------
pimentel
For those of you who are Portuguese, check the video at 0:07. "Linguagem C" by
Luís Damas is the C programming book we all studied ;)

~~~
vasco
Not the greatest of books, but indeed a classic among students here!

------
Tipzntrix
How did he get the funding for this one? Who's gonna run it if he gets jail
time...not that it's looking very likely?

~~~
Osiris
He's stated that he has investors lined up [1].

[1] [http://mashable.com/2012/09/24/kim-dotcom-megaupload-
almost-...](http://mashable.com/2012/09/24/kim-dotcom-megaupload-almost-back/)

------
rscott
"It's like Grooveshark but monetized."

~~~
fwr
Ads in the right sidebar, _but also_ in the left sidebar!

------
zoom
Sounds fair. Download ad replacement software to look at Grooveshark.

