Kylie download debut foiled by pirates

Kylie Minogue's latest single will be available for download weeks before it hits the shops, but online music pirates managed to start swapping the track even before its official internet release.

From yesterday fans can download the track, Slow, from DestraMusic.com.au for around AU$5 a pop, in what record company Destra says is a world first for Kylie.

The official download, which is also being sold through a number of local online retailers, will be distributed as a rights-protected Windows Media Audio (WMA) file. Once the official single of Slow is released on 2 November, purchasers will also be able to burn three copies of the track to CD.

However, MP3 copies of the song began being distributed via online file sharing networks such as Kazaa and WinMX well before the official release last night. Some of these were sourced from the Australian radio broadcasts of the song; others appear to come from overseas promotional releases.

A spokesperson from Destra said that despite the proliferation of illegal downloads, releasing officially-sanctioned material from major acts such as Kylie was an important means of educating consumers about the possibility of legally acquiring digital music. "Generally, the market is honest," the spokesperson said.

Destra has also flagged a site re-launch for later this year. The company claims the new site will deliver "thousands of new tracks from the major record companies never offered before online in Australia".

It is understood the company plans to have more than 100,000 tracks available by Christmas, using its partnerships with chains such as Sanity and Chaos.

CEO Domenic Carosa told ZDNet Australia the company was able to secure the Minogue deal due to its long standing business relationship with Festival Mushroom.

"We've been working with Festival Mushroom for nearly three years... we're now delivering all their new music to radio stations [digitally]," he said.

The move by Festival Mushroom is quite bold, Carosa says, with the record company treating the pre-launch as a litmus test. The online single is pitched at the die hard fans - the plan is for the fans to buy the track, and then the CD as well when it is released. This strategy could actually see a record company boost revenue, Carosa claims.

Moves by U.S. companies like Apple in setting up online mp3 shops doesn't bother Destra's chief executive - licensing rights mean the Australian market is isolated. "Australian customers can't buy music from U.S. Web sites because the licensing is all regional," he said.

The US-based online stores use credit card and IP address information to block purchases from some countries outside the US, he said.

Patrick Gray writes for ZDNet Australia. Additional reporting by Angus Kidman