That's mad-scientist brilliant. The only thing better than turning someone on to a track they needed to hear is the possiblity of being financially compensated for the gesture.

Now where do we cross-post this and boost interest so they'll see it and do it?

I'd find it hard to believe that this was part of the first gen release...still though, sounds cool for the future.

Ipods suck.

It is an extremely clever idea. I couldn't see why most people would really even bother sharing the music, but this would be great incentive. Assuming they're the type of user even willing to buy DRM-infected music to begin with, that is.

Is this related to the scheme where Bill Gates pays you for forwarding email. Coz that was in USA Today and I know someone who knows someone who got a check for $24,800 doing it. I mean, I wouldn't normally forward stuff like this, but you just can't pass up the chance to get some of Bill's money can you?

Gadget...

I was thinking the EXACT same thing!!

Um, when was the last time that something like this worked?

It sounds like a good idea when you think it and say it out loud, but if it takes people months to earn enough points to get a free song, no one will care.

There have been a bunch of these programs out there for a while that reward people for getting friends to sign up ex. netflix, amazon, cell service, vonage...

People don't care much about them. Especially if sending a song will take a big bite out of the battery power and it takes forever to earn points.

Neat idea, but I call BS. I mean, this is Microsoft we're talking about here. Since when have they done anything that would even remotely suggest truth to this rumor?

Mac fanboys are now chanting:
It's so bad, they pay YOU to take it!

Now that could be the only thing on earth that would actually get people using the useless WiFi in the first place.

I'm conflicted. Do I set up a booth in Union Square telling people to "grab" my songs? Or do I continue to be the subway recluse that I am instead of being "that guy" who keeps asking if you bought that song I gave you?

Can you imagine sharing a song with your friend and having them have to click out of a sales pitch after they listen to it for a few days? It would be obnoxious. At the same time, if I were that friend, I'd be wondering why you just didn't burn me a copy of that song in the first place.

Everyone complains about iTunes DRM (as well they should), but everytime I buy an album from iTunes, I simply burn the album and re-rip it, eliminating the DRM. Now I have a back-up copy of the album ("here ya go, friend.") and a DRM-free version on my computer.

For the layperson, I suppose this would work. What would be ABSOLUTELY the best way to do this is if I were in a Starbucks, or some other fru-fru shit like that, and I could have my Zune actively search for playlists from those who made them available (again, like iTunes) without actually having to socialize with them. I would be much more inclined to DL the baddass song I just heard for the first time if it were from some random person as opposed to someone close.

Perhaps this is already the way it works, I do not know. Nevertheless, I admit it's nice to have the option.

That said, will I be getting a Zune anytime soon? No.

And I've just thought of another thing. Wouldn't this type of rumor be an excellent way to hold a free focus group with free marketing to boot?

Think: a bunch of web-geeks get together to hash out an idea some intern had stolen from him by an exec while talking to his mother about it, while crossing the company campus on the way to the short bus.

Free data!

But maybe I'm stating the obvious.

Jacob,

The last time something like this worked was EVERY CURRENT ONLINE MARKETING PROGRAM.

You are being paid for generating business, a "finders fee" as it were. This is the first time I've seen a system that actually makes good use of the sharing nature of mp3s, rather than trying to fight it idiotically.

How long before Apple copies this, then claims it was their own genius?

" GadgetGav says:

Is this related to the scheme where Bill Gates pays you for forwarding email. Coz that was in USA Today and I know someone who knows someone who got a check for $24,800 doing it. I mean, I wouldn't normally forward stuff like this, but you just can't pass up the chance to get some of Bill's money can you?"

yeah i was comming here to post that as well, beat me to it.

Brad:

While they're not "bird-dogging," as what you're describing is commonly referred to in sales circles, like I mentioned above, Apple already does do this.

This is just a more refined version of the iTunes sharing feature. (And no, I don't think MSFT is stealing. They're improving an idea, the same way all great things are cultivated. Think: adding a back to a stool to make a chair.) Apple has precisely the same rationale behind this, only in their case, the source isn't also a broker.

Why doesn't Apple credit the source? Well, they don't have to. Would you?

My personal answer is maybe. Maybe I would if the economics involved suggested I would garner a greater profit in the long run by paying to sell more music, while reaping the benefit (hopefully) of higher volume/lower-profit model.

this is ridiculous…

"How long before Apple copies this, then claims it was their own genius?"

You meant the other way around right?

Really?

You're right, now that I think about it Apple does copy everything from Microsoft. I mean the ipod looks so much like the mp3 player Microsoft came out with 5.5 years ago, you know the white rectangular one with a screen on top and a wheel to control it. How could I have forgotten, I am a total dickhead.

New site: Rumorzmodo?

i can see some1 flashin ther zune to get rid of the time limit, should be possible.

Go Zune...Go Zune!

Think 'Frequent Flyer Miles' here people. If you're going to be listening and you're going to be sharing, why not earn something in the process? And if you're going to the store to buy a MP3 player why not buy the one thats going to give you a little something just for using it?

If this has any truth to it, I'd expect it to be treated a lot like a FFM type program, or many of the other systems out there right now like it. Example: I order from Jasons Deli online I get a tiny amount of points, I've been ordering food from them for a while now off and on and I just got a free meal with all my points the other day.

This isnt something you jump on and exploit to get free crap, its a nice perk you have available for doing something you're going to do anyway and end up getting something free for doing said thing. Thats how MS gets people who are on the fence to hop on over to their side. IF its true its a great idea and just subtle enough to differentiate it and promote the social networking aspects of the Zune.

As for the folks bitchin about posting 'rumors' on a BLOG... wake up, this ain't CNN, its a blog.

So how long will it be before someone hackzors their Zune to force-push their music to any and everyone in their vicinity? Not long. I don't want to go home and have 16,000 new songs on my mp3 player that will all expire and turn into memory droppings if I don't choose to buy the song, and on the odd chance that I like what I find and buy the song someone I don't even know ends up with credit. If you play the odds enough you wouldn't have to pay for music at all.

Or you could... i don't know... download it from somewhere.

While they may not be stealing the idea from iTunes/Apple, they are certainly paralleling it from WeedShare.com's model.

In fact, MS even owns up to the fact that they got the idea from WeedShare in this document:
http://web.cs.wpi.edu/~claypool/nossdav06/pdf/kirovski.pdf...

This paired with the fact that WeedShare's DRM'd WMA's which MS developed will not work at all on the Zune, it sure seems like MS wants to own the marketplace at any expense. What ever happened to the free market and new ideas?

That's an interesting rumor because Amie Street http://www.amiestreet.com already does this. I am a founder of Amie Street, and I am flattered that Microsoft would think that our idea of incentivizing members to share and recommend songs is so smart that they would borrow it. I wish they would have asked me :), but I'm flattered none the less.

Does anyone know how long it would take to transfer a song wirelessly from Zune player to player? Because I'd hate to sit there with someone and wait like 5 minutes just to transfer 1 song. And if that were the case, how horrible would "mp3 parties" be, where a group of people get together to trade songs. Because that will most likely be a Zune ad, don't you think?

amie street (www.amie.st) has a similar model. in essence, songs start off free and elevate in price according to popularity. it is similar to this in that users can recommend songs and are compensated with free downloads, if and when the songs rise in popularity. with both ideas, it would seem you're being rewarded for your inner A&R abilities. seems like an interesting way to embrace/indulge individual tastes (and egos) along the long tail.

so now microsoft's trying to make zune the FON of portable music? and every user is automatically a bill?

if I get a free zune, I'll be pretty happy.