Free Music:Aight / Legal: We'll see

A new twist on file sharing is holding out the promise of allowing millions of people to share their song collections online, at no cost--and without legal risk.

The trick involves marrying peer-to-peer technology with Internet radio. Using that combination, some companies are creating powerful tools that automatically broadcast people's private playlists onto the Web. The output is then pulled together into a searchable database that lets listeners find the music they want, when they want it.

Safeguards are in place to prevent unauthorized downloads, ensuring copyrights are honored. But if the technology behind the networks keeps improving and the number of people using them keeps growing, the services could one day turn into something akin to free, on-demand request radio.

--- Read Article --- [Cnet via Gizmodo]