Archive.org to Vivendi: we'll host MP3.com's files

MP3.com founder Robertson is in talks with Vivendi Universal to save the music collection at the site. CNET bought the domain name last week after a night on the tiles, and Vivendi said the archive will close in December.

But Archive.org founder Brewster Kahle says he's only too happy to host the collection.

"Our approach is to provide unlimited bandwidth forever for free," he told us today. "There's no amount of material that frightens us. MP3.com's collection is five terabytes. No sweat. We've been adding forty terabytes a month." Kahle added that the archive.org had plenty of bandwidth too.

Archive.org is supported by donations from private foundation, government grants, and in kind donations from corporations. Robertson, who sold MP3.com to VU two years ago, described Kahle as "a real visionary".

So while MP3.com's new owners CNET enter the business of selling locked music, the new owners could give the commons a tremendous filip. ®

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