Comments on: Start-up to help people sell unwanted MP3s

Bopaboo has an online marketplace that enables consumers to sell their unwanted music files. There is no limit to the number of songs offered, but no DRM-wrapped music is allowed.

[therealgeeves]

You are not allowed to copy a file? What is uploading? copying...

Seems like the RIAA could come on board with it with better technology. For example, they could come up with an open standard for stores to share digital receipts with companies like this. Say you legally bought an MP3 on say Amazon, then want to sell it on bopaboo. When you upload it to bopaboo, you also provide your digital receipt of purchase for the song. Bopaboo verifies the receipt with Amazon, then lets you sell that one song. If you actually bought the song more than once (which could happen over time), you won't be blocked from selling your second copy. Amazon is notified by Bopaboo that the ownership has been transferred, preventing you from selling it again on Bopaboo or any other music reselling site (that plays along with the digital receipt standard). Then, it becomes very similar to a CD purchase... You can buy a CD today, rip it, then sell it, keeping the songs, but you can't sell the CD more than once... unless it's a cheap CD-R burned copy, which usually is noticeable by the buyer. With the digital receipt, you can't sell a cheap knock-off... so, it's better for the RIAA if you sell your MP3s than CDs. This could even be incorporated into the awful DRM too, which would the disable the music on your computer or mobile device, making the RIAA really happy and completely legitimizing the whole resell system.

I get credit for this idea!!! :)

[msbmsbmsb]

One very important piece of information not listed here: When you sell an mp3, the proceeds (80% of the sale price - they keep the other 20%) goes to a bopaboo (I hate typing that) account that is used for purchasing other mp3s from the site. There is nothing there about withdrawing the cash, it evidently stays in their system with them getting 20% of each transaction. So don't expect to make money off this, only more mp3s. That is, if it ever gets off the ground in the first place. Seems dicey.

http://www.bopaboo.com/faq
Q. How do I receive money from songs that I sell?

Immediately after someone has purchased your music, bopaboo transfers 80% of the selling price into your bopaBank. You can use your new found money to buy more of your favorite music on bopaboo.

[Zeph1]

Whether or not this service is legal or illegal doesn't really matter in my opinion. It'll be another inspiration to someone else to create a better "on the fringe" service until someone gets it right within the legal guidelines. Each year the extinction of major record labels and their control of music in a dictatorial manner is coming closer. One day it'll be the artists selling their music on their own and/or with a "team" cutting the record label out of the picture.

[ark_v2]

I think it's legal but...isn't it dumb?
You could only rip once and again the same CD (in one of the best scenarios).
Anyway, I'm pretty sure they'll be sued.

[Wei_Zhu]

While I am all for freedom and non-DRM music. Selling ?used? MP3 songs like this is probably a step too far and won?t help the cause of pushing non-DRM music.

[pabe fly]

so you sell your songs and then you lose the song?

[Tod Smith]

Someone is running out of ideas. Napster tried that many years ago. P2P MP3s for sale. It never happened and it won't!

[pase121]

lifeinhd is right, I dont see was to stop someone from going to limwire or mininova and just download all the mp3's they want and then selling them on this service. Forget selling multiple copies of the same mp3 just sell a million new mp3's you've download for free from the internet at large. I predict this company will be a forgotten memory within six months.

[banishedheart]

"Can't be sold" also means "can't be transferred for free."
If you died in 1979, your next of kin inherited your $10,000 record collection
If you die in 2009, your $10,000 iTunes collection goes up in smoke.
Is that fair?
The record companies are laughing all the way to the bank on that one. Bopaboo just levels the playing field.

[runningshoes007]

What is stopping people from selling thousands of pirated songs? it is easy to illegally download a song for free from the internet, and why would someone buy a song that was pirated in the first place if they could just as easily pirate that song for free?

[spark9991]

the whole gimmick for bopadoop is to get users to indemnify them so the user can be sued...no thanks