First and foremost: This is not an april fools. It’s the real deal.

TDC, the largest ISP in Denmark launches free subscription based music in a couple of hours. It’s launching on their Play service.

Details: Mobile content is delivered free of charge (traffic). One song at a time in AAC (48kbit) format. For the computers it’s WMA in 192kbit. You have to be a customer in order to benefit. To get up and running, one needs a digital signature (a Danish standard) to connect your identity to their platform.

The ISP is paying rights holders, and have managed a deal with the danish rights administrator KODA. According to the official TDC/Play press release, more than 30 music companies have joined in on the deal.

With this one step, danish peoples will in a high degree be experiencing 1.5 mio songs flowing free as water… The waves will stir greatly in Denmark, other minor ISPs adding something similar, and perhaps other countries will see deals like this in the near future.

Only shitty thing is it’s DRM protected and what not. So the days of pissing on users, are still here.

Danish sources:
http://www.comon.dk/index.php/news/show/id=35417
http://m-alo.dk/tdc-play/
http://www.computerworld.dk/art/45047?threadid=10376&a=block&i=160

English official version press release:
http://tdc.com/publish.php?id=16268

More details:
TDC pays recording music companies and composers

With PLAY our customers can download music without additional costs to their subscription to TDC or YouSee. This is possible because TDC pays the record companies for making their music content available to the customers. TDC has also entered into a publishing agreement with KODA, who represent the composers in the Danish market.
The technology is supplied by 24/7 Entertainment

The technological solution behind PLAY is supplied by 24/7 Entertainment that has been TDC’s technical partner for more than three years. 24/7 Entertainment is founded by Carl Henrik Nielsen and Frank Taubert and is today one of the world’s leading suppliers of digital music sales and distribution solutions.
Free access for broadband and mobile phone customers

From 1 April 2008, TDC customers with one of the following subscriptions have unlimited access to downloading music from PLAY without any surcharge:

* o YouSee: All broadband customers (speeds above 2 Mbit/s)
* o TDC Broadband and TDC Employee Broadband: All products with download speeds above 1 Mbit/s (TDC Broadband City and non-usage-based broadband does not give access to PLAY).
* o TDC Bredbånd Professionel og TDC Business Bredbånd: All products (though limited to download for private use).
* o TDC Mobile:
* § TDC Duét Extra, -30, -120, TDC Simply
* § MobilExtra, -100, -200, -400, -Plus, 2+
* § Mixit Regning
* § MaxSms, MaxSms Live
* § MaxTale, MaxTale+
* § MaxOne (gl.), MaxOne (ny), MaxOne+
* § MobilTid Online
* § TDC Simply
* § Only99, Only199
* § Click
* § MEDA 100, -200, -400