It’s 2006. You’re waiting anxiously as the download status slowly creeps towards the finish on that mp3 rip of “Smack That” by Akon for your iPod, all done at your convenience by Limewire, which has become your reliable buddy for sourcing those hits without breaking the bank.
If it all sounds rather unfamiliar and amusingly outdated, this is what digital music technology of early 2000s revolutionized: online piracy of music, way before streaming apps even existed. Limewire, a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing (basically torrenting) software found its way into every teenager’s computer back then until 2010, when a cease-and-desist order was issued for copyright breaches by several music labels.
Fast forwards 12 years later, the defunct company has risen from ashes to initiate as an NFT marketplace. “LimeWire is returning as a platform for artists, not against them” said its CEO Julian Zehetmayr, as the current owners hope to strive in the industry with the fame acquired during its former years. As of now, the launch date is set at the 22nd anniversary since inauguration, as people have eagerly started joining its waitlist.
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