AfterDawn: News

MP3.com once again offers music downloads

Once known for its massive collection of online music, MP3.com became a huge target for everyone's favorite fun spoiler, the RIAA. After several multi-million dollar lawsuits and a few corporate buy-outs, things are about to change for the once doomed website.

Since it's creation in 1997, founder Michael Robertson faced a several million dollar lawsuit loss at the hands of the RIAA and was later bought by Vivendi Universal Music in 2001. Recently, Vivendi sold the rights to CNet just in 2003. CNet now has worked deals that will give the new MP3.com music downloads from independent artists. This marks a significant change from it's previous format of simply having editorial content and news relating to music.



Source:
Reuters

Written by: Dave Horvath @ 13 Nov 2006 4:55

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• 8 comments

• cart0181

  Well horray for the independent artists. So I guess it's ok to violate their copyrights. Seeing as how they're not "protected" by huge conglomerates. What a double-standard...

  13.11.2006 07:43 #1

• djgizmo

  cart0181, what are you talking about? when mp3.com started all the way up 2001ish, they were all about independent artists distributing their music thru the site. It helped electronics artists like Skylab2000 and Sonic Groove have their music heard all around the world.

  13.11.2006 08:17 #2

• redtab99

  Skylab2000 and Sonic Groove???

  13.11.2006 08:52 #3

• domie

  exactly....sky what ? and sonic who ?

  13.11.2006 13:47 #4

• GrayArea

  redtab99
  
  I suppose if YOU haven't heard of them they must not be any good?
  
  Most good new music goes unheard largely because the Major (pain in the @$$) Labels would rather push the same tired old crap that their same tired old dinosaur acts grunt out.

  13.11.2006 13:53 #5

• Anrkist

  I remember the way it used to be and it was alot of fun to find unknown artists. Alot of them might not have made it big but some of them did grow a following.. anyone heard of The Ataris?
  
  No one is violating the Independant Artists copyrights, it's thier choice on wether or not to add the music to the site.

  13.11.2006 15:12 #6

• Cman

  MP3.com was great for finding Inde Jazz artists until the RIAA Gestapo sued it out of meaningful existence. I'm glad to hear its coming back however, I wonder exactly what form it will take.
  
  Perhaps AllofMP3.com could use this as an object lesson in how to deal with the RIAA and the Corporate Pirates that own everything.

  13.11.2006 16:18 #7

• ZippyDSM

  So then the Mafaa closes it down,then swoops in buys it out....can you say hostile take over.....

  14.11.2006 05:56 #8