Los Angeles – , an ad-supported website that allows visitors to download music and videos free of charge, has begun testing its service with plans to launch by the end of the year.
The New York-based company recently began allowing an unspecified number of users in North America to try out the site, which has about 700,000 tracks available for downloading, said SpiralFrog founder and chairman Joe Mohen.
The company plans to expand its “beta” test in the coming weeks and will launch the service in the United States and Canada after receiving feedback from users, advertisers and recording labels.
“We’re really testing the user experience to make sure it satisfies the needs of demanding young consumers,” Mohen said.
SpiralFrog lets users download audio tracks and music videos for free but requires that they register and log on at least once a month to continue to play the content. Though free, the audio and video files carry copy protections like those found on tracks available for sale at Apple’s iTunes Store and elsewhere.
