Grooveshark Helps Elliot Spitzer’s Mistress Sell Her Mp3s


Ashley Alexandra Dupré or better known as Elliot Spitzer’s (Client 9) for-hire prostitute has had her profiles leaked on the internet, and thanks to Grooveshark, we can help sell her tracks …

moneyshark grooveshark

Grooveshark Turns Scandal Into Opportunity

If Monica has taught us anything, it’s that fame of any kind can launch careers, so let’s hope Ashley is listening… she has her Myspace and even has a song for sale on AmieStreet. But what really differentiates Grooveshark from AmieStreet is the fact that Grooveshark is built upon a platform of promotion.

Say I buy the song from Amie Street, I can then upload that track to Grooveshark and share it with my 50 (please don’t laugh) or so friends. They can then stream for free (obviously), and then download the track. Default price is $.99, so if my friend buys the $.99 track, Ashley gets $.50, I get $.25, and Grooveshark gets $.24.

So essentially what has happened is I have become a marketer for Ashley, and Grooveshark has paid me to do this marketing or I have taken in my own satisfaction from simply sharing this information, kind of like this blog…

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March 12th, 2008
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Dan
Posted on:
March 13, 2008 at 7:15 am

Charging a price for music and distributing the proceeds doesn’t make this practice any different from piracy. That’s like buying a CD to make copies and sell them on the street, promising to send half the proceeds to the artist.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
andrew wise
Posted on:
March 13, 2008 at 5:02 pm

Dan, that’s exactly where Moneyshark (creatively named, eh) comes in … Moneyshark shown above is charged with collecting the royalties from the sales of tracks and distributing them to their owners.

In addition to tracking their sales analytics in Moneyshark, we’re building in a number of other tracking, geo-targeting, and comparison features into the product.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
koko
Posted on:
March 13, 2008 at 7:16 pm

You’re dumb Dan. Unlike selling the CDs on the streets and promisingto pay the singer, this program actually PAYS the singer dummy.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Donah
Posted on:
March 16, 2008 at 2:19 pm

I’m not generally in favor of money sharks… but in this case I wish Ashley lots of luck….. She doesn’t have to “work” anymore….
To Ashley…. my company used “pretty ladies” to win government contracts by providing “service” to the “buyers”…. No big deal in fact but purposeful….. Donah////

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
andrew wise
Posted on:
March 19, 2008 at 3:09 am

@koko

Dan actually works for a similar site, Amie Street and was perhaps just trying to generate some negative publicity.

In my opinion, I like to let the product speak for itself, and I realize there are different markets for different people and wish the Amie Street team the best of luck. Heck, we’re both college kids, so we shouldn’t be fighting each other, but helping each other any way we can..

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
P
Posted on:
March 25, 2008 at 8:05 pm

This doesn’t make any sense to me. You need to secure distribution rights for any music you make available. Even just to stream the music, but especially for purchases. That is why Record Labels demand up-front fees to get access to their catalogs. This is why some music sites have “exclusive” agreements with labels and artists.

In the Grooveshark model, is there anything stopping a user from downloading an “exclusive” track from iTunes and putting it on the site? What about a stolen “unreleased” album from a well-known artist that wants to maximize the hype around the release of their new CD? Would that be allowed?

I don’t see how this website can be legal. One of their screenshots includes songs from The Beatles, but NONE of their music has been released for digital distribution. Even if artists are compensated, their rights controlling the distribution of their work are completely ignored.

This is akin to piracy and it is illegal. I doubt this site will last more than a year before being sued. If they are able to weather the lawsuits without changing their model, it will result in a HUGE change in precedent around intellectual property laws.

I’m just glad I’m not an investor in this company. WAY too much liability.

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
Dub
Posted on:
May 22, 2008 at 4:46 pm

Having spoken personally with many members of the Grooveshark team (I count at least eight of them among my friends), I can relate that very few of them have qualms about this model. Either they simply refuse to analyze the implications, or they actively defend the model with platitudes like “How is it piracy if we compensate the artist?” and “It’s not illegal till we’re successfully sued.”

It’s obvious that the happy-go-lucky leadership of the company is deluded, and this will ultimately culminate in the dissolution of the company. It’s only a matter of time.

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
andrew wise
Posted on:
May 22, 2008 at 5:26 pm

Hey Dub, why don’t you come down to our office to talk about it, we’d love to hear your thoughts on what we can do to adapt our model.

201 SE 2nd Ave Ste 209
Gainesville, FL 32601

Comment Number:
9
Written by:
Sam Tarantino
Posted on:
May 22, 2008 at 9:26 pm

@Dub

spineless

adjective
1. weak in willpower, courage or vitality [syn: namby-pamby]
2. lacking a backbone or spinal column; “worms are an example of invertebrate animals” [syn: invertebrate] [ant: vertebrate]
3. lacking spiny processes; “spineless fins” [ant: spinous]
4. lacking thorns [syn: thornless]
—Synonyms 4. weak, irresolute, indecisive.
—Antonyms 4. strong, resolute.

Time is the true judge of the character of men.

Comment Number:
10
Written by:
Dub
Posted on:
May 23, 2008 at 12:31 am

Oh hey, Sam. Great damage control. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t own up to this if pressed on it? I do. And if either of you want to talk about your “model,” feel free to contact me in any of the following fashions:

Warren C. Moore
3800 SW 34th St.
Suite V209
Gainesville, FL

(256) 520-8074 (direct line, always on)

twitter: warrenm

I would have expected greater decorum from you. Time will be the judge of both of us, I suppose.

Comment Number:
11
Written by:
hel
Posted on:
May 23, 2008 at 2:14 pm

@dub

I don’t think that’ll be necessary. They have much more important things to do than waste their time with you.