MUSIC.DOWNLOAD.COM LAUNCHES

CNET’s download.com has launched a free music upload/download site, download.music.com, which allows users to search for and download free MP3s, while allowing independent artists to add to what CNET says are thousands of songs already on the site.

As of this post, the new artist registration page was unavailable, suggesting a possible surge in traffic as every mother's son and/or daughter rushed to upload his/her bedroom masterpiece.

According to reports, the new site is not the new version of MP3.com, which CNET bought from Vivendi Universal last year, though the new download site operates in much the same way as the former Michael Robertson-led venture. CNET says it intends to re-open MP3.com later this year as an information site.

While still fairly Spartan in features and layout, the new CNET music download site does feature genre pages and editor’s picks. CNET intends to add features to the service, with an eye to making it the largest free-music download site.