Piracy on Facebook is as Easy as Mosoto Remix

mosotologo.pngMosoto launched their peer-to-peer file swapping and chatting application using the Facebook API back in February. It was one of the best executed programs using the API when they launched. Now they’re back and integrated into the Facebook platform, making it easy to catch up with your friends on the newsfeed and snatch their music.

Mosoto Remix adds a little widget on your profile that shares the music you and your friends are listening to. Within the widget you can upload full songs, create playlists, and see the most recently uploaded/played music from your friends. If you hear something you like, you can also add songs from your friends to your own account or buy it from iTunes. It’s essentially a specialized implementation of the Box.net widget, which provides the storage for all the files. Their canvas page also lets you chat with other Mosoto users.

Remix walks a gray line by giving users the ability to upload and play back full songs, although they don’t allow downloads. Facebook music applications from startups like Last.fm (70K+ users) and the incredibly popular iLike (3 million+ users) service restrict playback length or order. There are a couple other music widgets on Facebook as well. Audio (500K + users) and Boombox (17K users) also allow members to upload songs and create playlists.

Audio’s large user base has upped it’s profile and caused it to respond to allegations of piracy. In a note to his users, the developer of Audio denies being a “digital anarchist”, saying “I’m a good friend of the music industry, and someone trying to help come up with ways for it to grow. I truly believe that the sort of socially-integrated audio experience that Audio can offer will lead to the future of the music industry – both in terms of relevance and revenue.”

However, other music services have had to pay for the privilege of playing full copyrighted songs. Lala expects to fork over $143 million in the next two years for royalty fees. Pandora had to shut off international access because of licensing issues. With both systems playing by a separate set or rules, it seems inevitable that the pay to play and free movements will clash, with Facebook in the middle.

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