WebProNews

The company that wants to be the digital rights manager for peer-to-peer networks (P2P) opened its registry today.

For artists and labels that want to have their works managed from a central database, Snocap offers them the ability to set the rights allowed for a given work.

To that end, Snocap has opened its digital registry today. This clearinghouse could make a great deal of content available. Music retailers and P2P networks would not have to maintain individual relationships with every rights holder.

"Individual artists and labels, big and small, finally have a one-stop opportunity to offer their music over the Internet to fans across the world," said Shawn Fanning, Chief Strategy Officer for Snocap.

"This registry is key to creating a world of authorized peer-to-peer networks that will attract music fans en masse - enabling consumers to share and discover new artists in much the same fashion as they did with old P2P - but done in a way that respects the rights holder."

Major record labels Universal Music Group, Sony BMG and EMI, and leading independent labels and aggregators including TVT, Rykodisc, Artemis, Nettwerk and IODA and others have already begun to register their catalogs with Snocap.

But one issue has to be addressed. The various P2P services where trading takes place have to use the Snocap system, and there is no legal compulsion for them to do so. It isn't likely that users of P2P will warmly embrace any sort of limiting technology.

Those that prefer to obtain music in a legal manner most likely utilize services like iTunes or MSN Music already. Snocap could offer those and other for-pay services more options for managing the music they sell. A rights holder could designate a song for a limited number of plays before it would have to be purchased, for one example.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.