Licenced sort-of P2P service Qtrax has just announced a deal with SonyBMG, meaning it now has three of the four majors on board - EMI and Universal had already signed up, as had big indie Beggars.
As previously reported, Qtrax got off to a false start in January when it announced it was launching with all the major record companies on board - it turned out none had actually signed their deals. But negotiations between the tech company and the labels continued, and nearly a year on those deals are nearly all in place - with only Warner still to sign up.
Qtrax is, of course, an ad-funded download system which has elements of P2P about it, but files are provided as DRMed Windows Media files, can only be played through the Qtrax player and can not be transferred to portable devices - limitations which mean, in its current form, Qtrax is unlikely to appeal to those music fans currently using illegal P2P systems where no such limitations apply.
Confirming they were on board with Qtrax, SonyBMG digital chief Thomas Hesse told reporters: "We are always exploring new and exciting ways of bringing our music to fans in the digital space and are very happy to support Qtrax and their innovative ad-supported business model".