Forget Aurous, this new plug-in could be much worse

Forget Aurous, this new plug-in could be much worse

Aurous, the service that aimed to become the ultimate free music streaming service and the audio equivalent of Popcorn Time, was shut down by the RIAA just days after launch. 

Now, a new plug-in called Torrents Time (reportedly developed by the team behind Popcorn Time) may arguably represent a bigger threat to the music industry as it allows users to stream content from popular torrent trackers - starting with The Pirate Bay - without having to download a thing. 

The plug-in currently works exclusively with video files, but the Torrents Time team confirmed that they are in the process of optimising its audio functionality which means that within a few weeks it could work with audio files too. 

In the meantime, a number of torrent trackers have pledged to support Torrents Time in the near future.

It is fair to say that the number of people using torrents for music has shrunk over the past few years as streaming services made it much more convenient to consume music that way. However, if Torrents Time can make music streaming as easy as a legal service, without the catalogue restrictions, it could become popular enough to put a dent in the growth of legal services. 

 

(Andrea Leonelli)