The International Herald Tribune has a good look at how the record industry is trying to define, offer and monetize "free" music.

Qtrax, a free, ad-supported P2P service that will launch tomorrow (in the U.S., Canada and seven other countries) is a centerpiece of the article. Qtrax, which has signed up all four majors, claims its music will be portable for PC users by February 29 and for iPod users by April 15. PC users will get Qtrax tomorrow but Apple users will have to wait until March 19, according to Qtrax chief executive Allan Klepfisz. (Read more about Qtrax at this Silicon Alley Insider post.)

The most sensible quote from the article is from Jamendo CEO Laurent Krantz: "Free is complementary. Free is not the opposite of pay. We see there is no cannibalization with free."

Update: Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group both deny they have licensed their catalogs for use in Qtrax's service. "Over the weekend, QTrax officials were still trying to convince Warner and UMG to sign on. On Saturday Robin Kent, who handles marketing for the company, allowed that its paperwork with labels might not be up to date." (Silicon Alley Insider)