File-sharing for U2 fans only.

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New Media may just be the most unusual of the Napster alternatives: It's for U2 files only. One of the creators, "Mr. MacPhisto," (a character created during the European leg of the ZooTV tour) tells AudioFile about the application that points U2 fans to killer live versions of "New Year's Day," and a whole lot more.

TechTV: How did the idea for New Media come about?

MacPhisto: Napster was too mainstream, as was the general Gnutella network. U2 fans have MP3s and other files available on their websites and FTP servers; the problem is they had limited bandwidth and resources available. With a decentralized network, we'd be able to trade.

When people share files, they are mirrored hundreds of times from various sources. With a peer-to-peer client/server, this eliminates the need for dedicated servers, such as Web, FTP, or even how Napster designed its network (based on central servers). Files are always online, even if a few of the larger traders go offline for periods of time. These ideas are what eventually turned into New Media.

TechTV: It is based on an existing file-sharing program, like Napster?

MacPhisto: New Media is based on the open source Gnutella protocol, although it utilizes a private network that cannot be combined with the general Gnutella network traffic.

TechTV: How do you filter out non-U2 files?

MacPhisto: This was something we bickered about for quite some time during initial development: Do we filter out/in files that don't fit some scheme relating to U2, or not? We ended up choosing to leave it up to the U2 fan community to only share the content they believe is relevant. This method seems to be working.

TechTV: Is it MP3 only, or can you find other files?

MacPhisto: Unlike Napster, which only shares audio files, New Media is able to share any and all types of files. This includes pictures, documents, videos, sound files, etc.

TechTV: Do you fear the copyright police?

MacPhisto: No. New Media is a true file sharing application that has been built by fans for fans. What fans share on this peer-to-peer network is up to them and out of our control. Most of the files being shared are live fan recordings and are not studio material. In fact, the band members have been quoted in major publications saying that they are cool with file sharing and taping of live shows, as long as no one is making money in the process.

TechTV: About how many users are online, on average?

MacPhisto: At any one time the network currently has from 35 to 100-plus users online, providing over 20,000 files. We have over 30,000 total unique users in all to date. Since our first version of New Media was a beta, this has surpassed our expectations. Our next version will be released around July and promises many improvements, added features, and to be much easier to use. You can download the current version at u2wdd.org.

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