AfterDawn: News

AllofMP3.com: illegal says IFPI

Popular Russian online music download service AllofMP3.com has been judged as illegal by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and prosecutions are reported to be underway. The Moscow-based service, whose market share at 14% comes second only to iTunes in the UK, has been accused of not paying royalties to artists.

The prices charged by AllofMp3.com are a lot cheaper than that of other online music services such as iTunes, which has made it a hit with consumers. A typical album download from the iTunes Music Store can cost as much as £9.79 in the UK (almost $18.20), or typically around £0.75 (about $1.40) from AllofMP3, which prices its downloads by file size.



The site, run by MediaServices Inc., claims that it is completely legal in Russia because the music it distributes is licensed by the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society (ROMS) and the Rightholders Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively (FAIR). MediaServices states that it pays licence fees "subject to the Law of the Russian Federation," and whether or not it is legal in other countries depends on local copyright laws.

"AllofMP3.com is not a legal service either in Russia or anywhere else," told Lauri Rechardt, head of litigation at IFPI, in an interview with OUT-LAW today. "Unlike all the legitimate sites, it does not pay artists or copyright holders so it is effectively stealing from those who create music.. Like most things that appear to be too good to be true, AllofMP3.com is not what it seems."

Regarding the claim of a licence from ROMS, Rechardt described ROMS as "a Russian organisation that claims to be a collecting society." He added, "ROMS has no rights from the record companies whatsoever to licence these pieces of music. ROMS and AllofMP3.com are well aware that record companies have not granted authorisation for this service."

Legal action against the site has already begun. There are two separate criminal proceedings ongoing in Russia. Moscows' public prosecutor is taking a former director of MediaServices to trial. And according to the IFPI, a second case against a current director of MediaServices is in the investigation phase.

Source:
p2pnet

Written by: Ben Reid @ 27 May 2006 10:48

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• 63 comments

• eklipz

  this smells like the RIAA all too much they must be affiliates of the sam company this is just a big scam to see how muck money they can make :(

  27.5.2006 11:20 #1

• Deadrum33

  This site is my favorite for music, all the options are great. Download any file type you like and any compression rate for that type. I personally use CD quality mp3 and it sounds perfect. It would be a loss to see this go or change.

  27.5.2006 12:34 #2

• OzMick

  There is a big difference between claiming something is illegal and it actually being so. I hope this one gets thrown out, AllofMP3 is great.

  27.5.2006 13:29 #3

• ashroy01

  Huh? I think allofmp3 IS illegal. Does allofmp3 have the licensing rights to these songs? allofmp3 charges 1/10th of what iTunes charges, no? Does that sound suspicious to you? Don't you think a song should cost more than a few pennies if it's not pirated?
  

  

  27.5.2006 13:35 #4

• ashroy01

  double-post

  27.5.2006 13:35 #5

• OzMick

  Fact of the matter is that IS all it should really cost. The bulk of the money paid through other means (CD, iTunes) just goes to lining the pockets of executives and supporting excessive lifestyles of the artists. Get a breakdown of where money goes from music sales, you might be surprised that the artists only get a couple of cents in the dollar as it is.
  

  "I love it when a plan comes together..."
  John "Hannibal" Smith

  27.5.2006 14:00 #6

• PeaInAPod

  come on guys when something seems to good to be true it usually is! you cant get something for nothing (or in allofmp3's case a very little amount). this site as good as it may be is most likely illegal. And the RIAA has nothing to do with this. The "A" in RIAA stands for america not russia.

  27.5.2006 14:02 #7

• borhan9

  Can they leave a country alone if it has its own rules. I understand if the country is doing bad things against its people we have to do something about it but this is MP3's...
  
  Tell me something this IFPI is it based in the U.S???
  
  It wouldn't suprise me all the big organisations are in bed with each other.

  27.5.2006 14:02 #8

• domie

  step back and analise this, some of us would champion p2p as OK because although it's illegal to share music files, nobody sells the stuff and makes money from it.
  these russian dudes have very low prices yes and are therefore popular but they are no different from the pirates on the street who copy CDs and sell them low.
  basically, they are making a fortune out of piracy whichever way you look at it, they are not the totally free p2p crusaders who do it for fun, they have set up a huge capitalist oriented business.

  27.5.2006 14:31 #9

• garmoon

  It seems as if Slysoft can get away with it in the Caribbean with the island's local laws; then Russia's laws would seem to trump US rights also. Only the Russians would be able to close the site. The IFPI can only enforce laws in countries who kowtow to them.

  27.5.2006 14:33 #10

• eklipz

  this is directed to peainapod i waas talking about what has been going on bettween the RIAA and P2P clients and BT's it's all the same to me they go after music that should be free. in every cd there are only 2 to 3 songs that the artists know will be hits then the rest are fillers so you have to go out and buy the cd just to get the songs u want. so that they over charge u itunes, its marketing 101 buy for less sell 4 more. havent we all backed up a cd before what about a cassette tape and gave them to your friends isnt that the same as using the internet by them filing law suits its them tring to take control of somthing that will end the music marketing industry for ever

  27.5.2006 14:39 #11

• Irish13

  A dollar a song to download is criminal. They should be charging 25 cents per song and then P2P for MP3's would go away. I should be able to pay 50-75 cents for the songs I want off a CD but even better, they should charge the 25 cents for the hits and let you download the entire CD of say 10 songs for $1.50 which levels out at 15 cents per. I don't understand why people keep paying so much for these MP3's

  27.5.2006 14:46 #12

• bogeydope

  Digg this story
  http://digg.com/music/AllofMP3_Declared_illegal

  27.5.2006 14:47 #13

• Irish13

  Actually the more I think about it, the more I think they should just count the downloads of each song off of say itunes (sorry never been there so if this is what they do forgive me). So if a new song by a popular artist goes on the site, they have a 3 day "sale" of say 25 cents. Then depending on the volume, they increase it to 50 cents where it stays til the demand disappears and it gets reduced in price. Then, when a new artist comes on the site, his stuff would be cheap so everyone would download it for say 5 cents a song until the demand registers at the site and it goes up accordingly. This would encourage new acts and benefit established ones as well.

  27.5.2006 14:52 #14

• Lethal_B

  Cheers, bogeydope.
  
  I am not a great fan of the companies that claim to protect the recording/entertainment industry. However, if AllofMP3 are selling mp3's without paying their licenses, isn't that like me buying a cd, uploading it, and selling it thousands of times over?

  27.5.2006 15:30 #15

• plutonash

  Who the **beep** cares the IFPI declares? AllofMp3 had been though this before and was Declared legal in Russia nothing can stop that. They should counter sue the IFPI for being a bunch of douche about this.

  27.5.2006 15:33 #16

• ireland

  Bulgarian police bust major European Web pirates
  
  Users could download as many of the songs and films as they liked after paying a four lev ($2.50) monthly fee. Authorities estimate the damage to the entertainment industry at around $30 million.
  
  GO HERE TO READ IT ALL
  http://news.com.com/Bulgarian+police+bust+major+European+Web+pira...

  27.5.2006 15:44 #17

• borhan9

  @plutonash
  
  Mate edit your post and remove the swearing its against forum rules :)

  27.5.2006 15:52 #18

• bogeydope

  @Lethal_B
  
  Cheers sir.
  
  Yeah I believe that would be the equivalent of what they are doing...

  27.5.2006 16:34 #19

• bogeydope

  now on the front page of digg.com... success

  27.5.2006 16:46 #20

• DVDBack23

  As was said before, Itunes is a huge rip off. Allofmp3 is most likely illegal but at least they got the prices right ;)
  Id buy off itunes if i was actually alloweed to use my music and not get DRM or whatever else is out there, and if the price was reasonable and not used to fatten ceo's pockets...

  27.5.2006 19:58 #21

• OzMick

  Precisely. That is one of the big reasons I get stuff from AllofMP3, there is no DRM, and I can choose the quality of the song I download.

  27.5.2006 21:23 #22

• sisph

  What the hell? IFPI? Since when did the music industry have an international kind of branch? It's like having an international branch that controls whether or not drinking alcohol is legal. Since the laws for every country are different, you can't really say one thing or another is illegal. Copyright laws are totally subjective to the country. Well, all in the sake of money.

  28.5.2006 00:47 #23

• taldy

  I would happily use the other music sites, even considering their costs, if I could use the music as I wanted. iTunes and Napster are total rip offs, and in the end buying a cd is far more cost effective than purchasing online music legally. I have been using AllofMP3 for ages now and I love it, I'll be totally gutted if it ends. I've stopped using P2P cos of the crap I was getting and having to run programs to cover my downloading etc just caused my PC to slow, but AllofMP3's "AllTunes" is a great little program and it's a dream to download albums, just click and go!!!!

  28.5.2006 02:12 #24

• creaky

  let's have no more profanities in the thread thanks.
  

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  28.5.2006 03:10 #25

• ZippyDSM

  its funny the site is leagle but sicne theya rent makeing money off it the RIAA and its not so new international little brother have coem to clean thigns up 0-o

  28.5.2006 05:04 #26

• weaver4

  If you have been to China and bought Tennis Shoes, or to Pakastan and bought a blanket you know that world-wide pricing for the same product varies widely. I have not bought music in Russia, but I have been told that it cost about 15% of what the same album cost in the US. I guess it is because of the currency, and what people are willing to pay.
  
  I don't really mind the money as much as the hassel working with DRM. I bought 30 songs from Napster a few years ago and evertime I turn around the won't play or I can't make a copy on a CD or something.
  
  Is there anyway to convert a WMA-DRM to WMA without DRM; because I will pay, but then the song should be mine.

  29.5.2006 06:25 #27

• ZippyDSM

  weaver4
  I see you have forrgotten you owen nothign you only ent the content *L*
  At elast thats the Mafiaas stance *L*

  29.5.2006 06:29 #28

• gogochar

  Okay, I can understand if it is illegal in the eyes of the RIAA, but that is their OPINION! Why should a site be illegal because of opinion??? The RIAA isn't making money off of it, but think about it... At least people who visit this site are willing to pay for what they want! Anyways, $.99 is WAY TOO MUCH for a quick song download. Break it down, Peer 2 Peer. This means sharing what we have. Nobody complains when we go to a friend's house and download a song onto our iPod, so why go after the not-so-free stuff?!

  29.5.2006 07:28 #29

• sammorris

  At the price allofmp3 are charging, the songs have got to be illegal, they should indeed be that price to buy, but they aren't. This makes Allofmp3 in my mind a worse organisation than any site hosting torrent files, ed2k links and such, as allofmp3 are making big business out of piracy, lol just like another russian business to do with PCs that should be stopped. I wonder what it's name is? It concerns copy protection on games and software...
  
  $1 for a song is a lot, 79p is even worse. iTunes make a killing of selling songs, and although it's just a fair business, it's exactly the reaosn why people download stuff for free. A lot of people will download illegaly regardless, but if songs were 20p each, and more importantly free from DRM, I'd buy a lot more. I don't ask for the ability to freely distribute them to whoever I please, but to have them working on my new PC when I buy it would be nice. I lost £20 to the iTunes DRM policy, I've even converted some iTunes songs to mp3 by recording wave output of them being played back! This aside, Allofmp3 is no legitimate business and sites like it should be taken by the NATION'S OWN copyright legislation. If Russia doesn't have one, what are you going to do? No need to call in NATO, oh no sorry, I mean the MPAA. Actually, the MPAA get off their backsides a lot more, don't they? Meh, I digress. I think price for file size is a good idea, you should have 3 minute 128k songs at like 15p, up to 10 minute album tracks at 256k for £1 each. That'd make a whole album (bearing in mind it's digital, no disc, no packaging, no labels and leaflets) around £3 for 128k for an hour long, and about £15 for a 256k version of a 2CD compilation album. Doesn't seem too bad to me, that's what they cost already.
  

  1.6.2006 09:19 #30

• ZippyDSM

  sammorris
  Heres the thing tho theya re sellign them at russia prices not world prices so in soem since they are leagle,its jsut the RIAA is not happy with it,and thus can send in thier ninjas and close the place down *L*

  1.6.2006 12:54 #31

• sammorris

  They're selling at prices that are legal in Russia, not necessarily legal elsewhere in the world, so you should in theory need to be Russian to buy media from them. They obviously aren't going to want to use that limitation. Unfair though it is, I see where IFPI are coming from with this.

  1.6.2006 13:03 #32

• sinistrad

  What really makes me wonder is, what are all these national and international copyright watchdogs going to do when they realize that in communist countries, once 1 person buys a song, every person in the country has equal rights to it... I hope they lose tons of money off that situation, not that I like communism, but I really do like seeing them lose money. If only there were some way to make the DRM authors lose money too...

  1.6.2006 16:42 #33

• jeffsreid

  Yes, 99 cents is a lot for a song. And, true, 8 cents is pretty darn cheap, making one think it would be illegal. But there are many variants here that are brought into question. (a) CD's are remarkably cheaper in Russia due to regional pricing, so a connection to cheaper per song prices can be made. (b) If it is too good to be true, it probably is. (c) Prior posts here seem to think that because an item is priced too high, that makes it OK to steal it. If you wanted $100 for your home garage band CD, then that is your choice to dictate that price, and no-one elses right to take it from you without payment. The fact is, the market will dictate what the prices will be in the form of demand. Though you (and I) think 99 cents is a bit steep, apparently it is not too expensive for iTunes or Napsters customers, as they are selling songs hand over fist. As long as suckers, um, people are willing to pay for it, the prices will remain at their current levels.
  
  In fact, CD prices have remained lower than inflation since 1985! But.... the value we get has been reduced, mainly because the record labels are churning out less original music, and more produced shlock. 45's back in the 80's routinely sold for 75 cents to $1, so we can't claim that prices have jumped (though, CD's are, and always were, far less expensive to produce than vinyl, and the same can be said for downloads - yet prices did jump when we made the switch from vinyl to CD's).
  
  So before you start b*tchin' and complainin' about record companies gouging us, keep these things in mind. In fact, several large record companies are on the verge of going belly-up. This is not a good thing, for our music choices will become even more limited. And, HEY!, at least we now have a choice to download only the songs we want instead of an entire album of filler.
  
  Now, on a side note. Do you have an iPod? Remember Apples 'Big Brother' ad from 1984 during the Superbowl (you might have not been born yet). It basically asserted that Apple users were free from the chains of a PC (known as IBM back then). In fact, Apple is NOW big brother as I see it. They've locked a generation of users into the iPod with no way to switch over, force you to buy upgraded and way overpriced units when yours becomes obselete (14 new upgrades in a couple years, and remember the whole battery cannot be replaced fiasco) by not allowing you to use your iTune songs elsewhere. The units are delicate as all heck, hard drive failures abound. The latest is registration of all iPods electronically ,apparently to deter theft, but come-on, it is really to track their users!

  1.6.2006 16:46 #34

• matamoros

  Well, if a music label in the United States is not compensating an artist because it snookered them with a crafty contract, are they "...effectively stealing from those who create music..."?
  Also, the way the law seems to work in former soviet union is, you only get prosecuted if you have pissed off somebody important, or someone has paid the authorities to go after you, which seems likely in this case.

  1.6.2006 18:03 #35

• Ballpyhon

  this comes directly from allofmp3.com TOS
  
  The user bears sole responsibility for any use and distribution of all materials received from AllOFMP3.com. This responsibility is dependent on the national legislation in each user's country of residence. The Administration of AllOFMP3.com does not possess information on the laws of each particular country and is not responsible for the actions of foreign users.
  
  Would it be any different if i flew to russia and bought a cd there and brought it back with me, or just download the CD? Im still paying for the copyrights of the music i listen to, just not as much as the masses would like me to pay. if there is anything debate here it is wether or not i have to pay an import tax on it.

  1.6.2006 19:16 #36

• duckNrun

  The point has been accurately stated: The prices on allofmp3.com ARE NOT American prices, British prices or even international prices. This is a RUSSIAN site that is selling music based upon {GASP!} RUSSIAN COPYRIGHT LAWS. And yes, if you went to Russia and bought a new CD you would see that it does not cost $18 USD but considerably less. The same as when you buy a CD in Taiwan, China, Bulgaria etc.
  
  The REAL question is: Can a person OUTSIDE Russia LEGALLY download music purchased from a RUSSIAN site following RUSSIAN laws that may conflict with the local laws of where the data is eventually being used.
  
  For the US the answer is....... YES! Under United States Copyright Law it is PERFECTLY 100% LEGAL to 'import' a product for PERSONAL USE that was legitimately purchased from a different country AS LONG AS the purchase was legal in the country where the sale took place, in this case Russia.
  
  While it IS true that if something looks too good to be true then it probably isn't this does not hold up when one takes into account foreign costs of living and pricing structures. Based on the before mentioned (and seemingly worshipped!) 'too good to be true so must be pirates' theory a European buying gas in the US should feel that they are stealing due to the cost being so cheap. Or a better example, when my cousins in the UK buy Nike Shoes or ANY NAME BRAND CLOTHING (since all they do over there is replace the $ sign with a pound sign, effectively doubling the cost!) over the net from a US store for 1/2 the cost should THEY be branded (and feel) like thieves? Should the LEGAL US store which sold them the product at US prices, regardless of where the buyer lives and the prices there, be branded as Stealing from Nike for doing so??
  
  
  Big Business pushed and pushed for a GLOBAL ECONOMY and now that it is here I for one will be more than glad to benefit from buying products from these companies competitiors... after all they shipped our JOBS overseas to save THEMSELVES money... why can't I ship my SALES overseas to save ME money as well? DOES THAT MAKE ME A THIEF???

  1.6.2006 20:46 #37

• jeffsreid

  
  "Would it be any different if i flew to russia and bought a cd there and brought it back with me, or just download the CD? Im still paying for the copyrights of the music i listen to"
  
  No, it wouldn't be any different. However, if you bought a pirated CD from a sidewalk bootlegger, all bets are off.
  
  The real question here is (and I think it is the focus of the allegations), are you paying for the rights, ie: Is AllOfMP3.com paying their share of the fees for rights? Who knows right now.
  
  If you bought stolen goods, US laws does not recognize you as the owner, and in certain circumstances you can be prosecuted for receiving stolen goods. I would guess that purchasers at this site would not be pursued since it is still questionable at best at this point.
  
  "Well, if a music label in the United States is not compensating an artist because it snookered them with a crafty contract, are they "...effectively stealing from those who create music..."? "
  
  That is a whole different matter. Contracts between parties are just that , between parties. Each side should make fully educated decisions before signing any contractural obligations. Record companies do get the lions share of proceeds from new artists, while they often get a much smaller share from established artists. BUT, record companies spend millions on bands that end up going nowhere, and lose lots of money. The record companies are not in this business to make us whistle with joy, they are in the business to make money. If they lose it on one risk, they must make it up in other ways. Established artists have too much pull to give the companies an added profit just because another band didn't perform well. So guess who gets the raw deal, the new artist. However, the established artist 99 percent of the time got to where they are because of the record companies investments.
  
  
  "Also, the way the law seems to work in former soviet union is, you only get prosecuted if you have pissed off somebody important, or someone has paid the authorities to go after you, which seems likely in this case."
  
  In any case of copyright ownership, whether tangible or intellectual rights, here in the U.S., our history has been the same. Enforcement only goes after the pirates when prompted by the private sector or by loss of taxes. Until a decade ago, counterfeiters got away with millions of transactions in designer purses, clothes, tapes, DVDs and CDs. Only in recent history has law enforcement cracked down, all at the behest of large corporations.
  
  What do you think about the legality of allowing counterfeiters and piracy to flourish in the U.S. Would it affect your job in any way? Think about it.
  
  By the way, I do not work for record companies, nor am I a fledging artist. I am an economist and capitalist. I do believe in certain socialist measures for the good of the community (like food, shelter, jobs for the homeless and under-employed). But I do not believe the record companies, or any other private sector, non-essential, company owes us anything other than reasonable accountability.
  
  I just downloaded Kill Bill vols 1 & 2 soundtracks from AllofMP3.com and was quite happy with the results (though the downloaded wasn't all that simple, and I do not want to install their 'downloader' for fear of MalWare). Personally, I still like to buy the actual CD with inserts and all. I get mine on Amazon.com for $0.45 - $2 each. Is this illegal? Nope, they tend to be used or samples. On occassion, I'll pop $16+ for a new CD.

  1.6.2006 21:08 #38

• jeffsreid

  duckNrun.... I couldn't have said it better!

  1.6.2006 21:09 #39

• Donuts

  Has anyone who posted here in defense of allofmp3.com considered that IFPI could be the people that should be getting paid by allofmp3.com and would therefore know whether or not they are getting paid? In that case, i would suspect that the mafia is involved in making it "legal" and the IFPI are probably powerless inside Russia.
  
  However, if allofmp3.com genuinly does have a comparative advantage with regards to paying royalties then the IFPI should mind there own business.

  2.6.2006 02:17 #40

• ZippyDSM

  Donuts
  Isnt that the problem they go after familys and people just to amke a livieng? *L*
  
  Eh Sicne the site dosnet have all their paper work of corse they re not "lealge" but tis a interesting thign that they could be.

  2.6.2006 05:34 #41

• sammorris

  sinistrad: erm, it's 2006, Russia isn't communist any morew.
  jeffsreid: Yes, regional pricing, but that doesn't mean it should apply to the rest of the world. You're right about the suckers. I agree about the filler argument too, Digital downloads allow us to preview 30s of tracks on itunes for FREE and then to download the ones we like. I don't have an ipod because 90% of UK people have them, it's common, boring and I think other players are better. I have a Gigabeat but the true king of the MP3 player world is the Creative Zen series. Shame the omnipresent ipod functionality hasn't taken hold for other mp3 players.
  
  Matamoros: Hmm, not that the USA is communist, you'd be torn to pieces for suggesting that.
  
  Ballyphon: Lol if you came back to the UK, you'd have the FACT sniffer dogs up your backside. Better watch that!
  
  duckNrun: Yep, sad truth. I wouldn't ask questions about downloading an album from allofmp3.
  

  2.6.2006 07:28 #42

• ZippyDSM

  sammorris
  Well in some sence the US is communist
  communist= everythign for the goveremnt
  USA=coperation owen goveremnt
  *L*
  
  Besides russia is falling back into a communist style rule with puton clsoeing down all forms of free non goverment meida and such and trying to paint a bright picture on it >< and the US ignores it and whines about Iran and nukes.

  2.6.2006 07:36 #43

• sammorris

  LOL. Nice politics.

  2.6.2006 07:47 #44

• drmors

  AllofMP3.com is a great site with a good downloading browser.
  If it goes; I will revert to slower erratic P2P. I won't be playing the rip-off NAPSTER or iTunes prices with DRM restrictions, thats for sure!"
  
  Drmors.

  2.6.2006 08:08 #45

• penngray

  Quote:Is there anyway to convert a WMA-DRM to WMA without DRM; because I will pay, but then the song should be mine. I buy itunes (or use too), I then burn a CD from Itunes and right after that make MP3s from the CD, all song tags stay intact and you have MP3s that you can move anywhere.
  
  itunes, rhapsody and naptser all suck but they still make money because consumers SUCK even more then they do because consumers accept this .99 per song stuff. Heck, you can even by many of the all time great bands because itunes doesnt have licensing with them (what a crock!!!).
  
  allofMP3 is the best site for MP3s period. Besides the price tag, the ease of use if 1000% superior then itunes, napster and so on. They got it right and we didnt, as for illegal and the "too good to be true" stuff. Americans need to travel the world to realize that cost structures are not the same. Its geocentric thinking that everyone and everyelse should be similar to the US.
  
  If the Russian government declares them Legal THEY ARE SIMPLY LEGAL enough said. American business needs to talk to the Russian government about it and not use childish propaganda and online spin.
  
  Wait until Mark Cuban gets his online Movie stuff going. He vows to not add done copywrite protection stuff. He gets it also and knows how to make profit.

  2.6.2006 08:36 #46

• penngray

  Quote:Authorities estimate the damage to the entertainment industry at around $30 million. lol and this is why the entertainment industry is run by a bunch of tried old greedy fat guys with no common sense. What is that as a percentage???? 1%???? Give me a break what a waste of time and money to worry about 1% of your business.
  
  lol, instead just increase profits elsewhere but changing their ideology and distribution model. Of course they cant because they dont know how to think outside of the box.
  
  If they want to battle piracy simply make it super easy to buy their products and that will increase volume and decrease piracy.

  2.6.2006 08:44 #47

• gramsie

  Any concern over using Credit cards to pay for this service? Have heard of a friend of a friend that got sued by limewire so I am looking for an alternitive? Any comments?

  3.6.2006 19:32 #48

• OzMick

  I've made 4 transactions with them over the course of a couple years on my credit card. I haven't had any unusual transactions as a result, it is done over a secure server. Always been for the correct amount too, I was hesitant at first but has all been clear sailing for me.
  

  "I love it when a plan comes together..."
  John "Hannibal" Smith

  3.6.2006 21:01 #49

• drmors

  I was hesitant to use a credit card, especially first time, but used a debit card as an alternative six times without any repercussions to date.

  4.6.2006 02:22 #50

• xhardc0re

  I "bought" about 10-14 albums from Allofmp3 over the past 2yrs. I see about 60 cents in my account...now's the time to get out a debit card & use that sucker before the cheap filez are all killed off by IFPI!! My god, they sue everyone out of existence but people still will NOT pay $1 per song. Not everyone wants to pay for what they get, sad fact of life. If all piracy were made non-existant, people would either share with friends or not buy at all. So sue everyone and defeat the pirates, you can't take blood out of a stone.

  4.6.2006 21:11 #51

• bertf

  Granted allofmp3 is cheap, but only for a basic medium quality mp3 download, if you want a wav file it costs about the same as a CD. And bear in mind that with your basic mp3 download you do not get a physical product, no supporting art work or documentation etc, so actaully I think that $2.00 an album is not 'too good to be true', I think that it is reasonable pricing. I have never, and will never pay £.99 per track from anyone - this makes an album MORE expensive than physically buying the CD, even here in the yUK. And if all of the major record companies did disappear do you really think that would be a bad thing? I don't, times change, musicians and artists are launching themselves on theb web more effectively, for less, and they are in control. More power to them.
  In any case there is an easy way for the established busineses to beat pirates - be better and cheaper than them. Not as hard as you might think given that the marginal cost of shifting each unit of a music or video product is close to zero, and significantly less for a legitimate company than for a pirate. Think about it.

  4.6.2006 23:07 #52

• sammorris

  I'm contemplating giving allofmp3 my business just because of this.

  5.6.2006 00:16 #53

• Ballpyhon

  sammorris- thats what flash drives and zip disks are for, unless you want to pack your CDs in coffee grounds.

  5.6.2006 12:50 #54

• sammorris

  If that's what it takes!

  5.6.2006 12:52 #55

• xhardc0re

  The problem w/record companies is they make a KILLING in profits but pass so little onto....hey the artists. THEY make the music, they write, the bust their @$$e$ to push their music and reach fans. A very popular artist (such as Prince) may not make as much $$$, but has more creative license over his work as an Indie. If different artists get together, form their own association, learn the ropes.....well that would lead to the major labels going down. As long as fans pay for music, they artists will be around.
  
  What did the music world do before TimeWarner, Sony, VirginRecords, etc? I'm guessing they were all dirt poor & never made any $$$$.

  6.6.2006 07:20 #56

• sammorris

  No they made a killing because the record labels didn't keep all their $$$.

  6.6.2006 08:39 #57

• ireland

  news update,thanks to p2pnet.net/ for this news update
  
  AllofMP3.com statement
  
  p2p news / p2pnet: As we posted yesterday, quoting The New York Times, "American trade negotiators have, "darkly warned that the Web site could jeopardize Russia's long-sought entry into the World Trade Organization."
  
  The members of the Big Four Organized Music cartel have been trying to wipe AllofMP3.com off the Net for some considerable time. It is, after all, competition.
  
  For its part, AllofMP3.com hasn't had a lot to say. Until now. In an email statement we received this morning, it declares:
  
  The US government officials and politicians have been demanding lately that the Russian authorities shut down allofmp3.com, alleging the site is pirate. Otherwise, they threaten Russia with sanctions, including blocking its entry to WTO.
  
  In this regard we would like to make a statement:
  
  1. The site AllOfMP3.com belongs to a Russian company and for 6 years it has operated within the country, in full compliance with all Russian laws. Throughout this period the various government offices have scrutinized site's legality and have not found any breach of the law. So far there has been no decision by any Russian court contesting the site's legality.
  
  2. The Russian site AllOfMP3.com is not operating or advertising its business on the territory of other countries.
  
  3. The site AllOfMP3.com does regularly transfer substantial amounts of royalties to the Russian organizations for collective management of rights such as ROMS and FAIR, which have granted the site licenses to legally deliver music through the Internet.
  
  4. The site AllofMP3.com reserves the right to take all steps necessary to protect its business reputation. We call upon everyone to take a thorough and unbiased view of the site's legality.
  
  5. On September 1, 2006 the changes to the Russian copyright legislation will come into force. Since January 2006 the site has been making direct agreements with rightholders and authors at the same time increasing the price of the music compositions and transferring the royalties directly to the artists and record companies. The aim of AllofMP3.com is to agree with all rightholders on the prices and royalties amounts by September 1, 2006.
  
  6. We believe in the long term and civilized business based on respecting the law, considering the customers' demands as well as the interests of both national and international rightholders.
  
  The AllofMP3.com Administration
  
  June 6, 2006 Moscow
  Contact information: press@allofmp3.com
  Available at http://allofmp3.com/statement.shtml
  
  Definitely stay tuned.
  
  Digg this story.
  
  Also See:
  darkly warned - US muscles AllofMP3.com, June 5, 2006
  http://p2pnet.net/story/8985

  6.6.2006 14:07 #58

• sammorris

  Blocking entry to the world trade organisation because of an mp3 web site? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day!
  

  I'm Here to Help newbs and n00bs, not Pwn them!
  
  Athlon XP 3000+, Arctic Cooling Copper Silent2l, MSI MS-6775, 1GB (2x512MB) Nanya-Elixir PC3200 CAS3, 2x WD Caviar SE 250GB S-ATA, Maxtor Diamondmax +8 40GB IDE, Sapphire 256MB Radeon X800 Pro, LG GSA-4163B, SuperFlower SF-464T2-S, Hiper Type-R 480W.
  <logos removed by request of herbsman>

  6.6.2006 14:52 #59

• xhardc0re

  Blocking Russia's entry into the WTO because of a single, measely website? Pshhhhhahhh...hahahah...yeah right!

  6.6.2006 23:13 #60

• B_runner

  Greed. Power. The will to use it and the arrogance to not. Sometimes it seems like the world is so corrupt, so much so that you can forget about the cleaner aspects of society.

  24.10.2006 13:36 #61

• sammorris

  And now Visa have blocked the site from allowing purchases via their cards. It's the begining of the end for non-russian users of the site. I've transferred to eMusic.

  25.10.2006 04:25 #62

• velichk

  spam removed

  6.8.2007 16:24 #63