Every subscriber to FM has a username and password - you simply give your username and password to your friend(s) and they can instantly see your entire MP3 collection, as well as playlists, by clicking on the note in their system tray. Of course, you can see what they have to offer by clicking on your note also.

To take advantage of FM you have to know at least one other FM user to share with - obviously FM is not about anonymous music sharing. Simply call your friends, preferably the ones with lots of music, and they can be up and running on FM in less than 3 minutes!

FM has been up and running since the fall of 2002 and has quickly become a favorite of DJs, serious MP3 collectors and music circles (small groups of people that exchange mix CDs through the mail).

We feel that in the long run, the RIAA will embrace the FM concept. After all, people have been sharing music since the advent of the reel to reel tape recorder in the 1950's

FM is a similar concept to the good old days of mix tapes - the FM music circles usually comprise 5 or 6 people, all of whom contribute by buying their favorite CDs. With the FM model, everyone wins - people can make mixes for their friends and FM users continue to support artists by buying CDs they enjoy.

Typical uses of FM include:

Private and secure music sharing - FM is a completely private and untraceable file transfer between two known parties. Your entire collection is never on display for the world to scrutinize.

Share Music on Monitored Networks - If you are a college student or employee where KaZaa, Morpheous and the rest have been blocked, you can still use FM. To the network administrator, it just looks like you are emailing a large attachment to your friend down the hall (or halfway around the world for that matter).

Playlist sharing - You can transfer playlists to your friends even if they do not use the same MP3 player as you do. For example, a Musicmatch user can transfer a playlist to a RealOne user.

"Priming the Pump" - If you have friends who are new to computer stereo, have them download a copy of FM. They can then pick and choose what they would like from your collection and have some quality music in a few hours!

Access your collection from anywhere - Let's say you are at a party where the music is putting the guests to sleep.  Simply install FM in 30 seconds and get your Summer 2003 mix.  Now the party is rocking and you are an instant god!

Synchronizing collections between your residence and vacation home - You can set FM to keep all of your music collections in synch - as soon as you add a track or CD at home, your ski house and beach house systems will be updated immediately

A: As long as you are discreet in who you give your username and
password to, the risks of using FM are absolutely zero.

However, if you get sloppy at your local bar one night and give your FM
username/password to a "cute" stranger, then you theoretically could
have a problem. It's extremely unlikely, but what if your new friend
turns out to be an RIAA operative?

If you ever wake up and have concerns about your behavior the previous
night (as far as FM is concerned that is), simply go to our website and
change your password and then rest easy.

We are sure that the RIAA will eventually embrace the FM concept since
FM is about as harmless to CD sales as the current installed base of
tape decks.

Q: How is Friends and Music different from the music sharing sites such as KaZaa, Morpheous, Limewire, etc?

A: FM is for people who know each other who want to share their collections.  All friends who wish to share collections have to have a copy of FM, and your friend cannot access your collection without your username and your password. 

The music sharing sites, such as KaZaa are all about exchanging low quality, “pop” and "hiss" filled tracks with anonymous users. Plus it is virtually impossible to obtain an entire CD off the music sharing sites. To begin with, you would have to know the name and order of every single track on a CD.  Even if you knew all the track names, the reality is that the less popular tracks are difficult, if not impossible to find.

Assuming you could find all the songs for a particular CD, it still would take you hours to get all the tracks. With FM, you will never see words like "Queued", "Retrying in 30 seconds" or any of the other messages that all mean the same thing - you're not getting this track!

With FM, transfer rates are incredibly fast and never fail - if both users have cable modems or DSL, the transfer rate can be as high as a megabit/second.  At this speed, a whole CD can be transferred in under 10 minutes.

As you know, the RIAA is suing users who post large collections on KaZaa
and other sharing sites. Check out the latest RIAA campaign against
anonymous music sharing here.

With Friends and Music, your transaction is private and secure - what is transferred is between you and your friend and it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone else to be privy to this information.

Q:Why is browsing a friend's music collection the best way to build your own MP3 collection?

A: For starters, most people who use FM are PASSIONATE about their MP3 collection. They equate building their music library to collecting fine art or antiques. Many have spent decades amassing their favorite music and enjoy nothing more than listening to it.

When you browse a friend's collection, you are doing much more than looking at a list of songs. You are peering into the depths of their psyche - what makes them happy, laugh or dance (we'll leave it at that for now). You are also looking at a lot of hard work and knowledge - after all, it's not easy acquiring every live Grateful Dead recording ever made!

If your friend makes playlists, all the better. Most FM users we know spend months making their playlists - for every song that makes it, there are a hundred that don't. Tapping into your friend's playlists can extend your musical reach very quickly. Not to mention, a friend's playlist is probably better than anything you'll ever hear on the radio....