[alcimedes]

CNET is reporting that the Russian police finally shut them down. It was fun while it lasted.

RIP my friend.

For those not in the know, Allofmp3.com sold songs for a very, very low price. No DRM, whatever format you wanted, whatever bitrate you wanted. It was the perfect digital music download site. My hatred for the RIAA grows daily.

[NosferaDrew]

illegal, no?
Good riddance.

[JLL]

That link is to an article from February last year.

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by NosferaDrew illegal, no? Good riddance.

Why good riddance?

Technically I don't think it was illegal based on strange Russian copyright law interpretation.

I also don't see much wrong with them. But I think they were one extreme and there are other extremes in the opposite direction.

The low cost of allofMp3 and format options allowed me to sample a wide range of music and made me buy more. The prices for the standard bit rates (128 and 160) were far too cheap though. They should have charged more and given the artists more money.

As it is, I think iTunes is too expensive. At least for albums. Especially now that less and less of them are 9.99 and more like 11.99 or 13.99.

To me they should be 7.99. Heck, nearly every cd at BestBuy now is 9.99 and thats an actual physical non compressed product.

[usurp]

yeah I dont understand how itunes albums cost as much a cds. I rather get the cd and have a nice cover and something physical to touch. Plus if my mac blows up i still have the music as hard copy to reburn again..

[alcimedes]

Oops, didn't realize the article was that old. I uh, happened to hear from a friend of a friend that they weren't up and running. Putin declared a week or two ago that Russia was going to start taking IP seriously, and I put two and two together.

Perhaps hastily.

However, I'm afraid that article is correct, even if it's a year old.

[InactionMan]

How long have they been down? I know Russia is under a lot of pressure to change its copyright laws but I was under the impression that allofmp3 was operating under some loophole that until plugged would allow them to operate. I can't imagine Russia plugged the hole that quickly.

[colivigan]

See this discussion at digg. Nobody seems to know the real story. Some posters are still holding out hope for a server relocation or extended maintenance period, but the general consensus seems to be that we may have seen the last of them.

[murbot]

I want my $12 balance refunded to me in rubles.

Commie bastards.

Err, I mean I know this one guy who does.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by alcimedes Allofmp3.com sold songs for a very, very low price. No DRM, whatever format you wanted, whatever bitrate you wanted. It was the perfect digital music download site.

So, paying deflated prices (AllOfMP3) is more fair than paying inflated prices (RIAA and equivalents)? Hardly. In the latter case, at least, the real artists get some money at all; in the former, they don't see anything. If you're gonna go to AllOfMP3-like sites, you may as well just pirate.

[InactionMan]

Originally Posted by chucker So, paying deflated prices (AllOfMP3) is more fair than paying inflated prices (RIAA and equivalents)? Hardly. In the latter case, at least, the real artists get some money at all; in the former, they don't see anything. If you're gonna go to AllOfMP3-like sites, you may as well just pirate.

Yeah, sort of. I guess in the end it doesn't much matter because the artist is always the one that's going to get screwed whether it's iTunes, traditional retail or some dodgy Russian site. As has been said a million times, if you really want to support an artist go to their concerts and buy their merch. And fully support their right to sell out and have their songs sell all matter of shitty products.

I never used allofmps because I could get everything I wanted through either eMusic, BitTorrent or the library.

What's always bothered me is that a fair number of musicians and all music producers think they're owed a gauranteed income . You really shouldn't become an artist if you want any form of steady wage.

I'll consume all the art I want but I'm only going to pay for the art I like.

[NosferaDrew]

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses Why good riddance?

Royalties.
At least with the RIAA artists get paid - it's not much, but with allofmp3 it's a fraction of that, or worse, nothing at all.

I've been a recording engineer for fifteen years and I've seen hundreds of artists come through the studio.
It's very hard work and only a small fraction of those artists are successful enough to quit their day job.

Sure, the record labels take more than their fair share, but that's a different battle.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by InactionMan Yeah, sort of. I guess in the end it doesn't much matter because the artist is always the one that's going to get screwed whether it's iTunes, traditional retail or some dodgy Russian site.

An iTunes song costs ¢99, of which the artist usually gets around ¢10. That's way, way less of a fraction he should get, but consider this: an AllOfMP3 song usually costs around ¢3. Even in the unlikely case that AllOfMP3 can (and is willing to) cover their own costs by maybe 'only' 67% of that, the artists gets ¢1. A tenth.

As has been said a million times, if you really want to support an artist go to their concerts and buy their merch.

Absolutely, but that's only an addition. They still deserve a cut of song sales. And one cent isn't a cut; it's a joke.

You really shouldn't become an artist if you want any form of steady wage.

Erm, we're not in the medieval ages. Being an artist is a job. You do get a steady wage.

[alcimedes]

Originally Posted by chucker An iTunes song costs ¢99, of which the artist usually gets around ¢10. That's way, way less of a fraction he should get, but consider this: an AllOfMP3 song usually costs around ¢3. Even in the unlikely case that AllOfMP3 can (and is willing to) cover their own costs by maybe 'only' 67% of that, the artists gets ¢1. A tenth.

What we need is a service like allofmp3.com, that charges 13¢ for each song, of which 10¢ goes to the artist.

However, without that option (IMO) the lesser of two evils is the one that doesn't involve 80% of my purchase price going to an organization I think is a giant waste of oxygen. (and criminal to boot)

I buy T-shirts, I go to concerts. If artists had paypal links I'd send them money that way. I have no problem paying for the music I like, however, I won't pay the organization that's busy screwing artists over.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by alcimedes What we need is a service like allofmp3.com, that charges 13¢ for each song, of which 10¢ goes to the artist.

Yes, that sounds fine to me.

However, without that option (IMO) the lesser of two evils is the one that doesn't involve 80% of my purchase price going to an organization I think is a giant waste of oxygen. (and criminal to boot)

But do we really know AllOfMP3 doesn't/didn't take 80% of the purchase price, too? And do we really know they're not criminal, too?

I buy T-shirts, I go to concerts. If artists had paypal links I'd send them money that way. I have no problem paying for the music I like, however, I won't pay the organization that's busy screwing artists over.

*nod*

[Banana]

Originally Posted by chucker Erm, we're not in the medieval ages. Being an artist is a job. You do get a steady wage.

In an ideal world, yeah. Mediveal ages has nothing to do with the fact.

But this isn't an ideal world, and artists aren't only one getting screwed.

Seems to me that going to a live concert is indeed a better way of securing wages.

[Wrao]

Originally Posted by chucker Erm, we're not in the medieval ages. Being an artist is a job. You do get a steady wage.

Not really. Being a Businessman you (stand a chance at) get(ting) a steady wage. Art is personal as much as it is impersonal, it varies for different people, art and making a living off of it are not mutually exclusive, but they are not always complimentary, and the amount of broke-ass musicians out there speaks to this. Talent and artistic vision means next to nothing if you don't have the ability to market your music, promote, sell..etc. Even then, you're not guaranteed anything. Either way, it is a far cry from any technical field that provides a stable and reliable source of income.

[ast3r3x]

This is from early this morning, I just never posted it.

Says server is closed for maintenance. I have like ~$6 left, they better not close! That's like 4 albums.

[Fahrenheit]

Well I personally think its a shame, I never got round to using it, but i was going to.

When did music become so much about the silly laws, people getting put in jail and all the money- music should be someones creativity, readily available for anyone to enjoy for as little as possible.

[alcimedes]

I'm sure that allofmp3.com takes 100% of the proceeds from any music sales they make. However, they aren't giving a dime to the RIAA, which makes me happy, In turn, I buy merchandise from the bands I like, which makes them happy.

With the current RIAA model, I could buy 5 full albums from a band I like, and pay at least $50 for the pleasure. Of that, the artist will see about $5.

Or, I could go to allofmp3.com, buy 5 albums for $7, and then buy a $20 t-shirt, of which the band gets at least $15.

My total cost in the first scenario is $50, and all I get is the music. The band gets 10% of what I spent. In the second, I spend under $30, get the music and a shirt, and the band gets over 50% of what I spent.

I just wish the bands could overthrow the RIAA and ticketmaster so they'd have a snowball's chance in hell of making money without having to sell out.

[alcimedes]

The IFPI, which was behind legal attacks on the site last year, told us the shutdown was not due to any enforcement action it was taking and it believes the site was genuinely down for maintenance. The IFPI tried to take action against the site last year but failed because it does not break Russian laws, nor is it illegal to import music from the site into many countries. The Business Software Alliance and the Recording Industry Ass. of America recently asked the US government to impose sanctions on Russia for failing to take adequate action against pirates. It called for Russia to be branded a Priority Foreign Country which could lead to sanctions.

Woo! My friend will be happy.

[SpecMode]

It lives! Site is back up as of 8pm CST (haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere in the thread, so here you go).

(Note that I never said I used the site, just that it's not down anymore. )

[colivigan]

Indeed, they are back up. At least that's what my friend tells me.

[Banana]

Wow; everybody must be a friendly bunch! How you'd get so many friends who keeps you in loop?

[Stone Of Love]

I'm sure the beta for "allTunes" will help them make some new friends!! LOL

[Ominx]

Yea, I have a friend too, and in effort to clear his balance he encountered this:

[InactionMan]

Since so many people here have friends that are using and enjoying allofmp3 I may just have to sign up one of my friends once they get all their technical muck sorted out.

mininova doesn't always have what I'm looking for.

[Engine Joe]

You mean it doesn't have what your friend is looking for, right?

[InactionMan]

Right, right, it doesn't always have what my friend is looking for. I still buy CDs. And if I want a copy on my computer I buy the album a second time on iTunes.

[ast3r3x]

Must've been a weekend binge for Brad. URLs, discussions…this thread is still open!