The sudden shutdown of the Morpheus network last week has file swappers trolling for new sources of free music--and they"re finding plenty of alternatives.
Although Morpheus and rival Kazaa Media Desktop remain the file-swapping tools of choice, a raft of second-tier peer-to-peer products together drew more than 1 million downloads in the past week, according to CNET Download.com, a software aggregation site operated by CNET Networks, publisher of News.com.
Morpheus, a file-trading network from StreamCast Networks, locked out users February 26 after a licensing dispute with its software provider. The company has since released a new version built on open-source Gnutella technology.
StreamCast and several other companies also face a lawsuit from the record and film industries aimed at shutting down file-swapping services. During the case"s first hearing Monday, a federal judge ordered the file-swapping companies to stand trial before a jury on copyright infringement.