Suggest the concept of an above the board digital music marketplace to anyone with even the slightest clue about computers and they'll do more than raise an eyebrow. However, unlikely as it seems that's the exact premise behind Bopaboo.
Advertised as "the place to buy and sell digital music" it claims to offer users a completely legal means of making money by selling their 'old' mp3's.
While this concept isn't a new one, after all people have been selling copies of unused CDs for years, it is wholly open to abuse. Largely because even after you have uploaded and sold an unwanted mp3, a copy will still remain on your computer giving you the chance to upload it and sell it again and again.
Granted, Bopaboo do place the responsibility of deleting all remaining copies of an mp3 from your possession once it's been sold. However, exactly how they'll enforce this rather tenuous request has yet to be explained.
The site is still in beta and it is yet unclear when exactly it will be made available to the public, if at all (they still appear to be recruiting their 'leadership team').
Whether the people behind Bopaboo will ever be able to get record company approval for the resale of 'second hand' mp3s is another rather important issue they will have to face. Given that they weren't particularly keen on the concept of pre-loaded iPods, their plea doesn't look too hopeful.
However, should they find a way around these problem they may have something on their hands. Bopaboo promises DRM free mp3's from just $0.25, a significant saving on the major mp3 retailers. This in itself is going to make it attractive to users who want to download music legally but without the hefty pricetag.
There are some who have questioned whether Bopaboo is simply a highly elaborate joke while others simply scoff at the idea that it would ever get record company backing. However, if it does eventually go public it's almost guaranteed that it's going to be under serious scrutiny from authorities around the globe.
So, whether Bopaboo will ever be able to deliver its far fetched promises remains to be seen.
