A respected British internet entrepreneur is launching an online music-swapping service that is close to securing record company backing.
Paul Myers is making his audacious move just as well-publicised rival Napster faces closure.
The courts ruled that Napster's service - which offered free copies of millions of tracks from artists ranging from Madonna to the Beatles - was "bootlegging".
Mr Myers is the founder of X-Stream, the UK's first free internet service provider.
He has just signed a key technology deal that will allow music lovers to download their favourite tracks legally.
He claims he has already received an enthusiastic response from record companies.
Mr Myers's deal with technology company Cantametrix means royalty payments to record companies and artists can be carried out automatically - something Napster could not do.
Mr Myers has yet to get the record companies to commit to his Napster-like service, to be called Wippit.
However, he said he was involved in early negotiations with all the players and expected to be able to announce "a bunch of independents" within weeks.
He expects Wippit, which is being tested by users, to be ready to launch by the end of May.
Mr Myers, who is widely respected, is confident of the venture's success. "Resistance is futile - the record companies realise the market is changing rapidly," he said.
"Every day, billions of downloads are going on and denying this is like locking the park gates to keep the crows in."
The new technology means Wippit users will have access to whole, easily identifiable tracks and every download is logged and paid for.
"Not only can we identify correctly each recording, we have a viable system to ensure a payment is made," said Mr Myers.
To pay the royalties, Wippit will charge an annual fee of between £35 and £50. For that price, users will receive an unlimited number of music downloads.
Meanwhile, Napster continues to dominate the headlines.
Mr Myers, along with other music experts, expects Napster to close down, especially now it has been given three days to rid itself of all illegal material.
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