SpiralFrog, a new advertisement-driven music download service expected to go live in late 2006, on Tuesday said Vivendi’s Universal Music Group has agreed to make its catalog of music available for free download in the United States and Canada via the upcoming online store, Reuters reports.SpiralFrog’s launch will be the latest attempt by companies to rival Apple Computer’s U.S. market-leading iTunes Music Store, which—along with the company’s iPod digital music player—revolutionized the music download and traditional recording industries.SpiralFrog plans to offer to its customers content from popular artists free of charge, according to Reuters, and it expects to derive revenue from the advertisers the site draws. Content providers like Universal will also share portions of that revenue, Reuters reports.Robin Ken, SpiralFrog chief executive, said in a statement, “Offering young consumers an easy-to-use alternative to pirated music sites will be compelling,” according to Reuters. The firm’s idea is that instead of doling out cash for music, its users will “pay” for the content by taking in targeted advertisements while obtaining songs, Reuters reports.In related news, AOL announced on Tuesday that it had made a number of enhancements to its AOL Music Now download service, including a plan under which its users can pay $9.99 a month for unlimited music and video downloads. Related Link: AOL Music Now Service Gets EnhancementsCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 6 generative AI hazards IT leaders should avoid The opportunities to use generative AI will greatly vary for each organization, but the ways it can go wrong are turning out to be fairly universal. By Mary Branscombe Dec 06, 2023 11 mins CIO Application Performance Management Generative AI interview Delivering value through IT at Village Roadshow During a recent CIO Leadership Live session, Michael Fagan, chief transformation officer of Australian cinema and theme park company Village Roadshow, spoke with CIO’s editor in chief for APAC Cathy O'Sullivan about delivering value, colla By CIO staff Dec 06, 2023 8 mins CIO CIO Leadership Live Change Management feature DS Smith sets a single-cloud agenda for sustainability The British packaging manufacturer has launched an AWS-centric digital transformation aimed at better leveraging data for more productive business outcomes — including reduced impact on the environment. By Paula Rooney Dec 06, 2023 7 mins Amazon Web Services Digital Transformation Cloud Computing news UAE businesses have AI regulation as a top priority By Andrea Benito Dec 06, 2023 3 mins Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe