LimeWire is signing a music distribution deal with Comedy Central Records, the music division of the Viacom-owned cable TV network. Through the deal, LimeWire will sell Comedy Central's catalogue of 60 comedy records through its digital music store, reports Fortune.
LimeWire opened its DRM-free store in March, and the deal marks its first agreement with a major entertainment firm. The service, which is currently in beta, offers downloads for roughly USD0.99 each from various independent labels.
"We find file-sharing and free downloading as objectionable as anybody," says the head of Comedy Central Records, Jack Vaughn, defending the deal. "We looked at the LimeWire Store, and we said, 'Are they going to pay? Are they going to pay on time, and are they going to expose our artists to a new audience?' The answer was yes."
LimeWire is best-known as a peer-to-peer download client that can be used to illegally swap copyrighted music files. Two years ago, a coalition of labels, led by Sony BMG subsidiary, Arista Records, launched a lawsuit alleging LimeWire encourages its users to violate copyright law.
LimeWire launched its download store earlier this year, following moves by Napster and BitTorrent. Both firms were also previously associated with illegal downloads.
StrategyEye's related companies: LimeWire, Comedy Partners, Viacom
