(UPDATED) Digital music service Grooveshark has signed a deal with EMI Records and Publishing that both ends the lawsuit from the major label group and licenses its content.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said that it "hopes this will set a precedent for the industry to be more innovative and less litigious in the digital music space". Dubbing themselves “The People’s Music Service,” Grooveshark has a "focus in helping signed and unsigned artists build and monetize their careers, while making on-demand streaming music easy and legal for the public to access".
Grooveshark offers the ability to stream songs free from selection of 15 million tracks. Now download or registration is required.. The basic service is supported by online advertising and a $3 per month premium service eliminates the ads. The site was recently named the best way to listen to music on the web by Rolling Stone, and just passed one million registered users.
The Grooveshark platform was created by a group of music enthusiasts from the University of Florida.
