Soulseek
Encyclopedia
Soulseek is a peer-to-peer
(P2P) file-sharing network and application. The term Soulseek might refer to (1) one of the two networks, or (2) one of the three official user client interfaces. Soulseek is used mostly to exchange music, although users are able to share a variety of files. Soulseek was created by Nir Arbel, a former Napster
programmer.
Two independent networks make up Soulseek since 2006, both run by the same management. The older and now the less used one is accessed by SoulSeek client 156; the newer network and one with greatest usage is accessed by SoulSeek client 157 (Windows only) or SoulSeekQT (Microsoft Windows
, Mac OS
, or Linux
platforms). There are reportedly five times more users on the network accessed by clients 157/QT than 156 as of August 2011.
New developments are solely on the SoulSeekQT client interface. Work on Client 157 (Windows only) stopped in 2008. SoulSeekQT has somewhat different functionality compared to the 157 client interface .
. One server supports the original client and network Version 156, with the other supporting the newer network (functioning with clients 157 and QT). While these central servers are key to coordinating searches and hosting chat rooms, they do not actually play a part in the transfer of files between users, which takes place directly between the users concerned. (See Single Source Downloads below).
A feature specific to the Soulseek search engine is the inclusion of the folder names and file paths in the search list. This allows users to search by folder name. For example, typing in experimental will return all the files users have folders of that name, giving a very quick access to new bands and albums in a determined musical genre.
The list of search results shows details, such as the full name and path of the file, its size, the user who is hosting the file, together with that users' average transfer rate, and in the case of mp3 files, brief details about the encoded track itself, such as bit rate, length, etc. The resulting search list may then be sorted in a variety of ways and individual files (or folders) chosen for download.
The Soulseek protocol search algorithms are not published, as those algorithms run on the server.
downloading or "swarming" like other post-Napster clients, and must fetch a requested file from a single source. In contrast, swarming allows a requested file to be sourced from a number of users who have that file, thus pieces of the file may be downloaded concurrently from a number of sources, typically giving improved performance.
files (i.e. taking files from others without sharing any files themselves) or who might be causing a nuisance for other reasons, such as a personal argument through the chat facilities or just taking up a user's bandwidth by downloading too many files, or simply on the whim of the banning user. Banning can be a contentious subject, and was the subject of much discussion in the user forums particularly in the early days. Users with download privileges can still be banned.
or a list of files returned by a search.
The list of items a user likes may also be used to obtain global rankings for that item in the Soulseek community or to obtain recommendations from other users who have the same items in their list of things they like.
was created in the latter part of 2003.
This is a quote from their homepage:
However, the above policy is apparently hardly enforced. Soulseek was taken to court in 2008 by two French music industry groups.
mailing list, and most of the music first found on Soulseek was underground electronic music
or music created by the users themselves.
There is no known pubished data as to historical or present usage. Soulseek got a boost in 2002 when the site Audiogalaxy
was closed down in 2002. Nir Arbel stated in an interview published December 26, 2003 that there were, at that time, over a million registered usernames and that 80,000–100,000 users log on during peak hours. When comparing the number of users in the then new feature of being able to create rooms in Soulseek, the most joined rooms before the shutdown of Audiogalaxy was around 50 or so people and then jumped to 100 or more after the shut down of Audiogalaxy.
(not to be confused with "SLSK Records") was formed in 2002.
Version 156 first appeared in 2005. A second 'test' version of the server, version 157, was set up shortly afterwards, which became the primary client in 2008.
Since July 6, 2008, there have been two versions of the Soulseek client, with entirely different users, user groups, and files. The older version, v.156 is progressively being wound down, but still operates as of August 2011, albeit with few users. Users are not obligated to upgrade, and new users may still inadvertently download the 156 client.
The 157 "test" network has been around since 2005, to circumvent poor search capability on the 156 client. The v.157 test 12c was released in November 2007. All recent versions have several bugs which can hang or cause the system to stop searching or downloading.
The client SoulSeekQT was set up in 2009.
For the older clients (156 and 157) no official client was developed for non-Windows operating system
s, but a number of unofficial third-party clients existed at the time. Development of third-party clients was discouraged (but not prohibited), as coding errors or explicit circumvention of network rules in third-party clients had, at times, a drastic negative impact on the Soulseek network.
Another such client, named Nicotine, ran on all Unix-based systems, along with Microsoft Windows
and on Mac OS X
. It may still be available from some package distributors on Linux-based systems. MewSeek was originally iSlsk, a Soulseek client for iPod Touch and iPhone clients running jailbroken versions of iOS. MewSeek no longer supports Soulseek.
Clients for Mac OS X included Soulseex (ssX) and iSoul. iSoul was based on an earlier client called Solarseek
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
(P2P) file-sharing network and application. The term Soulseek might refer to (1) one of the two networks, or (2) one of the three official user client interfaces. Soulseek is used mostly to exchange music, although users are able to share a variety of files. Soulseek was created by Nir Arbel, a former Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
programmer.
Two independent networks make up Soulseek since 2006, both run by the same management. The older and now the less used one is accessed by SoulSeek client 156; the newer network and one with greatest usage is accessed by SoulSeek client 157 (Windows only) or SoulSeekQT (Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
, or Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
platforms). There are reportedly five times more users on the network accessed by clients 157/QT than 156 as of August 2011.
New developments are solely on the SoulSeekQT client interface. Work on Client 157 (Windows only) stopped in 2008. SoulSeekQT has somewhat different functionality compared to the 157 client interface .
Content
As a peer to peer (P2P) file sharing program, the accessible content is determined by the users of the Soulseek client, and what files they choose to share. The network has historically had a diverse mix of music, including underground and independent artists, unreleased music, such as demos and mixtapes, bootlegs, live tracks, and live DJ sets, but copyrighted releases from major and independent labels can also be found.Central server
Soulseek depends on a pair of central serversServer (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
. One server supports the original client and network Version 156, with the other supporting the newer network (functioning with clients 157 and QT). While these central servers are key to coordinating searches and hosting chat rooms, they do not actually play a part in the transfer of files between users, which takes place directly between the users concerned. (See Single Source Downloads below).
Searching
Users can search for items; the results returned being a list of files whose names match the search term used. Searches may be explicit or may use wildcards/patterns or terms to be excluded. For example, searching for blue suede -shoes will return a list of files whose names containing the strings blue and suede, but files containing the string shoes in their names will be excluded.A feature specific to the Soulseek search engine is the inclusion of the folder names and file paths in the search list. This allows users to search by folder name. For example, typing in experimental will return all the files users have folders of that name, giving a very quick access to new bands and albums in a determined musical genre.
The list of search results shows details, such as the full name and path of the file, its size, the user who is hosting the file, together with that users' average transfer rate, and in the case of mp3 files, brief details about the encoded track itself, such as bit rate, length, etc. The resulting search list may then be sorted in a variety of ways and individual files (or folders) chosen for download.
The Soulseek protocol search algorithms are not published, as those algorithms run on the server.
Single source (one-to-one) downloads
Soulseek does not support multi-sourceSegmented downloading
Segmented downloading can be a more efficient way of downloading files from many peers at once. The one single file is downloaded, in parallel, from several distinct sources or uploaders of the file...
downloading or "swarming" like other post-Napster clients, and must fetch a requested file from a single source. In contrast, swarming allows a requested file to be sourced from a number of users who have that file, thus pieces of the file may be downloaded concurrently from a number of sources, typically giving improved performance.
Banning
The 156 and 157 clients (but not QT, as of July 2011) also contain a ban feature whereby selected users may be banned from requesting files. This is in response to users who might be leechingLeech (computing)
In computing and specifically Internet, a leech or leecher is one who benefits, usually deliberately, from others' information or effort but does not offer anything in return, or makes only token offerings in an attempt to avoid being called a leech...
files (i.e. taking files from others without sharing any files themselves) or who might be causing a nuisance for other reasons, such as a personal argument through the chat facilities or just taking up a user's bandwidth by downloading too many files, or simply on the whim of the banning user. Banning can be a contentious subject, and was the subject of much discussion in the user forums particularly in the early days. Users with download privileges can still be banned.
Album downloads
While Soulseek, like other P2P clients, allows a user to download individual files from another by selecting each one from a list of search results, a Download Containing Folder option simplifies the downloading of entire albums. For example, an artist who wishes to facilitate the distribution of an entire album may place all tracks relating to the album together in a folder on the host PC, and the entire contents of that folder (i.e. all the album's track files) can then be downloaded automatically one after the other using this one command.File transfer monitoring
The Soulseek client features two file transfer monitoring windows where the progress of files being uploaded and downloaded can be monitored and controlled.User profiles
Users may complete a profile which contains basic free-form text information (e.g. basic information about themselves or their 'file transfer rules') together with a list of things they like, a list of things they dislike, and optionally an image file. These items may then be viewed by other users when selecting the username from a list of members in a chat roomChat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
or a list of files returned by a search.
The list of items a user likes may also be used to obtain global rankings for that item in the Soulseek community or to obtain recommendations from other users who have the same items in their list of things they like.
Wishlists
The Soulseek 156 and 157 clients provide a "wishlist" feature (not available in QT as of July 2011) which functions like a stored search. Search terms are input as entries in a wishlist and each wishlist entry is then periodically executed as a search automatically by the client software, returning results as appropriate.Privileges
While the Soulseek software is free, a donation scheme exists to support the programming effort and cost of maintaining the servers. In return for donations, users are granted the privilege of being able to jump ahead of non-donating users in a queue when downloading files (but only if the files are not shared over a local area network).Support forums and blog
Like numerous other software titles, Soulseek has a set of forums where users may seek help on a variety of topics, such as technical aspects of using the software. Separate forums now support clients 156 and 157, and QT. The first blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
was created in the latter part of 2003.
Financing
Soulseek is entirely financed by donations, with no advertising or user fees. Nir Arbel writes, as of July 1, 2008:Copyright issues
Soulseek claims to be against copyright violation and that the purpose of their service is to promote unsigned artists.This is a quote from their homepage:
However, the above policy is apparently hardly enforced. Soulseek was taken to court in 2008 by two French music industry groups.
History
The original Soulseek user base in 2002 was composed mostly of members of the IDMIntelligent dance music
Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
mailing list, and most of the music first found on Soulseek was underground electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
or music created by the users themselves.
There is no known pubished data as to historical or present usage. Soulseek got a boost in 2002 when the site Audiogalaxy
Audiogalaxy
Audiogalaxy is an audio placeshifting service which enables an individual's smartphone or other device to search & play MP3 and AAC files stored on that person's separate, Internet-connected computer, with the help of special software installed on both devices...
was closed down in 2002. Nir Arbel stated in an interview published December 26, 2003 that there were, at that time, over a million registered usernames and that 80,000–100,000 users log on during peak hours. When comparing the number of users in the then new feature of being able to create rooms in Soulseek, the most joined rooms before the shutdown of Audiogalaxy was around 50 or so people and then jumped to 100 or more after the shut down of Audiogalaxy.
Soulseek Records
Many of the original Soulseek users are also music producers, and Soulseek RecordsSoulseek Records
Soulseek Records is a community-oriented netlabel founded in 2002 by users of the peer-to-peer file sharing network Soulseek. Like many netlabels, Soulseek Records' operation is not-for-profit and advocates the ideals of the Creative Commons by allowing listeners to freely distribute releases for...
(not to be confused with "SLSK Records") was formed in 2002.
Versions
The first release was 139, which ran for about 12 months from 2002–03. Following a change in servers, a new version was released to coincide with this event. Whilst the main interface has largely remained unchanged since its inception, additional features such as the chat room 'ticker' were introduced into the 156 version.Version 156 first appeared in 2005. A second 'test' version of the server, version 157, was set up shortly afterwards, which became the primary client in 2008.
Since July 6, 2008, there have been two versions of the Soulseek client, with entirely different users, user groups, and files. The older version, v.156 is progressively being wound down, but still operates as of August 2011, albeit with few users. Users are not obligated to upgrade, and new users may still inadvertently download the 156 client.
The 157 "test" network has been around since 2005, to circumvent poor search capability on the 156 client. The v.157 test 12c was released in November 2007. All recent versions have several bugs which can hang or cause the system to stop searching or downloading.
The client SoulSeekQT was set up in 2009.
For the older clients (156 and 157) no official client was developed for non-Windows operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s, but a number of unofficial third-party clients existed at the time. Development of third-party clients was discouraged (but not prohibited), as coding errors or explicit circumvention of network rules in third-party clients had, at times, a drastic negative impact on the Soulseek network.
Non windows clients before SoulseekQT
PySoulSeek was a Soulseek client written in Python that runs under Linux/FreeBSD/Solaris and other Unix-based operating systems. PySoulSeek runs under Mac OS X but with some difficulty.Another such client, named Nicotine, ran on all Unix-based systems, along with Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and on Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
. It may still be available from some package distributors on Linux-based systems. MewSeek was originally iSlsk, a Soulseek client for iPod Touch and iPhone clients running jailbroken versions of iOS. MewSeek no longer supports Soulseek.
Clients for Mac OS X included Soulseex (ssX) and iSoul. iSoul was based on an earlier client called Solarseek
External links
- Soulseek Records – Netlabel founded by Soulseek users