Jump to content

Grooveshark: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Reverted edits by 12.111.85.131 (talk) to last version by ȸ
Moved history section to the beginning where it should be and included the legal troubles as a subheading within. Also expanded on information, cleaned up, and added additional reliable sources.
Line 15: Line 15:
| alexa = {{decrease}} 954 ({{as of|2014|04|11|alt=April 2014}})<ref name="alexa">{{cite web|url= http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/grooveshark.com |title= Grooveshark.com Site Info | publisher= [[Alexa Internet]] |accessdate= 2014-04-11 }}</ref>
| alexa = {{decrease}} 954 ({{as of|2014|04|11|alt=April 2014}})<ref name="alexa">{{cite web|url= http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/grooveshark.com |title= Grooveshark.com Site Info | publisher= [[Alexa Internet]] |accessdate= 2014-04-11 }}</ref>
}}
}}
'''Grooveshark''', a subsidiary of Escape Media Group, is an online music streaming service based in the United States. It has a [[search engine]], [[music streaming service|streaming service]], and recommendation application. Users can stream and upload music that can be played immediately or added to a [[playlist]].<ref>[http://finance.yahoo.com/news/OnDemand-Digital-Music-iw-673718871.html "On-Demand Digital Music Service Grooveshark Selects Juniper Networks EX Series Switching Platforms to Build Scalable Cloud-Based Infrastructure and Improve User Experience"], "[[Yahoo! Finance]]", 14 June 2010. Retrieved on 08-11-10.</ref>


'''Grooveshark''', a subsidiary of Escape Media Group,<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news | last =Lindvall| first =Helienne| title =Behind the music: Why Grooveshark takes a bite out of artists' earnings | newspaper =[[The Guardian]]| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =| date =9 September 2011 | url =http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/sep/09/behind-music-grooveshark| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> is an online music streaming service based in the [[United States of America|United States]]. It offers a music [[search engine]], [[music streaming service|streaming service]], and music recommendations. Users can stream and upload music that can be played immediately or added to a [[playlist]].<ref name="LAWeekly">{{cite news | last =Shames| first =Jade| title =Is Grooveshark the Future of Digital Streaming?: The Secrets of the Popular Streaming Site You're Probably Listening to Right Now | newspaper =[[LA Weekly]]| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =| date =13 May 2011 | url =http://www.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/05/13/is-grooveshark-the-future-of-digital-streaming-the-secrets-of-the-popular-streaming-site-youre-probably-listening-to-right-now| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> The site was founded in 2006, and, by 2014, it had earned over 20 million active users per month who could create playlists from a catalog of over 25 million songs.<ref name="Neff">{{cite news | last =Neff| first =Noel| title =Grooveshark is Still Music to His (and Millions of Others’) Ears | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =Gainesville Observed| date =24 April 2014 | url =http://gainesvilleobserved.com/2014/04/24/grooveshark-is-still-music-to-his-and-millions-of-others-ears/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> In 2010, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]'' listed it as one of the top 50 websites of the year.<ref name="TIME">{{cite news | title =50 Best Websites 2010 - Grooveshark| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]| date =13 May 2011 | url =http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2012721_2012728_2012745,00.html| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref>
Grooveshark's legal status remains controversial. It won a major lawsuit filed by Universal concerning its pre-1972 recordings, but other lawsuits are still in progress. As of January 2012, Grooveshark has been sued for [[copyright]]-violations by all four of the major music companies: [[EMI|EMI Music Publishing]], [[Sony Music Entertainment]], [[Warner Music Group]], and [[Universal Music Group]].<ref name="CNET" >{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57353515-93/grooveshark-now-feels-lawsuit-wrath-of-all-major-music-labels/ |title=Grooveshark now feels lawsuit wrath of all major music labels: EMI, which already has a licensing agreement with the music streaming service, alleges in a breach of contract lawsuit that it has yet to be paid any royalties|accessdate=2012-01-06|first=Steve|last=Musil|month=5 January|ref=harv|publisher=[[CNET]]}}</ref> For one suit complaining about [[copyright infringement|copyright-infringement]], the liabilities have been estimated at US $17 billion.<ref name="Billion17"/><ref name="Time2011"/> Concerns about copyrights led [[Google]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] and [[Facebook]] to remove Grooveshark's applications from [[Google Play]], the [[App Store (iOS)|iOS App Store]] and [[Facebook platform]] respectively. However, Grooveshark is available in alternative app stores like [[Cydia]] for jailbroken Apple devices.<ref name="Android"/><ref name="Apple"/><ref name="DMNFacebook"/>

⚫
==Features==
⚫
Grooveshark is a [[rich Internet application]] that originally ran in [[Adobe Flash]]. In December 2010, Grooveshark redesigned its site to provide an [[HTML5]] interface.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techdrivein.com/2010/12/grooveshark-interface-receives-html5.html |title=Grooveshark Interface Receives an HTML5 Boost! |accessdate=2010-12-17 }}</ref> Grooveshark displays songs, playlists, and users. Grooveshark has a [[Java Web Start]] application that scans users' folders for [[MP3]]s, uploading and adding them to the user's online library. The [[ID3]] information of the uploaded song is linked to the user, and the file is uploaded to Grooveshark, which then offers [[Video on demand|on-demand]] music playback. All content on the service is [[Crowdsourcing|user-sourced]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10070510-2.html |title=Grooveshark Now Does Widgets, Music Uploads|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> In 2010 ''Time'''s on-line supplement had listed Grooveshark among its 50 Best Websites.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2012721_2012728_2012745,00.html |title=50 Best Websites 2010: Grooveshark|accessdate=2011-10-17 | work=Time|date=2010-08-25}}</ref>

⚫
Grooveshark’s catalog streams over 1 billion sound files per month, contains over 15 million songs and has 20 million users.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2012/09/05/grooveshark-html5-player/|publisher=Mashable|first=Joann|last=Pan|date=2012-09-05|accessdate=2013-08-03|title=Grooveshark Circumvents Mobile Bans by Launching an HTML5 Player}}</ref> Users can search and find music by song, artist, album, browsing friends’ recent activity, and even through other users’ playlists. The service allows users to create and edit Playlists. Registered users can save playlists to an account, subscribe to other users’ Playlists, and share Playlists through e-mail, social media, StumbleUpon, Reddit or an embeddable widget. Users can listen to Genre Radio Stations of particular genres or they can populate their own station via their list of Current Songs. The site can use the song list to stream similar music, and this stream selection updates, using user ratings of songs. Grooveshark features a “Community” section, where users can view the activity of friends by “following” them. Users can connect other social media accounts.

Users may obtain basic accounts without fees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.grooveshark.com/customer/portal/articles/2137-is-grooveshark-free- |title=Is Grooveshark Free?|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> Grooveshark offers two subscription services that give users increased features, no banner ads, and playability on mobile devices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.grooveshark.com/customer/portal/articles/9064-what-is-grooveshark-plus- |title=What is Grooveshark Plus?|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.grooveshark.com/customer/portal/articles/2223-grooveshark-anywhere |title=What is Grooveshark Anywhere?|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
===Launch===
Grooveshark is a service of Escape Media Group Inc. (EMG), based in [[Gainesville, Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grooveshark.com/about |title=Grooveshark: About|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> As of January 2012, Grooveshark employs over 130 people, with nearly 100 working in its headquarters in Gainesville and others in [[New York City]].
Grooveshark was founded in March 2006<ref name="Alligator">{{cite news | last =Jacobo| first =Julia| title =UF students' music site Grooveshark reaches 1 million users | newspaper =[[The Independent Florida Alligator]]| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =| date =29 September 2009 | url =http://www.alligator.org/news/local/article_f5240ea4-ef9f-59e5-9c27-770b265d8571.html| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> by three undergraduates at the [[University of Florida]]—Josh Greenberg, Sam Tarantino,<ref name="Neff"/> and [[Andrés Barreto]].<ref name="Barreto">{{cite news | last =Olle| first =Nick| title =Just Don’t Call Him The Colombian Mark Zuckerberg… | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[The Global Mail]]| date =16 February 2012 | url =http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/just-dont-call-him-the-colombian-mark-zuckerberg/62/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> The company is headquartered in [[Gainesville, Florida|Gainesville]], [[Florida]] with ofices located in [[New York City]] and [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=McDermott|first1=John|title=Case Study: Can Grooveshark Get Its Groove Back?|url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/201211/john-mcdermott/hands-on-case-study-grooveshark.html|accessdate=8 September 2014|publisher=Inc.}}</ref><ref name="Neff"/> It is a service of Escape Media Group Inc. (EMG).<ref name="Guardian"/>.


The service was created as a legal alternative to combat [[Copyright infringement|online piracy]] typically found on P2P networks like [[LimeWire]]. Greenberg, the company's [[Chief technology officer|CTO]] credits Tarantino (the CEO) with envisioning the company's eventual product.<ref name="Startups"/> He came up with the idea after seeing a sign that read "buy/sell/trade CDs" and wondering if the same concept could be applied to digital music.<ref name="InsideUF">{{cite news | last =Papakos| first =Panagiota| title =Grooveshark brings legal music sharing to Gators — and the entire world | newspaper = Inside UF| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =15 January 2008 | url =http://news.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/inside_uf_1-15-08-low.pdf| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> Although it was founded in March 2006, the business did not start in earnest until March 2007 when they released a limited "alpha" product. It began working on the [[Software release life cycle#Beta|beta]] between March and September 2007.<ref name="Startups">{{cite news | title =Grooveshark’s Interview | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =Startups Open Sourced| date =2012 | url =http://www.startupsopensourced.com/groovesharks-interview/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> The beta operated as a music sharing community in which users bought and sold tracks amongst themselves for 99 cents.<ref name="VB">{{cite news | last =Morrison| first =Chris| title =Grooveshark offers P2P music downloads — but is it legal? | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Venture Beat]]| date =5 December 2007 | url =http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/grooveshark-offers-p2p-music-downloads-but-is-it-legal/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> Around 70 cents went to the record label, 25 cents went to the user selling the track, and 4 cents went to Grooveshark. At the time, Grooveshark had only received consent from various small record labels to engage in this type of business.<ref name="VB"/>
Grooveshark was founded in March 2006 by three undergraduates at the [[University of Florida]],<ref name="startupsopensourced.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.startupsopensourced.com/groovesharks-interview/ |title=Interview with Grooveshark CTO Josh Greenberg|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> with founder Sam Tarantino becoming [[CEO]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/inside_uf_1-15-08-low.pdf |title=Grooveshark Brings Legal Music Streaming to Gators and the World|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> During its first two years, Grooveshark functioned as a paid downloadable music service,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.cnet.com/Grooveshark/3000-2141_4-10815043.html |title=CNET Editor’s Review: Grooveshark|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> with its content sourced from a proprietary [[P2P network]] called “Sharkbyte”. Grooveshark stated that it paid users who uploaded a transacted song a portion of the accounting costs for the song. Grooveshark positioned itself as a legal competitor to other popular P2P networks such as [[LimeWire]], although questions about its legality arose from the beginning.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/grooveshark-offers-p2p-music-downloads-but-is-it-legal/ |title=Grooveshark offers P2P music downloads but is it legal? |accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> In 2008, the service enabled users to click and play songs on the site without having to download an application.<ref name="startupsopensourced.com"/>


===Evolution===
As of 2009, Grooveshark had secured almost $1 million in seed funding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://venturebeatprofiles.com//company/profile/grooveshark |title=VentureBeat Profile: Grooveshark|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> Also in 2009, Grooveshark launched its artist platform called Grooveshark Artists,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://artists.grooveshark.com |title=Grooveshark Artists|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> which distributes music to fans interested in similar music.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}<ref>{{self-published inline|date=July 2012}} {{cite web|url=http://blogcritics.org/music/article/musicians-find-fans-at-grooveshark-artists/ |title=Musicians Find Fans at Grooveshark Artists|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> On October 27, 2009, Grooveshark revised its [[user interface|interface]], which enabled users to skip to any point in a song,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/25/streaming-music-site-grooveshark-previews-new-look-features-to/ |title=Streaming Music Site Grooveshark Previews New Look, Features to VIPs|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> left-hand navigation, customizable site themes, and drag-and-drop editing of playlists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.russellheimlich.com/blog/grooveshark-2-0-keeps-getting-better/ |title=Grooveshark 2.0 Keeps Getting Better|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> On December 2, 2010, the site's interface was rewritten for [[HTML5]]. Its music player continued to use [[Adobe Flash]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techdrivein.com/2010/12/grooveshark-interface-receives-html5.html |title=Grooveshark Interface Receives an HTML5 Boost |accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> Another update occurred in October 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.grooveshark.com/post/11287127783/sneak-peek-at-the-new-grooveshark-redesign |title=Sneak Peak at the New Grooveshark Redesign |accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref>


As more people began streaming music with services like [[YouTube]] and [[Pandora Radio|Pandora]], Grooveshark abandoned its marketplace model by providing a dedicated web-based<ref name="Startups"/> [[Adobe Flash Player|Flash]] media player called "Grooveshark Lite" in 2008.<ref name="Paste">{{cite news | last =Ready| first =Julia| title =Legal P2P program Grooveshark debuts web media player| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]| date =21 April 2008 | url =http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/04/legal-p2p-program-grooveshark-debuts-web-media-pla.html| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> In August 2008, Grooveshark added an "Autoplay" feature to the Grooveshark Lite player that offered a "Pandora-like" radio service that continuously played music based on user-identified specifications.<ref name="Inquisitr">{{cite news | last =Riley| first =Duncan| title =Grooveshark Autoplay: Pandora for the rest of us| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = Inquisitr| date =26 August 2008 | url =http://www.inquisitr.com/2669/grooveshark-autoplay-pandora-for-the-rest-of-us/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> These features afforded Grooveshark a certain degree of popularity. The service featured 75,000 active users (a number that grew by 1,500 each day) and made deals with over 600 record companies in 2008. Greenberg and Tarantino were also named 2008 finalists for ''[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]'''s list of "America's Best Young Entrepreneurs."<ref name="Bloomberg">{{cite news | title =2008 Finalists: America's Best Young Entrepreneurs| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Bloomberg Businessweek]]| date =2008 | url =http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/09/0908_2008_entrepreneurs/15.htm| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref>
On January 18, 2012 Grooveshark removed service in [[Germany]], stating that it closed due to the costs of licensing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/18/grooveshark-germany/ |title=Grooveshark denies service to Germany due to "unreasonably high" licensing costs |publisher=VentureBeat |accessdate=2013-06-14}}</ref> On November 21, 2011, Grooveshark was a [[Mashable]] Awards 2011 Finalist in the Best Music Service or App category.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2011/11/21/2011-mashable-awards-finalists |title=Mashable Awards 2011 Finalists |accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref> On December 19, 2011, Grooveshark co-founders Sam Tarantino and Josh Greenberg were listed among the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 in Music.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2011/30-under30-12/30-under-30-12_music.html |title=Forbes 30 Under 30 in Music |accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref>


Grooveshark signed a deal with [[EMI Records]] in October 2009 which effectively licensed tracks from some of the music industry's most prominent artists and also ended a 5-month legal battle between the two.<ref name="EMI">{{cite news | last =Houghton| first =Bruce| title =EMI Drops Lawsuit, Partners With Grooveshark| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = HypeBot| date =13 October 2009 | url =http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/10/emi-drops-lawsuit-partners-with-grooveshark.html| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> Grooveshark also launched a new [[User interface|interface]] that increased speeds, simplified existent features, and allowed users to skip ahead in a song.<ref name="Lifehacker">{{cite news | last =Fitzpatrick| first =Jason| title =Grooveshark Updates Interface, Boasts Speedier Loading Time| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Lifehacker]]| date =9 November 2009| url =http://lifehacker.com/5399553/grooveshark-updates-interface-boasts-speedier-loading-time| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> Also in 2009, the site reached the one million-user mark.<ref name="Alligator"/> Grooveshark also began developing and testing a mobile app for [[iOS]] devices in July 2009. The app was regarded by some commentators as "great," but [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] routinely rejected it for inclusion in the [[App Store (iOS)|app store]]. It was made available on [[Cydia (application)|Cydia]] for users with [[iOS jailbreaking|jailbroken]] iOS devices in early 2010.<ref name="Wauters">{{cite news | last =Wauters| first =Robin| title =Rejected By Apple, Grooveshark Releases App For Jailbroken iPhones On Cydia| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[TechCrunch]]| date =26 February 2010| url =http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/26/grooveshark-iphone-app-cydia/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref>
On September 5, 2012 Grooveshark presented its full HTML5 player, effectively nullifying Google and Apple's decisions to make the service unavailable to mobile apps.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/05/screw-app-stores-grooveshark-rolls-out-full-html5-site-for-all-devices/ |title=No app store? No problem. Grooveshark rolls out full HTML5 site for all devices |accessdate=2013-05-05}}</ref>


In September 2010, Grooveshark made minor improvements to its user interface. The update added [[Fade (audio engineering)#Crossfading|crossfading]] between songs, a full-screen mode, and other options for premium users.<ref name="DLS01">{{cite news | last =Zukerman| first =Erez| title =DLS Review: My experience with the updated Grooveshark | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Weblogs, Inc.#Download Squad|Download Squad]]| date =12 September 2010| url =http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/09/12/dls-review-my-experience-with-the-updated-grooveshark/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> Just three months later in December, Grooveshark made another overhaul to their website. The new website was built with [[HTML5]] rather than Flash. The audio player, however, still used a Flash plug-in. The new HTML5 interface allowed users to access the home page from their iOS devices, but they still could not listen to music because the audio player operated with Flash.<ref name="Lifehacker02">{{cite news | last =Gordon| first =Whitson| title =Grooveshark Pushes Out New HTML5-Powered Interface | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Lifehacker]]| date =4 December 2010| url =http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2010/12/grooveshark-pushes-out-new-html5-powered-interface/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref>
On August 28, 2012 Google Play restored Grooveshark's app.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57502151-93/music-streaming-grooveshark-app-back-in-google-play/ |title=Music streaming Grooveshark app back in Google Play |accessdate=2013-05-05}}</ref>


===Legal troubles===
During the year of 2013, Cydia repositories iHackStore, BigBoss Repo, c0caine, and all other repos brought back the Grooveshark app for the iPhone with the ability to download songs and import them directly to the music app within the Grooveshark app.


Beginning in 2010, Grooveshark was the subject of a spate of lawsuits, the most notable of which was one from the [[Universal Music Group]] (UMG). Although Grooveshark had incurred a lawsuit from EMI in 2009, the issue had largely been resolved by an October 2009 licensing agreement. UMG filed their suit against Grooveshark in January 2010, alleging that there was copyrighted, pre-1972 material on Grooveshark's servers that violated the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA).<ref name="CNET01">{{cite news | last =Rosoff| first =Matt| title =Grooveshark sued by another record company | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[CNET]]| date =11 January 2010| url =http://www.cnet.com/news/grooveshark-sued-by-another-record-company/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> On August 12, 2010, Grooveshark finally succeeded in adding their iOS app to the App Store,<ref name="PCMag01">{{cite news | last =Albanesius| first =Chloe| title =Grooveshark iPhone App Hits App Store, Android Gets Update | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[PC Magazine]]| date =12 August 2010| url =http://appscout.pcmag.com/android/269608-grooveshark-iphone-app-hits-app-store-android-gets-update| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> but the app was removed after only five days because of a complaint from UMG. The complaint did not affect the Grooveshark app for the [[Android OS]],<ref name="PCMag02">{{cite news | last =Albanesius| first =Chloe| title =Grooveshark iPhone App Pulled After Universal Complaint | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[PC Magazine]]| date =12 August 2010| url =http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2367940,00.asp| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> which had been updated at the time of the iOS app release.<ref name="PCMag01"/> Despite these legal pressures, Grooveshark still made [[Google]]'s annual "Zeitgist" list of the most popular search terms in the preceding year.<ref name="Bylin">{{cite news | last =Bylin| first =Kyle| title =Grooveshark Rises In Popularity – So Now What? | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = HypeBot| date =13 December 2010| url =http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2010/12/grooveshark-rises-in-popularity-so-now-what.html| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>
As of July 2014, Grooveshark announced that it will now accept [[Bitcoin]] as a form of payment via [[Stripe (company)|Stripe]]. <ref>Hong, Kaylene. July 15th 2014 TheNextWeb. "[http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/07/15/grooveshark-now-lets-you-pay-for-its-music-streaming-service-with-bitcoin/ Grooveshark now lets you pay for its music streaming service with Bitcoin]"</ref>


In 2011, Grooveshark received another shock when Google pulled the Grooveshark app from the [[Google Play|Android Market]]. Google stated that they remove apps from the marketplace if they violate certain policies, but they did not indicate which policies had been violated.<ref name="CNET02">{{cite news | last =Sandoval| first =Greg| title =Google boots Grooveshark from Android Market | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[CNET]]| date =6 April 2011| url =http://www.cnet.com/news/google-boots-grooveshark-from-android-market/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> Throughout this and other legal proceedings, Grooveshark has maintained that its service is legal under the "[[Safe harbor (law)|Safe Harbor]]" provisions in the DMCA.<ref name="TechDirt">{{cite news | last =Masnick| first =Mike| authorlink=Mike Masnick| title =Grooveshark Insists It's Legal; Points Out That Using DMCA Safe Harbors Is Not Illegal | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Techdirt]]| date =20 April 2011| url =https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110419/11434013962/grooveshark-insists-its-legal-points-out-that-using-dmca-safe-harbors-is-not-illegal.shtml| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>In November 2011, UMG escalated the pressure by bringing an additional lawsuit against Grooveshark for more than $15 billion. The suit alleged that employees of Grooveshark had uploaded over 100,000 tracks. UMG sought a maximum of $150,000 for each upload.<ref name="Time2011">{{cite journal|title=Universal Music sues music streaming service for 100,000 illegal uploads|first=Graeme|last=McMillan|date=21 November 2011|url=http://techland.time.com/2011/11/21/universal-music-sues-music-streaming-service-for-100000-illegal-uploads/|ref=harv|accessdate=23 July 2014|journal=[[Time Magazine]]}}</ref> Grooveshark has referred to this allegation as a "gross mischaracterization of information."<ref name="CNET03">{{cite news | last =Musil| first =Steven| title =Grooveshark now feels lawsuit wrath of all major music labels | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[CNET]]| date =5 January 2012| url =http://www.cnet.com/news/grooveshark-now-feels-lawsuit-wrath-of-all-major-music-labels/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>
==Lawsuits and controversies==


Again, despite mounting legal pressure, Grooveshark continued to receive industry recognition. News website, [[Mashable]], listed Grooveshark as a 2011 Mashable Award Finalist in the category of "Best Music Service or App."<ref name="Mashable">{{cite news | last =Haberman| first =Stephanie| title =Announcing the 2011 Mashable Awards Finalists | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Mashable]]| date =21 November 2011| url =http://mashable.com/2011/11/21/2011-mashable-awards-finalists/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> Tarantino and Greenberg were also listed among the ''[[Forbes]]'' top "30 Under 30 in Music" three years in a row, including 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=30 Under 30 Sam Tarantino and Josh Greenberg|url=http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeel45ldjm/sam-tarantino-and-josh-greenberg/|accessdate=8 September 2014|publisher=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=2014 30 Under 30: Music|url=http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeel45ehgfg/sam-tarantino-27-josh-greenberg-26/|accessdate=8 September 2014|publisher=Forbes}}</ref> At the end of 2011, Grooveshark was also earning roughly 35 million users per month.<ref name="30under30">{{cite news | last =O'Malley Greenburg| first =Zack| authorlink=Zack O'Malley Greenburg| title =30 Under 30 - Music | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Forbes]]| date =2011| url =http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2011/30-under30-12/30-under-30-12_music.html| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> In September 2011, Grooveshark also signed a licensing agreement with [[Sun Records]], giving them access to music from artists like [[Johnny Cash]], [[Roy Orbison]], and [[Jerry Lee Lewis]].<ref name="DMW">{{cite news | last =Marlowe| first =Chris| title =Sun Records Sees the Light with Grooveshark | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Digital Media Wire]]| date =29 September 2011| url =http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2011/09/29/sun-records-sees-the-light-with-grooveshark| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>
===Copyright===


By January 2012, however, Grooveshark was facing lawsuits from each of the four major record labels—UMG, EMI, [[Sony Music Entertainment]], and [[Warner Music Group]]. Although Grooveshark and EMI had formerly had a licensing agreement, the latter filed a suit citing a lack of royalty payment.<ref name="CNET03"/> Also in January, Grooveshark cut off service in [[Germany]], citing "unreasonably high" licensing costs.<ref name="VB02">{{cite news | last =Cheredar| first =Tom| title =Grooveshark denies service to Germany due to “unreasonably high” licensing costs | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Venture Beat]]| date =18 January 2012 | url =http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/18/grooveshark-germany/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref> In May 2012, Grooveshark suffered another setback when [[Facebook]] removed its social compatibility features with the website. Like Google and Apple, Facebook had received complaints from record companies.<ref name="Arst">{{cite news | last =Guess| first =Megan| title =Facebook deliberately bans Grooveshark from its services | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Ars Technica]]| date =9 May 2012 | url =http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/05/facebook-deliberately-bans-grooveshark-from-its-services/| accessdate = 22 July 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Grooveshark screenshot of King Crimson work.png|right|thumb|alt=The interface of Grooveshark (on 17 July 2012).


===Resurgence and looking forward===
The interfaces's tabs have these titles: overview, songs, albums (active), events, similar artists, fans; the albums tab is active. There are links to three social-media applications: Facebook, Tweet, and Google.


Although CEO Sam Tarantino referred to portions of 2011 and 2012 as "a year of getting punched in the face 10,000 times," the company continued to work on the technical aspects of their product.<ref name="BusinessInsider">{{cite news | last =Dickey| first =Megan Rose| title =Grooveshark's CEO Is Making A Comeback After 'Getting Punched In The Face 10,000 Times' | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Business Insider]]| date =23 April 2013 | url =http://www.businessinsider.com/groovesharks-comeback-2013-4| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> For instance, in January 2012, Grooveshark unveiled a beta version of their HTML5 web application. The new site allowed mobile users to circumvent the restrictions imposed by Apple and Google, because they were now able to stream music from mobile browsers.<ref name="VB03">{{cite news | last =Ludwig| first =Sean| title =Grooveshark launches HTML5 mobile app to get around being banned in app stores | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Venture Beat]]| date =13 January 2012 | url =http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/13/grooveshark-html5-mobile-app/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> The full version of the HTML5 music player was released in September 2012.<ref name="VB04">{{cite news | last =Cheredar| first =Tom| title =No app store? No problem. Grooveshark rolls out full HTML5 site for all devices | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Venture Beat]]| date =5 September 2012 | url =http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/05/screw-app-stores-grooveshark-rolls-out-full-html5-site-for-all-devices/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> In July 2012, Grooveshark filed a [[counterclaim]] of injury to competition and [[tortious interference]] against UMG. The judge allowed Grooveshark to pursue the claim.<ref name="Counter">{{cite news | last =Busch| first =Richard| title =The Shark Bites Back -- Judge will hear Grooveshark's counterclaim against Universal | newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Forbes]]| date =17 July 2012 | url =http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbusch/2012/07/17/the-shark-bites-back-judge-will-hear-groovesharks-counterclaim-against-universal/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>
The following songs—formatted as ”song_name” (artist, album)—are listed as having been played in the playlist: ”Hope” (Robert Fripp String Quintet, ”The Bridge Between”), ”In the Cloud Forest” (Andy Summers and Robert Fripp, ”I Advance Masked”) and ”Tribe” (Andy Summers and Robert Fripp, ”Bewitched”), ”I Talk To The Wind” and ”Epitaph” (King Crimson, ”In the Court of the Crimson King”), ”Frame by Frame” (King Crimson, ”Discipline”), ”Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part III” (King Crimson, ”Three of a Perfect Pair”), ”Three of a Perfect Pair” (King Crimson, Live...), ”21st Century Schizoid Man” (The Human Experimente, featuring Robert Fripp, Maynard Keenan, Jeff Fayman, [single]), ”Earthbound” (King Crimson, …), ”The Heavenly Music Corporation” (Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, ”(No Pussyfooting)”), ”Evensong” and ”Wind on [Wind Water]” (Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, ”Evening Star”), Healthy Colours (Brian Eno and Robert Fripp).


The Grooveshark Android app made its return to the Google Play marketplace in late August 2012, but the return was short-lived. Google removed the app again after only three days. Grooveshark also reached another settlement with EMI,<ref name="NYT">{{cite news | last =Sisario| first =Ben| title = Grooveshark App Removed From Google Store Again | newspaper =[[The New York Times]]| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =| date =31 August 2012 | url =http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/grooveshark-app-removed-from-google-store-again/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> only to incur another lawsuit from the record label in September 2012.<ref name="Verge">{{cite news | last =Rubio| first =Justin| title =EMI files lawsuit against Grooveshark over unfulfilled payments once again| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =[[The Verge]]| date =6 September 2012 | url =http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/6/3294163/emi-grooveshark-licensing-lawsuit-again| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> The company incurred other setbacks including being blacklisted from Google's autocomplete engine, losing an appeal to UMG,<ref name="Houghton">{{cite news | last =Houghton| first =Bruce| title =Grooveshark Added To Google Search Blacklist| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = HypeBot| date =23 July 2013| url =http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/07/grooveshark-added-to-google-search-blacklist.html| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> and facing a potential ban in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="UK">{{cite news | last =Coplan| first =Chris| title =Grooveshark faces ban in UK, top executive murdered| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Consequence of Sound]]| date =13 November 2013| url =http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/11/grooveshark-faces-ban-in-uk-top-executive-murdered/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>
The active page is for the artist, King Crimson. The following King Crimson albums are displayed: ”Absent Lovers”, ”Live at the Marquee”, ”B'BOOM: Live in Argentina”, ”Islands”, ”Live in Central Park, NYC”, ”Ladies of the Road”, ”Live in Warsaw”, ”Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With” (single).
|[[Robert&nbsp;Fripp]] claimed Grooveshark continued to distribute his music, after repeated takedown notices and other complaints.<ref name="NYT14Dec11"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Grooveshark lawsuit reveals details of Universal Music Group's allegations|first=Glenn|last=Peoples|date=21 November 2011|newspaper=Billboard.biz|publisher=Billboard.com|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/grooveshark-lawsuit-reveals-details-of-universal-1005549582.story|ref=harv|accessdate=30 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="DMN">{{cite news|title=King&nbsp;Crimson can't get their music off&nbsp;of Grooveshark, so they cc'd ''Digital&nbsp;Music&nbsp;News''... |date=13 October 2011 |ref=harv|url=http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/101311cc|first=Paul ("paul")|last=Resnikoff|journal=[[Digital Music News]]|accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref> His exchange was included in Universal's suit, filed in November 2011, against Grooveshark.<ref name="NYT14Dec11" >{{cite news|title=Sony and Warner are said to sue web music service|first=Ben|last=Sisario|date=14 December 2011|newspaper=New York Times|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/business/media/sony-and-warner-are-said-to-join-suit-against-grooveshark.html?_r=1|ref=harv|accessdate=30 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="Sandoval"/> ]]


Even so, Grooveshark settled their lawsuits and signed licensing agreements with both EMI<ref name="Verge02">{{cite news | last =Sandoval| first =Greg| title =Grooveshark settles EMI Publishing lawsuit, still faces uncertain future| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =[[The Verge]]| date =6 August 2013 | url =http://www.theverge.com/policy/2013/8/6/4592346/grooveshark-settles-emi-publishing-lawsuit-still-faces-uncertain| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> and Sony. The deal gives Grooveshark access to the world's largest music publisher, Sony, which had 30% of the total market revenue in 2012.<ref name="Houghton02">{{cite news | last =Houghton| first =Bruce| title =Grooveshark Settles Lawsuit, Signs Deal With Sony/ATV| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher = HypeBot| date =28 August 2013| url =http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/08/grooveshark-settles-lawsuit-signs-deal-with-sonyatv.html| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> As of July 2014, Grooveshark is also now accepting [[Bitcoin]] as a form of payment via Stripe.<ref name="TNW">{{cite news | last =Hong| first =Kaylene| title =Grooveshark now lets you pay for its music streaming service with Bitcoin| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =[[The Next Web]]| date =15 July 2014 | url =http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/07/15/grooveshark-now-lets-you-pay-for-its-music-streaming-service-with-bitcoin/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>
CEO Sam Tarantino stated that the company strictly follows the [[notice and take down|takedown]] procedures of the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]], stating that usually Grooveshark expeditiously removes content.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/news/e3i724a018466b8941181f372784614637f |title=Grooveshark CEO Rails Against UMG-Forced App Takedown|accessdate=2011-10-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grooveshark.com/dmca |title=Grooveshark DMCA Takedown Policy |accessdate=2011-10-12}}</ref> However, representatives of the music labels say that songs that are taken down due to infringement claims often reappear almost immediately.<ref name="NYT14Dec11"/>


⚫
==Features==
[[Universal Music Group]] filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Grooveshark on January 6, 2010, alleging that Grooveshark maintained on its servers illegal copies of Universal's pre-1972 catalog.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/uploads/fb/32/fb32701d5d705be04823ba01de133bd7/UMGvGrooveshark.pdf |title=UMG v. Grooveshark|accessdate=2011-10-11}}</ref> In July 2012, New York State Supreme Court Judge Barbara Kapnick ruled that pre-1972 recordings were covered by the "[[Digital Millennium Copyright Act#Title II: Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act|safe harbor]]" provision of the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]]<ref name="foxnews.com">[http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/07/18/does-revolution-in-music-industry-spell-end-mp3/ "You say you want a revolution? Music industry in turmoil again."], "[[FoxNews.com]]", 18 July 2012. Retrieved on 12-11-12.</ref><ref name="forbes.com">[http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbusch/2012/07/17/the-shark-bites-back-judge-will-hear-groovesharks-counterclaim-against-universal "The Shark Bites Back -- Judge will hear Grooveshark's counterclaim against Universal"] | publisher= "[[Forbes.com]]"|accessdate= 12-11-12.</ref> In April 2013, the New York State Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the decision, saying that pre-1972 licenses are not covered by the DMCA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/universal-music-group-wins-appeal-444824|title=Universal Music Group Wins Appeal Against Grooveshark|publisher=Holywood Reporter|author=Alex Pham, Billboard|date=23 Apr 2013|accessdate=13 Dec 2013}}</ref>
⚫
Grooveshark is a [[rich Internet application]] that originally ran in Adobe Flash. In December 2010, Grooveshark redesigned its site to provide an HTML5 interface.<ref name="Lifehacker02"/> Grooveshark displays songs, playlists, and users. It also has a [[Java Web Start]] application that scans users' folders for [[MP3]]s, uploading and adding them to the user's online library. The [[ID3]] information of the uploaded song is linked to the user, and the file is uploaded to Grooveshark, which then offers [[Video on demand|on-demand]] music playback. All content on the service is [[Crowdsourcing|user-sourced]].<ref name="CNET04">{{cite news | last =Lowensohn| first =Josh| title =GrooveShark now does widgets, music uploads| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =[[CNET]]| date =20 October 2008 | url =http://www.cnet.com/news/grooveshark-now-does-widgets-music-uploads/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>

In November 2011, [[Universal Music Group]] brought an additional lawsuit against Grooveshark for more than $15 billion.<ref name="Time2011">{{cite journal|title=Universal Music sues music streaming service for 100,000 illegal uploads|first=Graeme|last=McMillan|date=21 November 2011|url=http://techland.time.com/2011/11/21/universal-music-sues-music-streaming-service-for-100000-illegal-uploads/|ref=harv|accessdate=30 May 2011|journal=[[Time Magazine]]}}</ref> UMG cited internal documents revealing that Grooveshark employees uploaded thousands of illegal copies of UMG-owned recordings.<ref name="Sandoval">[http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57327815-261/lawsuit-claims-grooveshark-workers-posted-100000-pirated-songs/ Lawsuit claims Grooveshark workers posted 100,000 pirated songs]. Greg Sandoval, CNET, November 21, 2011</ref> Six individuals were named as personally having uploaded between 1,000 and 40,000 songs each; other employees had uploaded 43,000 songs, according to page eight of the complaint. For each of the 113,777 alleged uploadings, a penalty of US $150,000 was requested by Universal, amounting to an estimated US $17.1 billion.<ref name="Billion17" >{{cite news |date=23 November 2011 |url=http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2011/111123grooveshark|title= Grooveshark is now facing $17&nbsp;billion in damages...|accessdate=20 July 2012|first=Paul ("paul")|last=Resnikoff|journal=[[Digital Music News]]|ref=harv}}</ref><ref name="Time2011"/> Grooveshark denied all the complaints, complaining there was a "gross mischaracterisation" of the documents obtained during the [[discovery (law)|lawsuit's discovery phase]].<ref name="Billion17"/>

Due to copyright concerns and pressure from record labels, many third party companies have distanced themselves from Grooveshark. [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] removed its [[iPhone]] Grooveshark app from its store after only a few days on August 16, 2010, in response to a complaint from Universal.<ref name="Apple">{{cite news|url=http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/08/apple-bows-to-label-pressure-yanks-grooveshark-from-app-store/ |title=Apple Bows to Label Pressure, Yanks Grooveshark From App Store|accessdate=2011-10-11 | work=Wired|first=Eliot|last=Van Buskirk|date=2010-08-17}}</ref> On April 1, 2011, the Grooveshark application was pulled from the Android Market.<ref name="Android">{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2011/04/06/grooveshark-android-app-removed/ |title=Google Removes Grooveshark App from the Android Market|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> In May 2012, [[Facebook]] removed Grooveshark "due to a copyright&nbsp;infringement complaint".<ref name="DMNFacebook">{{cite news|title=Facebook confirms: 'We have removed the Grooveshark app... |date=8 May 2012 |ref=harv|url=http://digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2012/120508grooveshark|first=Paul ("paul")|last=Resnikoff|journal=[[Digital Music News]]|accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref> At the end of April 2013 [[Google Search]] started censoring "grooveshark" term from its Autocomplete feature.<ref>[https://torrentfreak.com/google-adds-grooveshark-to-its-piracy-search-filter-130723/ Movie Studios Win ISP Blockade Against EZTV and YIFY-Torrents]</ref> Beginning in 2012, the [[British Phonographic Industry]] has engaged [[Phonographic Performance Limited]] regarding Grooveshark's licensing, and as of November 2013, is attempting to have all United Kingdom [[Internet service provider|ISP]]s block the website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/11/grooveshark-faces-ban-in-uk-top-executive-murdered/|title=Grooveshark faces ban in UK, top executive murdered |publisher=Consequence of Sound|author= Chris Coplan |date=13 Nov 2013|accessdate=13 Dec 2013}}</ref> In November 2013, [[Korea Communications Commission]] has blocked Grooveshark.


⚫
Grooveshark’s catalog streams over 1 billion sound files per month, contains over 25 million songs and has 20 million users.<ref name="Neff"/> Users can search and find music by song, artist, album, browsing friends’ recent activity, and even through other users’ playlists. The service allows users to create and edit Playlists. Registered users can save playlists to an account, subscribe to other users’ Playlists, and share Playlists through e-mail, social media, StumbleUpon, Reddit or an embeddable widget. Users can listen to Genre Radio Stations of particular genres or they can populate their own station via their list of Current Songs. The site can use the song list to stream similar music, and this stream selection updates, using user ratings of songs. Grooveshark features a “Community” section, where users can view the activity of friends by “following” them. Users can connect other social media accounts.<ref name="TechGage">{{cite news | last =Williams| first =Rob| title =Spinning Some Tunes with the Revamped Grooveshark| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =Techgage| date =13 November 2012 | url =http://techgage.com/article/spinning-some-tunes-with-the-revamped-grooveshark/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref><ref name="Music"/>
===Licenses and royalties===


The site's "Autoplay" function allows users to receive a radio-like stream of similar songs based on criteria specified by the user.<ref name="Inquisitr"/> Unlike Pandora, Grooveshark allows users to search for and listen to individual songs or entire albums. It is said to work both as a "jukebox" and a "radio" in that regard. Users can skip songs as much as they would like. The site has no audible ads, but users can pay a monthly fee to remove visual ads.<ref name="BusinessInsider02">{{cite news | last =Lubin| first =Gus| title =Controversial Streaming Site Grooveshark Is Still The Best Thing Out There| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =[[Business Insider]]| date =28 August 2013 | url =http://www.businessinsider.com/grooveshark-is-the-best-streaming-site-2013-8| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref><ref name="Digit">{{cite news | last =Pierce| first =David| title =8 Reasons Grooveshark's Better than Pandora| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =Digitizd| date =8 September 2008 | url =http://www.digitizd.com/2008/09/08/8-reasons-groovesharks-better-than-pandora/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref>
Grooveshark has licensing deals with a number of independent record labels,<ref>{{cite web|last=Sanders|first=Rick|title=In Grooveshark’s Defense: Red Flags and Financial Benefit (Part 7 in our Online Music Services Series)|url=http://www.aaronsanderslaw.com/blog/in-groovesharks-defense-red-flags-and-financial-benefit-part-7-in-our-online-music-services-series|work=Aaron Sanders PLCC|accessdate=9 July 2013}}</ref> such as [[Sun Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grooveshark-signs-licensing-deal-with-sun-records-130717218.html |title=Grooveshark Signs Licensing Deal With Sun Records|accessdate=2011-11-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grooveshark.com/labelslist |title=Grooveshark Labels List|accessdate=2011-10-17}}</ref> One major label, [[EMI]], had also signed a license-agreement for streaming music with Grooveshark in 2009 after settling a previous copyright lawsuit.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/emi-drops-suit-against-grooveshark-music-service-licenses-it-instead/ |title=EMI Drops Suit Against Grooveshark, Licenses It Instead|accessdate=2011-11-01 | work=Wired|first=Eliot|last=Van Buskirk|date=2009-10-13}}</ref> However, on January 5, 2012, EMI sued Grooveshark over non-payment of royalties<ref>{{cite news|url=
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/06/us-grooveshark-emi-lawsuit-idUSTRE80501S20120106 |title=Digital music service Grooveshark sued by EMI |accessdate=2012-01-05 | work=Reuters |date=2012-01-06}} Jonathan Stempel, Reuters</ref> stating in their complaint that Grooveshark failed to provide "a single accounting statement".<ref name="Time2012">{{cite journal|title=Now Grooveshark is being sued by EMI&nbsp;Music|first=Graeme|last=McMillan|date=6 January 2012|url=
http://techland.time.com/2012/01/06/now-grooveshark-is-being-sued-by-emi-music/|ref=harv|journal=[[Time Magazine]]|accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref> As a result, EMI dropped its licensing agreement with Grooveshark.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sandoval|first=Greg|title=EMI, Grooveshark's only major label, tears up contract|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57408868-261/emi-groovesharks-only-major-label-tears-up-contract/|accessdate=9 July 2013|newspaper=Cnet|date=3 April 2012}}</ref>


In 2012, Grooveshark introduced the "Artists' Dashboard," which provided analytics and communication tools for artists using the service. With the Artists' Dashboard, artists can receive "Flattr" payments from their fans. This works as a virtual "tip jar."<ref name="Music">{{cite news | last =Dredge| first =Stuart| title =New Grooveshark includes Artists’ Dashboard and Flattr payments| newspaper =| location = | pages = | language = | publisher =MusicAlly| date =18 October 2012 | url =http://musically.com/2012/10/18/new-grooveshark-includes-artists-dashboard-and-flattr-payments/| accessdate = 23 July 2014}}</ref> In 2013, Grooveshark introduced a new feature called "Broadcast" that allowed users to become virtual DJs. They could "broadcast" their own playlists to listeners and be given control over various aspects of the stream.<ref name="BusinessInsider"/>
==Critical reception==
In 2013, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' compared a number of music services and granted Grooveshark a "B", writing, "Users upload libraries onto cloud servers, which means fewer catalog holes. But there's only an Android app, and the Web interface can get sluggish."<ref>{{cite journal |last= Anderson |first= Kyle |title= What's the Best Music Service? |journal= [[Entertainment Weekly]] |date= January 18, 2013 |location= New York |publisher= Time Inc. |page= 14}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 16:52, 28 October 2014

Grooveshark
Type of site
Music
Available in30 languages
OwnerEscape Media Group Inc.
Created bySam Tarantino, Josh Greenberg, Andrés Barreto
URLgrooveshark.com
CommercialYes (freemium)
RegistrationOptional

Grooveshark, a subsidiary of Escape Media Group,[2] is an online music streaming service based in the United States. It offers a music search engine, streaming service, and music recommendations. Users can stream and upload music that can be played immediately or added to a playlist.[3] The site was founded in 2006, and, by 2014, it had earned over 20 million active users per month who could create playlists from a catalog of over 25 million songs.[4] In 2010, Time Magazine listed it as one of the top 50 websites of the year.[5]

History

Launch

Grooveshark was founded in March 2006[6] by three undergraduates at the University of Florida—Josh Greenberg, Sam Tarantino,[4] and Andrés Barreto.[7] The company is headquartered in Gainesville, Florida with ofices located in New York City and Los Angeles.[8][4] It is a service of Escape Media Group Inc. (EMG).[2].

The service was created as a legal alternative to combat online piracy typically found on P2P networks like LimeWire. Greenberg, the company's CTO credits Tarantino (the CEO) with envisioning the company's eventual product.[9] He came up with the idea after seeing a sign that read "buy/sell/trade CDs" and wondering if the same concept could be applied to digital music.[10] Although it was founded in March 2006, the business did not start in earnest until March 2007 when they released a limited "alpha" product. It began working on the beta between March and September 2007.[9] The beta operated as a music sharing community in which users bought and sold tracks amongst themselves for 99 cents.[11] Around 70 cents went to the record label, 25 cents went to the user selling the track, and 4 cents went to Grooveshark. At the time, Grooveshark had only received consent from various small record labels to engage in this type of business.[11]

Evolution

As more people began streaming music with services like YouTube and Pandora, Grooveshark abandoned its marketplace model by providing a dedicated web-based[9] Flash media player called "Grooveshark Lite" in 2008.[12] In August 2008, Grooveshark added an "Autoplay" feature to the Grooveshark Lite player that offered a "Pandora-like" radio service that continuously played music based on user-identified specifications.[13] These features afforded Grooveshark a certain degree of popularity. The service featured 75,000 active users (a number that grew by 1,500 each day) and made deals with over 600 record companies in 2008. Greenberg and Tarantino were also named 2008 finalists for Bloomberg Businessweek's list of "America's Best Young Entrepreneurs."[14]

Grooveshark signed a deal with EMI Records in October 2009 which effectively licensed tracks from some of the music industry's most prominent artists and also ended a 5-month legal battle between the two.[15] Grooveshark also launched a new interface that increased speeds, simplified existent features, and allowed users to skip ahead in a song.[16] Also in 2009, the site reached the one million-user mark.[6] Grooveshark also began developing and testing a mobile app for iOS devices in July 2009. The app was regarded by some commentators as "great," but Apple routinely rejected it for inclusion in the app store. It was made available on Cydia for users with jailbroken iOS devices in early 2010.[17]

In September 2010, Grooveshark made minor improvements to its user interface. The update added crossfading between songs, a full-screen mode, and other options for premium users.[18] Just three months later in December, Grooveshark made another overhaul to their website. The new website was built with HTML5 rather than Flash. The audio player, however, still used a Flash plug-in. The new HTML5 interface allowed users to access the home page from their iOS devices, but they still could not listen to music because the audio player operated with Flash.[19]

Beginning in 2010, Grooveshark was the subject of a spate of lawsuits, the most notable of which was one from the Universal Music Group (UMG). Although Grooveshark had incurred a lawsuit from EMI in 2009, the issue had largely been resolved by an October 2009 licensing agreement. UMG filed their suit against Grooveshark in January 2010, alleging that there was copyrighted, pre-1972 material on Grooveshark's servers that violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).[20] On August 12, 2010, Grooveshark finally succeeded in adding their iOS app to the App Store,[21] but the app was removed after only five days because of a complaint from UMG. The complaint did not affect the Grooveshark app for the Android OS,[22] which had been updated at the time of the iOS app release.[21] Despite these legal pressures, Grooveshark still made Google's annual "Zeitgist" list of the most popular search terms in the preceding year.[23]

In 2011, Grooveshark received another shock when Google pulled the Grooveshark app from the Android Market. Google stated that they remove apps from the marketplace if they violate certain policies, but they did not indicate which policies had been violated.[24] Throughout this and other legal proceedings, Grooveshark has maintained that its service is legal under the "Safe Harbor" provisions in the DMCA.[25]In November 2011, UMG escalated the pressure by bringing an additional lawsuit against Grooveshark for more than $15 billion. The suit alleged that employees of Grooveshark had uploaded over 100,000 tracks. UMG sought a maximum of $150,000 for each upload.[26] Grooveshark has referred to this allegation as a "gross mischaracterization of information."[27]

Again, despite mounting legal pressure, Grooveshark continued to receive industry recognition. News website, Mashable, listed Grooveshark as a 2011 Mashable Award Finalist in the category of "Best Music Service or App."[28] Tarantino and Greenberg were also listed among the Forbes top "30 Under 30 in Music" three years in a row, including 2014.[29][30] At the end of 2011, Grooveshark was also earning roughly 35 million users per month.[31] In September 2011, Grooveshark also signed a licensing agreement with Sun Records, giving them access to music from artists like Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis.[32]

By January 2012, however, Grooveshark was facing lawsuits from each of the four major record labels—UMG, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. Although Grooveshark and EMI had formerly had a licensing agreement, the latter filed a suit citing a lack of royalty payment.[27] Also in January, Grooveshark cut off service in Germany, citing "unreasonably high" licensing costs.[33] In May 2012, Grooveshark suffered another setback when Facebook removed its social compatibility features with the website. Like Google and Apple, Facebook had received complaints from record companies.[34]

Resurgence and looking forward

Although CEO Sam Tarantino referred to portions of 2011 and 2012 as "a year of getting punched in the face 10,000 times," the company continued to work on the technical aspects of their product.[35] For instance, in January 2012, Grooveshark unveiled a beta version of their HTML5 web application. The new site allowed mobile users to circumvent the restrictions imposed by Apple and Google, because they were now able to stream music from mobile browsers.[36] The full version of the HTML5 music player was released in September 2012.[37] In July 2012, Grooveshark filed a counterclaim of injury to competition and tortious interference against UMG. The judge allowed Grooveshark to pursue the claim.[38]

The Grooveshark Android app made its return to the Google Play marketplace in late August 2012, but the return was short-lived. Google removed the app again after only three days. Grooveshark also reached another settlement with EMI,[39] only to incur another lawsuit from the record label in September 2012.[40] The company incurred other setbacks including being blacklisted from Google's autocomplete engine, losing an appeal to UMG,[41] and facing a potential ban in the United Kingdom.[42]

Even so, Grooveshark settled their lawsuits and signed licensing agreements with both EMI[43] and Sony. The deal gives Grooveshark access to the world's largest music publisher, Sony, which had 30% of the total market revenue in 2012.[44] As of July 2014, Grooveshark is also now accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment via Stripe.[45]

Features

Grooveshark is a rich Internet application that originally ran in Adobe Flash. In December 2010, Grooveshark redesigned its site to provide an HTML5 interface.[19] Grooveshark displays songs, playlists, and users. It also has a Java Web Start application that scans users' folders for MP3s, uploading and adding them to the user's online library. The ID3 information of the uploaded song is linked to the user, and the file is uploaded to Grooveshark, which then offers on-demand music playback. All content on the service is user-sourced.[46]

Grooveshark’s catalog streams over 1 billion sound files per month, contains over 25 million songs and has 20 million users.[4] Users can search and find music by song, artist, album, browsing friends’ recent activity, and even through other users’ playlists. The service allows users to create and edit Playlists. Registered users can save playlists to an account, subscribe to other users’ Playlists, and share Playlists through e-mail, social media, StumbleUpon, Reddit or an embeddable widget. Users can listen to Genre Radio Stations of particular genres or they can populate their own station via their list of Current Songs. The site can use the song list to stream similar music, and this stream selection updates, using user ratings of songs. Grooveshark features a “Community” section, where users can view the activity of friends by “following” them. Users can connect other social media accounts.[47][48]

The site's "Autoplay" function allows users to receive a radio-like stream of similar songs based on criteria specified by the user.[13] Unlike Pandora, Grooveshark allows users to search for and listen to individual songs or entire albums. It is said to work both as a "jukebox" and a "radio" in that regard. Users can skip songs as much as they would like. The site has no audible ads, but users can pay a monthly fee to remove visual ads.[49][50]

In 2012, Grooveshark introduced the "Artists' Dashboard," which provided analytics and communication tools for artists using the service. With the Artists' Dashboard, artists can receive "Flattr" payments from their fans. This works as a virtual "tip jar."[48] In 2013, Grooveshark introduced a new feature called "Broadcast" that allowed users to become virtual DJs. They could "broadcast" their own playlists to listeners and be given control over various aspects of the stream.[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Grooveshark.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  2. ^ a b Lindvall, Helienne (9 September 2011). "Behind the music: Why Grooveshark takes a bite out of artists' earnings". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  3. ^ Shames, Jade (13 May 2011). "Is Grooveshark the Future of Digital Streaming?: The Secrets of the Popular Streaming Site You're Probably Listening to Right Now". LA Weekly. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Neff, Noel (24 April 2014). "Grooveshark is Still Music to His (and Millions of Others') Ears". Gainesville Observed. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  5. ^ "50 Best Websites 2010 - Grooveshark". Time. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  6. ^ a b Jacobo, Julia (29 September 2009). "UF students' music site Grooveshark reaches 1 million users". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  7. ^ Olle, Nick (16 February 2012). "Just Don't Call Him The Colombian Mark Zuckerberg…". The Global Mail. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  8. ^ McDermott, John. "Case Study: Can Grooveshark Get Its Groove Back?". Inc. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  9. ^ a b c "Grooveshark's Interview". Startups Open Sourced. 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  10. ^ Papakos, Panagiota (15 January 2008). "Grooveshark brings legal music sharing to Gators — and the entire world" (PDF). Inside UF. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  11. ^ a b Morrison, Chris (5 December 2007). "Grooveshark offers P2P music downloads — but is it legal?". Venture Beat. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  12. ^ Ready, Julia (21 April 2008). "Legal P2P program Grooveshark debuts web media player". Paste. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  13. ^ a b Riley, Duncan (26 August 2008). "Grooveshark Autoplay: Pandora for the rest of us". Inquisitr. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  14. ^ "2008 Finalists: America's Best Young Entrepreneurs". Bloomberg Businessweek. 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  15. ^ Houghton, Bruce (13 October 2009). "EMI Drops Lawsuit, Partners With Grooveshark". HypeBot. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  16. ^ Fitzpatrick, Jason (9 November 2009). "Grooveshark Updates Interface, Boasts Speedier Loading Time". Lifehacker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  17. ^ Wauters, Robin (26 February 2010). "Rejected By Apple, Grooveshark Releases App For Jailbroken iPhones On Cydia". TechCrunch. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  18. ^ Zukerman, Erez (12 September 2010). "DLS Review: My experience with the updated Grooveshark". Download Squad. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  19. ^ a b Gordon, Whitson (4 December 2010). "Grooveshark Pushes Out New HTML5-Powered Interface". Lifehacker. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  20. ^ Rosoff, Matt (11 January 2010). "Grooveshark sued by another record company". CNET. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  21. ^ a b Albanesius, Chloe (12 August 2010). "Grooveshark iPhone App Hits App Store, Android Gets Update". PC Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  22. ^ Albanesius, Chloe (12 August 2010). "Grooveshark iPhone App Pulled After Universal Complaint". PC Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  23. ^ Bylin, Kyle (13 December 2010). "Grooveshark Rises In Popularity – So Now What?". HypeBot. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  24. ^ Sandoval, Greg (6 April 2011). "Google boots Grooveshark from Android Market". CNET. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  25. ^ Masnick, Mike (20 April 2011). "Grooveshark Insists It's Legal; Points Out That Using DMCA Safe Harbors Is Not Illegal". Techdirt. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  26. ^ McMillan, Graeme (21 November 2011). "Universal Music sues music streaming service for 100,000 illegal uploads". Time Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2014. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  27. ^ a b Musil, Steven (5 January 2012). "Grooveshark now feels lawsuit wrath of all major music labels". CNET. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  28. ^ Haberman, Stephanie (21 November 2011). "Announcing the 2011 Mashable Awards Finalists". Mashable. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  29. ^ "30 Under 30 Sam Tarantino and Josh Greenberg". Forbes. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  30. ^ "2014 30 Under 30: Music". Forbes. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  31. ^ O'Malley Greenburg, Zack (2011). "30 Under 30 - Music". Forbes. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  32. ^ Marlowe, Chris (29 September 2011). "Sun Records Sees the Light with Grooveshark". Digital Media Wire. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  33. ^ Cheredar, Tom (18 January 2012). "Grooveshark denies service to Germany due to "unreasonably high" licensing costs". Venture Beat. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  34. ^ Guess, Megan (9 May 2012). "Facebook deliberately bans Grooveshark from its services". Ars Technica. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  35. ^ a b Dickey, Megan Rose (23 April 2013). "Grooveshark's CEO Is Making A Comeback After 'Getting Punched In The Face 10,000 Times'". Business Insider. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  36. ^ Ludwig, Sean (13 January 2012). "Grooveshark launches HTML5 mobile app to get around being banned in app stores". Venture Beat. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  37. ^ Cheredar, Tom (5 September 2012). "No app store? No problem. Grooveshark rolls out full HTML5 site for all devices". Venture Beat. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  38. ^ Busch, Richard (17 July 2012). "The Shark Bites Back -- Judge will hear Grooveshark's counterclaim against Universal". Forbes. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  39. ^ Sisario, Ben (31 August 2012). "Grooveshark App Removed From Google Store Again". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  40. ^ Rubio, Justin (6 September 2012). "EMI files lawsuit against Grooveshark over unfulfilled payments once again". The Verge. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  41. ^ Houghton, Bruce (23 July 2013). "Grooveshark Added To Google Search Blacklist". HypeBot. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  42. ^ Coplan, Chris (13 November 2013). "Grooveshark faces ban in UK, top executive murdered". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  43. ^ Sandoval, Greg (6 August 2013). "Grooveshark settles EMI Publishing lawsuit, still faces uncertain future". The Verge. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  44. ^ Houghton, Bruce (28 August 2013). "Grooveshark Settles Lawsuit, Signs Deal With Sony/ATV". HypeBot. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  45. ^ Hong, Kaylene (15 July 2014). "Grooveshark now lets you pay for its music streaming service with Bitcoin". The Next Web. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  46. ^ Lowensohn, Josh (20 October 2008). "GrooveShark now does widgets, music uploads". CNET. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  47. ^ Williams, Rob (13 November 2012). "Spinning Some Tunes with the Revamped Grooveshark". Techgage. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  48. ^ a b Dredge, Stuart (18 October 2012). "New Grooveshark includes Artists' Dashboard and Flattr payments". MusicAlly. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  49. ^ Lubin, Gus (28 August 2013). "Controversial Streaming Site Grooveshark Is Still The Best Thing Out There". Business Insider. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  50. ^ Pierce, David (8 September 2008). "8 Reasons Grooveshark's Better than Pandora". Digitizd. Retrieved 23 July 2014.

Template:Digital Distribution Platforms

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grooveshark&oldid=631484530"