Music lovers will have another outlet for free music when Spotify launches later this year in the United States.

Spotify offers a catalog of more than 6 million songs, with a short ad being played every 20 minutes during listening, according to The Wall Street Journal. The service, which is currently active in Europe, has more than 5 million people using it an average of 72 minutes a day!

Much like Google Voice, Spotify is another service you'll have to sign up for and then wait to be accepted. This rationing helps ensure the system won't crash from an influx of new users.

Spotify is another example of how "freemium" works, where the basic service is free and the idea is to upsell you to a premium content subscription. In Spotify's case, they have a tie-in with the iPhone in select European countries. Users pay a monthly fee to get so many downloads per month and then have unlimited streaming capabilities as well.

No telling how well this service will do when it reaches our shores.

Meanwhile, Clark is also excited about the launch of Zune HD from Microsoft. It's being billed as "the only MP3 player with a touchscreen, HD Radio, HD video out and wireless sync." So far the techies seem to love the hardware, but they're panning the software. The consumer champ loves the idea of a portable HD radio and has already ordered a Zune HD for himself.

The batteries in Apple's ultra-popular iPod may be at risk of exploding in flames and possibly causing bodily injury, according to Seattle's KIRO 7 TV.

PCWorld.com reports that there's a fight behind the scenes between Apple and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). At issue is whether customer complaints will go public and whether Apple will have to do a battery recall.

The CPSC reportedly has 800 pages of internal documents that show Apple knew about the alleged battery problems and have changed the design to try to prevent explosions.

Clark is not telling you to stop using your iPod. He simply wants to join the chorus of voices to get Apple to address the issue and do whatever recall is necessary.

SpiralFrog -- the free ad-supported music download service that's been a favorite on the show for several years -- has now gone bust and joined Clark's graveyard.

Yet the consumer champ's quest to teach kids that it's not OK to steal music goes on.

His latest find for free and legal music downloads is QTrax.com, which is in beta testing. QTrax allows you to download music for free in return for allowing ads to pop up on your computer while the download is in progress.

QTrax is not, however, compatible with Apple products like the iPod at this time. So you'll need an off-brand MP3 player that's Windows compatible and works with the Firefox browser.

In general, the major record labels are beginning to understand that their stubborn resistance to ad-supported free music services has ensured that people continue stealing music.

Meanwhile, compare QTrax's offer with iTunes. Most popular iTunes songs are now $1.29, instead of the 99 cents they once were. This 30% price increase is supposedly justified because the music is now DRM-free (digital-rights management).

DRM-free simply means there are no restrictions on where and how you can listen to the music you purchase. If you want to transfer it from your computer to your cell phone, you can do that.

But Clark still likes just plain old free as an alternative!

For the past several years, Clark has been telling you about SpiralFrog.com. This site offered free ad-supported music downloads from major label partners like Universal and EMI.

Well, now SpiralFrog.com has entered the graveyard of companies Clark loved that have gone bust.

In the music arena, it's been so difficult to get people to pay for music after they've become accustomed to stealing it.

Last year, senior producer Kim told Clark about GrooveShark.com, a still thriving option for free music. (Editor's note: EMI Records has filed suit against Grooveshark over the issue of licensing agreements for the use of EMI's catalog. We'll keep you updated on this pending litigation.)

For those who just want to listen to music -- but not own it -- there's GrooveShark Lite. This jukebox-style option allows you to stream music on your computer for free -- similar to Pandora.com.

Unlike Pandora, however, GrooveShark gives you the option to download free music via a credit system. For every song you upload, GrooveShark gives you credits that can be used to "pay" for downloading songs that others may have available. The rarer the track you upload, the more credits you'll receive.

No music in your collection to upload? No worries. You can just pay 99 cents/song -- much like iTunes -- for every download.

And with GrooveShark, you get to own everything you download. They handle all the compensation for artists, labels and uploaders.

The main limitation to both GrooveShark and Pandora is that you can't download to an MP3 player. Pandora is available on the iPhone, but Clark's too cheap to own one. Yet as technology advances and new devices become more affordable, anything is possible.

Meanwhile, associate producer Joel recommends you check out the Avett Brothers right now if you're looking for some new tunes to rock your world!

A listener recently told Clark about CallingAmerica.com, a new website that offers free calling to the United States from anywhere around the world.

In Clark's live on-air test, CallingAmerica.com seemed to falter for a few moments before directing a call exactly as he had placed it. So how does it work? It's ad supported, of course!

Meanwhile, in other news, Apple has introduced tiered pricing for iTunes. Back catalog material will typically be 69 cents per song, while the hottest songs of the day can be up to $1.29 a pop. In even bigger news, iTunes has negotiated with the major labels to remove the digital-rights management (DRM) restrictions that prevented you from taking the music you paid for across platform. Now you'll be able to do whatever you want with your music!

This past New Year's Eve was like any other, according to Clark -- too many drinkers partying it up and then getting behind the wheel. Call him an old fogey, but Clark's rule is to be home by a decent hour on Dec. 31 to avoid running into drunk drivers.

Enter the iBreath, a breathalyzer attachment for your iPod designed to measure your blood-alcohol content. The Los Angeles Times reports the device sells for $79. That's very cheap insurance vs. the price of hiring an attorney to handle your DWI or DUI case.

Clark has been on a freeway in Norway when authorities detoured every single motorist to the nearest exit to perform a breathalyzer test. As a near teetotaler, he had nothing to worry about. In fact, the penny-pincher always limits himself to one beer whenever he's out and about.

Clark has yet another way for you to get all the music you want for free -- legally. The music business has been through a radical transformation thanks to technology. So many people think it's OK to steal music online because the major labels were arrogant Luddites who didn't initially embrace the MP3 movement. For the longest time, they preferred that you buy an overpriced CD.

Now the labels are wising up and are prepared to make unlimited free streaming songs available via MySpace Music. You'll also be able to access the tunes on a web-enabled phone and take them with you on the go for free.

MySpace Music will be monetized through advertising; through people actually buying downloads of songs they like; and eventually through sales of T-shirts, promotional items and concert tickets.

Clark's still waiting for Christa to tell him if he can access MySpace Music from his Kinoma-enabled cell phone!

One of Clark's beloved free online music sites -- Pandora.com -- might be getting ready to go the way of the dodo. They're going broke because of some obscure rulings concerning compensation for artists and labels. In essence, they're being hit with "tariffs" on every song that are prohibitively high.

Pandora has long offered a free legal alternative to stealing music. The website uses artificial intelligence to play an endless stream of music suited to your personal tastes.

But as one door closes, a window opens. GrooveShark.com is another site Clark has discovered that allows you to both listen to and download music online for free. (Editor's note: EMI Records has filed suit against Grooveshark over the issue of licensing agreements for the use of EMI's catalog. We'll keep you updated on this pending litigation.)

For those who just want to listen to music -- but not own it -- there's GrooveShark Lite. This jukebox-style option allows you to stream music on your computer for free -- similar to Pandora.

Unlike Pandora, however, GrooveShark gives you the option to download free music via a credit system. For every song you upload, GrooveShark gives you credits that can be used to "pay" for downloading songs that others may have available. The rarer the track you upload, the more credits you'll receive.

No music in your collection to upload? No worries. You can just pay 99 cents/song -- much like iTunes -- for every download.

With GrooveShark, you get to own everything you download. They handle all the compensation for artists, labels and uploaders.

Here's Clark's take on the whole GrooveShark issue: In an era where 99% of all downloaded songs are stolen, this gives you another opportunity to do the right thing. He suggests parents use GrooveShark to teach their children right from wrong when it comes to Internet music piracy.

Well, it seems like Clark has overestimated human behavior again! Several weeks ago he told you that the British band Radiohead made its new album available for download at a pay-what-you-want price point. Clark guessed that people would pay the standard download price of $10 because they appreciated the gesture so much. It turns out that 6 out of 10 paid absolutely nothing and took the music for free. Maybe people are so conditioned to steal music on the Internet that the idea of paying has become very alien. Of those who did pay, people in the United States forked over an average of $8, while people elsewhere shelled out the equivalent of $4.50. Keep in mind that Radiohead still made money on this new business arrangement because they released the music without the help of a record label. So they earned the full amount of what people paid—minus any costs they had to absorb for setting up digital delivery—instead of just earning royalties that might amount to a few pennies per record. But Clark is still stunned by the results and feels that he must be naïve. On a related note, a music and culture magazine called Paste is now offering subscriptions for as little as $1. Subscribers are once again being encouraged to pay what they want, but with the caveat that it has to be at least a buck. How much do you think people will pay for a subscription?

The topic of stealing music on the Internet is a hot one right now. The Minnesota woman recently on trial for sharing music files using Kazaa wants to appeal the $222,000 verdict against her. A lot of us may have teenagers at home who steal music and we look the other way or have no idea what they're up to. But as a parent you've got to know. From an ethical standpoint, wouldn't you want to teach your child that it's not OK to steal music? The writer, the performer, the label and the publisher all deserve to get paid. Imagine if you went to work everyday and got a paycheck for zero at the end of the week because someone decided your efforts should be for free. From a legal standpoint, you're the one that the industry will come after should they choose to prosecute your child for stealing music. While the music labels will never be able to get everybody -- this is kind of like a speed limit in that it can only be enforced on a fraction of people -- why would you want to play with those odds? It can be very expensive if you are caught.

Fortunately you don't have to outright ban your children from getting free music online. There are several free and legal alternatives. SpiralFrog.com allows you to watch ads and get free downloads from major label artists. Pandora.com, meanwhile, uses artificial intelligence to serve up music that fits your tastes. So if you find illegal downloading software and websites on your computer, talk to your teen and remove them as soon as possible.

Do you want to legally get a new music release for free online? British alternative rock band Radiohead will be making its new album available digitally with no suggested price. That means that you can pay whatever you think In Rainbows is worth -- from zero or a penny on up.

Radiohead spent many years on a major label, but when their contract ended they decided to take this groundbreaking new step on their own. Giving away free music online is a tactic usually employed by independent bands who want to generate a buzz. But Radiohead is the first mainstream act to try it out. With the average price of CDs from mainstream artists hovering around $13, the record industry is watching with bated breath to see what happens to Radiohead.

Will people pay a reasonable amount when they're in control of pricing? Two of Clark's staffers think folks will cough up anywhere from four to 10 bucks (or roughly a dollar/song) for the album. But they also acknowledge that many people may pay zero because the Internet is so anonymous and there's no one there to police them.

A few restaurants across the country have been trying out this pay-what-you-want business model with varying results. We'll report back later to let you know how this whole thing plays out for Radiohead.

Clark has two free deals to share that each comes with its own catch. The Internet has been through so much in its brief history. In the "dot.bomb era," as Clark calls it, practically anything you wanted could be found for free online. Back in the mid-'90s, Clark mentioned during an interview that free long distance would be coming soon. The interviewer scoffed and thought he was crazy. Today we have various compromises where you can get free long distance if you pay a monthly or annual fee. The latest development now comes in the form of ThePudding.com, a new website that offers free long distance with one slightly strange catch. There's no software to download and it's all completely free, but ThePudding.com has artificial intelligence that listens in to your call and uses keywords to feed ads to your computer while you're using the service. Joel of Clark's team has volunteered to be the guinea pig and taste some Pudding. We'll let you know how it goes!

The second deal comes from the world of online music. Clark previously predicted that SpiralFrog, a company promising free music downloads, would hit his Internet graveyard before it even had a chance to launch. But now SpiralFrog is up and running and it offers what it promised -- in return for watching ads while the music downloads. There's so much pent-up demand for a service like this. Clark couldn't even get on the SpiralFrog site for the first few days after launch. This is a great way to legally get music for free. On a related note, Amazon has begun selling music downloads for 89-99 cents/song and they have no digital-rights management (DRM) restrictions. That means the music will work on an iPod or any other music player of your choice.

Think stealing music on the Internet is a thing of the past? Think again. In a way, stolen music is actually more consumer friendly than legitimately purchased downloads. That's because the major record labels have long been proponents of digital-rights management or DRM. In essence, they make it difficult for you to do what you want with legitimately downloaded music. DRM ensures that you can not use music you've purchased online across platforms -- on multiple MP3 players or computers, for example. But the irony is that if you stole that same music online, you could do whatever you want with it. Supporting DRM has been a stupid move on the part of the labels, according to Clark. But now Universal Music Group and EMI -- two labels that control about half the music out there -- are bucking the trend. They're teaming up with Wal-Mart to offer DRM-free tracks for 94 cents a pop. Universal artists include 50 Cent, Bon Jovi and the Counting Crows, among others. EMI's catalog encompasses music from the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Coldplay and more. So you can buy the music and put it on whatever MP3 player or computer you want.

As an aside, Clark shared a great anecdote about how he first became aware of rapper 50 Cent. About four years ago, Clark was staying at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Seattle during a book tour. Parking at the hotel was too expensive for Clark's taste, so he found some free parking about a mile away. While he was walking back to the hotel, he passed an arena where 50 Cent was performing that night. He saw a lot of scalpers on the street shouting, "50 Cent tickets." Clark couldn't understand why they were selling tickets for 50 cents! When he got back to the hotel, it turns out the rapper was staying there. Clark crossed paths with Fiddy's posse, and he drew blank stares when he asked them, "Who is 50 Cent?"

It’s strange how much power is concentrated in Washington D.C. D.C usually ends up being the referee between two feuding types of businesses -- and the one with the most money and lobbying power wins. And it's not always what's best for the free market. An example is internet radio. You've been able to listen to whatever you want on the web. A lot of powerful interests were not happy with this. A recent ruling now destroys internet radio -- this is terrible! In commercial radio you have a small number of a few large companies controlling all the stations. It’s hard for people to listen to what they like because of this. Internet radio stopped this because it gave diversity and choice for the consumer. But now it is being demolished. If you find your favorite internet radio station is gone, you can thank Washington, and more specifically, the money that's in the hands of politicians.

Here on the show we always give out free advice to you, the consumer. But did you know that we also get it back from our dedicated listeners? After receiving a tip from one such person, we've put up a list of FREE software that you can download from the internet. It's divided into dozens of areas of interest, so you can surf around easily to get software, books, games, free conference calling and so much more. While the quality of stuff that's free is all over the board, you can rest assured that none of it will cost you one thin dime. Bookmark the page...it just may come in handy.

The Sansa Connect, which works in conjunction with the Yahoo music subscription service, has gotten great reviews by technology people. You pay for the player and a $140 2 year subscription fee. You are then able to listen to any music under the subscription service. You can put music you like directly on the player as well. One of the coolest features is that if you are in a wi-fi zone you can stream music straight to the player as well. Remember though, if you decide not to renew your subscription, you haven't actually purchased any music, so you lose it all. If this is a way that you like to listen to music though, give it a try. It's easy.

Major music labels are responsible for all the illegal downloading of music. Because they stubbornly fought technology left and right instead of adapting to new technology, people are stealing the lion’s share of music they’d have otherwise bought. One of the companies music labels are furious about is LaLa.com. It’s a service that allows you to take CDs that are gathering dust on your shelves and trade them to someone who has a CD that you’d rather own. LaLa makes a finders fee of a buck from each of you to arrange a trade, and it’s been so successful. And now, LaLa has started something new. They pay the labels for music and make it available for you to listen – for free – on your computer. It’s a loss leader for them, but they’re hoping you hear something you like and then buy the album at normal market prices. That’s the only way they are going to make money. So if you just want to listen to music, you can hear all you want for free at Lala.com!

There are huge changes going on in the music business these days. The marketplace is going crazy over the new Apple phone, the iPhone, for instance. And other new developments and products seem to be coming out each day. In the midst of it all, some really good deals are getting ignored. One of these is Pandora, where you can build your own music library for free. The problem is that you have to be married to a computer to use it. Not to fear. Sprint has now teamed up with Pandora to allow users to hear their music on cell phones. You can try it out for 30 days first. And if you like it, you pay $2.99 a month to hear music on a cell phone. It’s a streaming service, so you don’t have to take the time to download each song. Check into it!

Do you remember when Clark talked about slacker.com a while ago? The company claimed it would give people legal free music in exchange for reviewing ads. But Slacker is slacking a bit. The program is working, but people can’t put music on the MP3 players as reported. That’s because the players haven’t come out yet. You’re going to have to be a little more patient on this one.

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In other music news, Apple has sold 100 million iPods. All the other companies are just trying to grab a tiny piece of market share. Yahoo, for instance, is coming out with “Yahoo Music to Go” on its Sansa Connect. You must buy a year’s subscription. And, if you use Master Card right now, you get two years for $144. That’s about $6 a month for unlimited music! The Sansa’s are really hard to find right now because they’re still being manufactured. The company claims you can use other MP3 players with Yahoo’s program, but Clark is skeptical. He would rather you wait until the Sansa’s are more available. Check our more at music.yahoo.com.

Last summer, Clark talked about something about which he was very excited. It’s called “Spiral Frog” and it was supposed to be a free, legal music site. But the site still says “coming soon,” which it said in August of last year. The deal is that you have to watch commercials while your songs are being loaded. It can be loaded onto any MP3 player except an iPod, of course. We’ll keep you posted on Spiral Frog. In the meantime, Clark has another service for you to try. It’s called “Ruckus,” and it’s available to college students only. You have to have an .edu e-mail address, and it costs $60 a year for unlimited music downloads. Napster.com also has a deal going. You can listen to music for free on your computer, but you can’t load the songs onto a player. That is available to everyone. Lots of “free” products are coming on the market. So, don’t be surprised if traditional cell phone companies offer free or discounted packages in return for watching ads.

Did you know that 97 percent of music downloaded on the Internet is stolen? Clark can’t believe that people think it is okay to do this. The music is not ours to steal. Well, one company realizes that the behavior is probably not going to change, so it is going to offer free music. All you have to do is listen to some ads. The company is called “Spiral Frog,” and the launch date is set for Thanksgiving. Spiral Frog will provide audio and video downloads and users won’t have to worry about spyware because the service is secure. Parents can now direct their kids to this free music site and know that their child is doing the right thing. We don’t want children to think it is okay to steal.

A few weeks ago, Clark talked about the ungrateful music labels that were trying to convince Apple to charge more for songs on iTunes. But Apple didn’t budge. Apple pretty much saved the music business when it created the iPod and iTunes. Until that happened people were just stealing music. Then, once the music business was back on track thanks to Apple, the labels tried to stick it to the public. Thankfully, Apple refused. And all the negative stories gave Apple real wind behind their sales. So, the price point will stay at 99 cents a song. The company now has 80 percent of the market share out there.

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In other music news, Napster now has a free music site. You have to listen to ads while you listen, but the music is free!

It’s a little late in the game, but Yahoo is now offering a subscription service for music. Customers pay $60 a year for an unlimited amount of music that can be loaded onto select music players and basically “rented” for a year at a time. Yahoo needs market share and they decided to try this. So, Clark decided to try it for his wife, Lane, and it worked up until about three days ago. He can’t get the device to play and it took three days to get an answer from Yahoo. The response he got was highly technical and it didn’t help fix the problem. He’s gone back and forth with Yahoo for several weeks now and nothing seems to work. The device miraculously started working again, so maybe Clark helped them fix a bug. But it should be easy to use the devices and to get help. If Yahoo is trying to compete with iPod, the company needs to get more customer oriented.

The music industry is again going after college students for stealing music. Record labels have now broken the 10,000 mark in terms of people they have sued. The students were using I2 or Internet2, which is just starting up in the States, to get the music. It’s much faster than DSL or T1 speed connections, making it possible to download a movie, for example, in just seconds. Clark agrees that it’s stealing when people take music they haven’t pay for. He understands why the music industry wants to make examples of young people. So, talk to your teen or college student about what can happen to them if they try this. If your kids are doing it at your home, you are the one who gets in trouble because the account is in your name. So, make sure you know what your kids are doing on the Web.

The popularity of the iPod has led to more crime and theft on New York City subways, news reports state. They are so small and easy to hide, yet they have great value in today’s marketplace. So, they’ve become a hot item to steal and then resell or use. Someday, this trend will go away. Another gadget will be the hot item. But for now, keep your gadgets close to you or hide them when you’re in a public place.

Did you know that 4.2 million people bought iPods this past Christmas? It was the most popular consumer electronics product last fall, and manufacturer Apple has been basking in the success of the product. The company has been able to corner the market because the iTunes-iPod combo is a snap to use. Clark has given his wife Lane an MP3 player in 2003 and neither of them was able to figure out how to download the music and get it to play correctly. Last Christmas, she asked for an iPod. It was $279, which was a lot in Clark’s opinion. But within minutes of opening the gadget, it was loading and playing music in a flash. The latest iPod release, the “iPod Shuffle,” is probably the right capacity for Clark since he’s not that big into music. It costs $100 and holds 120 songs. So, whatever your style of music, Apple has something to fit your style. And, the best news is that prices are likely to go down over time.

The iPod has become a cult item. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a mini digital music player that allows you to hold up to 6,000 or so songs. People who are into music love these things. And, according to Wired News, people are now posting ideas online about what they hope the next iPod launch will be. Some ideas are iPod phones and iPod watches. Right now there is the iPod Spec, which are glasses that play music, and the iPod pen, which also plays tunes. The Trio 600 allows you to listen to music, check e-mail and buy stock all in the same device. What would you pay for these devices? They are out of most people’s price range right now at between $300 and $600. But they will go down in price.

Wal-Mart is selling music online for a rock bottom price, and Clark wants you to know about it. The company is selling songs on its Web site for 88 cents, when the going rate on most sites is 99 cents. Wal-Mart’s prices also keep pressure on other music companies to stay at the 99-cent mark and not raise prices. Clark says the selection of music is pretty thorough, but songs with explicit lyrics are not available. He has bought music from this site and it’s very easy to do. In other music news, Apple is going to put on concerts in its music stores very soon. The idea is that people will come in to the stores to hear the show and will buy an iPod or other gadget while they are there. People want to be able to buy music legitimately but they want to pay a decent price. It’s finally happening.

There is a push going on by two musicians, Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno, to get the control of the record industry back in artists’ hands. The two have started a group called MUDDA - Magnificent Union of Digitally Downloaded Artists. Artists who join this organization will be able to sell their music directly to people without the involvement of the record labels. Artists have always been taken advantage of by the music industry. Contracts they sign basically allow the music label to take most of the profits from the sale of the records. The music industry spends money promoting certain bands that they think could be a hit. But if they become a hit, the label gets most of the money. And it’s hard for artists to get picked up by one of the five big music labels. So, if you would like to get your name out there as a musician and keep your dough, you might want to check out MUDDA. Go to wired.com to learn more.

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And if you are trying to get your music to play on an MP3 player, there is a new service to help you out. At Rip Digital, you can have all of the music from your CD collection put into your MPs player. It’s roughly $1.25 a CD, and about $1 a CD if you have tons of CDS. To find out more, go to ripditigal.com.