Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Forum => Topic started by: squirrellydw on January 24, 2007, 10:58:44 am
-
Anyone use them, are they reliable, secure and safe?
How do they work, any problems, you have to have a minimum balance with them right?
-
They are good and quite popular but you might as well download stuff from emule or limewire because it is illegal apparently. They don't give any money to the record companies which is why they are so cheap. :dunno
-
I have to chime in on this one. No one can come out and say without question that allofmp3 is definitely illegal. I do practice law, but I'm no expert in international copyright. I've looked into this quite a bit, and I've reached a couple of conclusions.
First, Allofmp3 is claiming that there is a Russian copyright loophole that allows them to sell this music. They claim that they are paying the artists through a clearing house, but no one has really any hard evidence one way or the other if this is happening.
Second, what is evident is that American record companies are trying to price fix and eliminate competition among their distributors. 99 cents a song is really outrageous; the minute some company wants to offer the same songs for 49 cents they will never get off the ground.
Finally, given the exchange rate, this Russian company is able to compete because of the strength of the dollar. 15 cents, American is still a lot for someone in Moscow. This is no different than shopping in Mexico for cheap Kahlua.
Personally, I've spent about $40 total on allofmp3 and have no complaints. No DRM in the files at all. Use the songs on any device. I would rather pay some money for the music instead of nothing and claim naive consumer. The songs are better quality than iTunes b/c you can adjust the bit rate.
The music industry has put a lot of propaganda out there to make people paranoid. They have also spent a ton of money in Congress, other corporations i.e Visa, etc., to make allofmp3 go away. Somebody explain to me why in the world our American Congress is concerned about an internet music store. Is that a matter of national security? I can name a few issues that are slightly bigger than digital music. People out there need to be concerned whether or not their congressman has been bought off by a bunch of price fixing gazillionaires like David Geffen. Whatever! :soapbox:
-
Anyone use them, are they reliable, secure and safe?
How do they work, any problems, you have to have a minimum balance with them right?
I've had no problems with them, however, I don't think they accept Visa, Mastercard or Amex. The RIAA has a serious stranglehold on the world...
I wouldn't even try to give them any money now - Russia has said they are going to close AllofMP3.com because there is pressure for Russia to close the site so they can enter the WTO.
-
I would also agree with leapinlew.
You may want to wait to put major money in your account. You can still use Visa, but in a round about way. They now have you buy a pin number through a Euro paypal like site. I did it and had no problems.
If the Russian govt, goes after them like leapinlew says, (which they probably will) allof will probably resurface in another country, or off shore somewhere.
I would give them a try for the minimum amount, which i think is 10 bucks. You can get quite a few songs for that in one sitting. ;)