Qtrax totally has a music deal now, like for real

I don’t think we’ve mentioned Qtrax before—mainly because there wasn’t really anything to say, other than to laugh uproariously when it turned out that the company, which claimed in January that it had struck deals with all the major labels for free, legal P2P downloads—had, er, kind of neglected to tell any of the labels. However, now that they’ve actually managed to beguile one of the record companies—the increasingly promiscuous Universal—into some sort of “agreement,” I suppose we have to give them their due.

Seems to me that this relationship is destined for a crash and burn, though. Seriously, Qtrax sounds like they are way too into Universal:

“All of UMG’s music available digitally will be available for free, legal downloads on Qtrax,” Qtrax spokeswoman Shamin Abas told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Universal is already dodging Qtrax’s repeated insistences on meeting their friends and family, concocting such award-winning excuses as “Unfortunately, they’ve all signed up to be Mars colonists” and “I’m afraid they all died fighting in the Crimean War.”

UMG spokesman Peter Lofrumento confirmed Tuesday that an agreement has been reached but declined to elaborate or to say whether a contract has been signed.

Added Universal, “I mean, it’s not like we’re going steady or anything. We’re still seeing other distribution sites.”

The two said that Universal’s artists and songwriters would be compensated for their music, though under pointed questioning Qtrax admitted that it would be paying them in magical fairy money.