What makes Ares Destiny different from the competition? Well, the fact that the makers decided to load it with spyware and adware, for one: loading Ares Destiny onto your computer will also put Dealio on there.

Dealio is commonly sold as a “price comparison toolbar“; in actual fact it is adware that is incredibly difficult to remove from the system. If Dealio is installed then expect the usual popup-ads to appear whenever you don’t want them. This is malware of the first order.

If we can look past this major indiscretion (it is not advised that you do overlook this, but hypothetically speaking, if you were) then Ares Destiny is a fine piece of software that functions adequately. The interface has a utilitarian approach to music downloads which, I feel, helps keep the whole process simple. The download process is very simple and slick and the installation process, while not the least troublesome way of going about things, is reasonably simple to follow.

But these features do not redeem Ares Destiny from its attempt to load what amounts to a computer virus: no amount of interface sexiness or trouble-free installation could redeem it

The big news of recent time, though, is in the impending partnership between publisher giant Sony BMG and Peter Gabriel’s fledgling internet venture We7. Sony has pledged to allow its music to be made available for free, streaming its entire back catalogue on the website.

All these free music downloads, but what exactly can you do with them? We7 are leading the charge by offering music downloads completely free of DRM (digital rights management). The 24-7 Entertainment deal seems set to include some lightweight DRM which will still allow users to transfer files to their Mp3 players and burn to CD. The other talks are very much embryonic and as such no details are yet available.

Free Music downloads are the very near future. Keep tuned.