:: First Look :: PlayJ vs. I-Mesh ::

Some people I know don't have a sound card installed.

So, I know some strange people. Not my fault. The rest are normal, and once they heard their PC play it, they are hooked. Digital music is big, because music is big, and as size matter, the market is hot.

Let us meet two Israeli companies:

EverAd makers of the PlayJ, and I-Mesh, Makers of, you guessed right, I-Mesh.

PlayJ does a simple thing, it let's you download selected tracks of music legally. When those tracks are played, an ad will appear on your screen. I-Mesh also does a simple thing, it lets you share your MP3 collection with anyone using I-Mesh. So you can look and find anything one of their 10,000+ online users is willing to share.

Performance wise I-Mesh is a killer. PlayJ said: "We currently have no Songs with 500 miles in them" while I-Mesh offered ten of them available for download. PlayJ didn't know who Vonda Shephard was, I-Mesh offered her whole collection.

However, what PlayJ offered was legal, what I-Mesh offered was, well, I need to consult a lawyer.

Now these two are on the opposite sides of the same ring, and it's hard to tell where the wind will blow, but I have this strange feeling I've seen this before.

You see, here in the Wadi there is practically no drinking age, in the US killing a person is a minor offense compared to selling drinks to people under the drinking age. American underagers drink (and download MP3s) all the time. Israeli underagers - well they have more exciting things to do than drink (they download MP3s).

You see, legal stuff is nice, the question is - is it fun?

And no word said about streaming music yet.

Wadi Writer #1 (Gray)
WadiList@Mail.com

Links:
http://www.i-mesh.com
http://www.playj.com
http://radio.sonicnet.com/