Redifining 'Artistic Freedom': Prodigem Opens Service to General Public

Redifining 'Artistic Freedom': Prodigem Opens Service to General Public

BitTorrent Media Market Allows Users to Sell, Distribute Music and Videos Easily and Inexpensively

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- File sharing is here to stay, and no one knows this more than Prodigem, an innovative new media marketplace for BitTorrent files and the brainchild of Stanford graduate student Gary Lerhaupt. Lerhaupt created Prodigem as a way for up-and-coming artists and companies to use the Internet to share and sell music and video files, and today announced his intention to open Prodigem to the general public. Users can now obtain a Prodigem Starter Account with 100MB of storage and 3GB of bandwidth per month for a one-time fee of just $1, or simply by purchasing any content on http://www.prodigem.com/ , and can use the account to distribute and sell their media content online.

Previously, prospective Prodigem account holders had to be invited to use the service by a current account holder, and access to its marketplace was closed to a select number of those users. But Lerhaupt has eliminated these restrictions, offering Prodigem to the masses in an attempt to create a virtual marketplace where buyers and sellers of mainstream or cutting-edge, do-it-yourself (DIY) media can swap and sell their files easily and inexpensively, while increasing their visibility along the way.

"Prodigem empowers artists and in a way that previously did not exist, and we are proud to debut the service to the general public," said Lerhaupt, speaking from Prodigem's California headquarters. "Using Prodigem, individuals can not only distribute media files to a wide and diverse audience, but can also retain complete control of their media content as it is being distributed without having to worry about the traditional bandwidth costs associated with internet distribution because of the magic of BitTorrent."

What is BitTorrent?

BitTorrent technology enables communities to easily swap large information files without monopolizing bandwidth at an excessive cost to the distributor. Using BitTorrent, users tap into each other's upload capacity to allow the safe and easy sharing of files on an incredibly large scale.

Unlike other P2P programs like Kazaa, BitTorrent is not an anonymous filesharing program. When an individual uploads a file to be shared, a unique electronic "fingerprint" is created so that additional files, like spyware or viruses, cannot be added later. If the file is modified or changed in any way by another user, the "fingerprint" changes as well, and BitTorrent no longer allows that user to share the file.

Why Prodigem?

Inspired by independent artists and driven by his own entrepreneurial spirit, Lerhaupt sought to create a way to help nascent movie producers, musicians, and businessmen such as himself gain exposure in the marketplace and generate income. The development of BitTorrent provided him with the perfect opportunity to turn his ideas into a reality.

"Movie producers and rock bands often find it difficult to locate an outlet for their creative work. Traditional storefronts and movie theaters cannot rival what the Internet offers in terms of exposure. Prodigem has not only tapped into the virtual marketplace, removing the technical barriers for the average person, but has now made it readily accessible as well," said Lerhaupt. "We are the first to create a way to sell content using BitTorrent, and have enabled the creative spirit in all of us to flourish without restriction or compromise."

About Prodigem

Prodigem, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, California, is a leading provider of legal BitTorrent downloads. Its hosting services completely automate and simplify the process of distributing content via BitTorrent file sharing technology. The Prodigem marketplace is a one of a kind resource for generating revenue for this content. For more information, please visit http://www.prodigem.com/ .

Source: Prodigem, Inc.

CONTACT: Elizabeth Ash of S&S Public Relations, +1-847-415-9342, eash@sspr.com

Web site: http://www.prodigem.com/

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