Universal Music Group has become the first major record company to ink a licensing deal with Shawn Fanning’s new peer-to-peer software company Snocap, Billboard.biz has learned.
The software from the Napster founder enables P2P services to filter out illegal content, including unauthorized music files and pornography. Record companies have considered the implementation of such technology to be crucial for them to participate in commercial P2P services.
Sources say the UMG deal includes the major’s entire catalog. A UMG representative could not be reached for comment.
One new P2P service that is expected to incorporate Snocap is Mashboxx, which will run on the Grokster platform. Sony BMG has been in talks for an alliance with Mashboxx, but no deal has yet been struck, according to a source.