U2 at heart of Spiral Frog-Apple battle

DREARY OIRISH ROCKERS U2 have been put in a queer position by Spiral Frog's challenge to Apple's pre-eminence in legitimate music downloads.

Spiral Frog announced earlier this week that it will later this year launch a beta-test of a service which will let users download tracks gratis, so long as they view ads.

Diplomatically, Spiral Frog says it is aimed at a younger generation than iTunes, and is targeting people that would otherwise go to file-sharing sites.

However, its demographic is 13 to 34-year-olds, suggesting a fair bit of crossover with iPod users. Targeted advertisers include Perry Ellis, a clothing brand for not-really-that-young Friends-style characters from what your correspondent has observed from sojourns in the US.

Also, Spiral Frog has said it will use the Windows Media format and its CTO is Vesa Suomalainen, a 12-year Microsoft veteran before joining the startup. So, all pointers suggest that Spiral Frog is not good news for Apple.

Anyway, back to the U2 connection.

Universal Music Group is the first major label to sign up for Spiral Frog. Its acts include U2, Elton John and some good artists as well. That makes for a bit of a conflict of interests as there is an Apple U2 iPod Special Edition that comes with a coupon for downloading their histrionics, for example.

Interestingly, Apple has moved very close to another music star recently, none less than Bob Dylan.

Dylan stars in a new ad for iTunes and has deals with Apple concerning a bonus version of new album Modern Times, a complete set of his albums and a concert ticket tie-in. Steve Jobs even called His Bobness "a personal hero of mine" and Apple backed No Direction Home, last year's crack Martin Scorsese rockumentary. Previously, it used Dylan's image in its Think Different campaign.

A thought. Given U2 frontman Bono's penchant for banging together the heads of influential decision makers on issues such as third-world debt, perhaps he could engineer a peace pact between Apple and Universal/Spiral Frog. Then two hearts could beat as one.

Cymbal clash, please. µ