October 13, 2006

When a song is downloaded, you will have an option. You can decide that ownership of this song is your right and freely distribute the files to your friends and to the people who also think it's their right, without payment.

Or, you can support the artist who wrote and recorded this song and click the PayPal button at the top of the page and send Juliana a contribution. The iTunes standard of $.99 per song may seem too high for you, in which case you can send $.50 - though there is virtually nothing else you can buy legally for $.50. Alternatively, you can think of the number of people with whom you might share these files and give a multiple of $.99 for each song you download.

One distinctive feature: The ability to sidestep the computer altogether by allowing users to upload music directly onto the device by connecting it to a CD player with a cord. The Walkman can be plugged directly into Sony's Net Juke home-stereo system, which was revealed yesterday.

While stressing the new Walkman allows users to organize music on personal computers in a similar way to Apple's iTunes, Sony said it saw non-PC users as a significant opportunity for growth.