Mininova, the torrent search engine and directory that has often drawn the ire of the recording industry, is now offering a free content distribution service. The company promises access to 35 million users, zero bandwidth costs and statistics on downloads. Distributed content will be highlighted on Mininova's front page in the "featured torrents" section.

Getting a mention on the front page seems to have the greatest value of the deal. In an interview with p2pnet, Mininova said the music must be "interesting for the majority of Mininova users" and be free of DRM. The "featured torrents" section on the main page shows only ten titles at a time, but it's a constantly changing list. Users have the ability to rummage through all featured torrents on separate pages, and there's always the search function.

If cost in the main concern, Mininova's content distribution system is wonderful. Artists can reach millions of people through a very easy, no-charge process. If marketing is important, the bare-bones site has little to offer. No audio clips. No images. Usually very little biographical information. Plain text offers little for music discovery.