Lala.com service provides legal, inexpensive way to trade music

By Laura Parkinson, Staff Writer

Published Feb. 27, 2007

Spending $.99 for one song and an average of $15 for a CD can be pricey for a college student living off of Ramen noodles and Easy Mac.

Because Information and Access Technology Services eliminated peer-to-peer music sharing due to the slowdown of the network, Lala.com, a music-sharing site, is offering a creative solution.

The founder of Lala created a site in which people can list old CDs to be traded and find the CDs they want on their wish list.

When a member wants a CD from another member's list, Lala sends a prepaid envelope to mail the CD. Any CD that is sent costs $1 and an additional $.75 to ship.

"There is not much selection these days," Lala marketing analyst Justin Sungla said. "Up-and-coming artists are not getting heard."

Sungla is one of 20 employees at Lala. The company launched in June 2006 in Palo Alto, Calif., and now has 200,000 members who share their CDs.

"It's a nice way to find new bands," said Network Security Analyst Beth Young, who said she uses the site regularly. "They have a fairly good system of making recommendations. I know that have given me exposure to music that I'm not going to hear in Columbia, especially the foreign bands that is not played on mainstream radio."

Young said she enjoys listening to the Russian Electronica band Tatu that she found on Lala.com.

"Major labels are pushing you to buy top-40 artists," Sungla said. "What better way to take advantage of technology than to give you the feel of a used-record store?"

The used-record store analogy comes from the fact that members can communicate and view lists for suggestions on what to put on their want lists. Once signed up, a member fills out a "have list" and a "want list." Once another member wants your CD, it's then possible to get one off of your "want list." When Young first signed up, she received five CDs per week and now has 220 CDs on her "have list."

Students don't have to worry about the peer-to-peer ban because the Web site is completely legal. The site even donates 20 percent to either the artist, if they are registered on the site, or to Z foundation, a non-profit fund to help artists.

"It is a chartable fund to give back to the musicians to help create new music, and keep making new music for fans to listen to," Sungla said.

Now that peer-to-peer sharing has been banned on campus, Lala presents a cheap way to find music and learn more about obscure artists while not getting anyone into trouble.

"These sites are being shut down because it's piracy," Sungla said. "Lala.com has a better sound quality than peer-to-peer network because you own the property. You don't have to worry about getting sued by the label because you have the actual CD and have the music with you forever."

Once a member receives a CD, it goes automatically to the "have list" to be traded for another CD. The site also offers members a chance to create their own radio station by choosing songs, artists or CDs, which can then be sent to friends or published on a blog.

"We are trying to do something with digital music in the future," Sungla said. "We also are setting up studios in Austin, (Texas), New York (City) and San Francisco and recording a lounge session."