Obviously the creator/distributor will now need to seed, at least until plenty of other people download and start sharing the content.įor the downloader it’s simply a case of installing the correct version of FrostWire (this is a must at the moment until other clients implement the feature) and clicking on a donation-enabled. The next screen configures payment/tips/donation options, whether Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, PayPal, or a mix-and-match between all four. The first allows the user to select an appropriate Creative Commons license under which to spread the content. If the torrent creator would then like to give fans the option to donate, two extra screens appear. torrent file in the usual way, by selecting the tracking options and pointing it to the relevant content on the host computer. We’ll bring you comment from the FrostWire team in just a moment, but first let’s look at the simple process from the creator’s perspective.Īfter loading up FrostWire one simply goes about creating a. That, however, is about to change.įollowing their teaser in December 2013, a brand new build of FrostWire’s BitTorrent client (Windows, Mac, Linux) now includes torrent creation supporting not only Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin and PayPal donations, but also the selection of appropriate Creative Commons licenses for delivered content. Many sites, The Pirate Bay included, accept donations in Bitcoin and Litecoin, and some artists have adopted the currencies for fans who want to chip-in.ĭespite these developments there remains a disconnect between downloading content and a subsequent donation, meaning that split-second urges to hand over cash in appreciation often have time to cool.

In file-sharing circles there has been a traditional reliance upon PayPal transactions to show appreciation, but with the rise of alternative cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, new avenues have opened up. The possibilities are intriguing, from artists being able to seed their own content to the public and getting paid directly by fans, to curators of already free content being rewarded for their distribution efforts. While content distributed via BitTorrent is almost always free (a situation most users would like to keep intact) there has long been a desire to find a straightforward mechanism for optional donations.

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