Record labels rub it in, sue AllOfMP3.com

Despite our occasional disregard for intellectual property rights and junk like that, mixed with our general dislike for the "screw the artists" ethics of the RIAA, it's hard to argue with the illegality of AllOfMP3.com. Plus, with with the blatant lawlessness of its operations possibly even keeping Russia out of the WTO, it seems like Russia has plenty of incentive to shore up this operation, and apparently they're attempting to do just that. That's why we're a bit surprised to see a group of labels finally filing an actual lawsuit against AllOfMP3, since they've already pretty much won: Visa and MasterCard are disallowing payments to the service, and most international governments are on their side. Plus, the lawsuit is being filed in New York, which, at least the last time we checked, didn't have a whole lot of legal authority over in Russia. All the same, you've gotta give up respect for the labels' systematic and brutal defense of their aging business model -- at least they're hardcore about it.

[Via Techdirt]

[Nobuyuki Idei @ Dec 21st 2006 1:18PM]

From what I've read, AllOfMP3 has offered to pay royalties per download, but this has been declined by the RIAA. Surely, the royalty would be ridiculously low, but still.

[Tek @ Dec 21st 2006 1:24PM]

If Russia had really wanted AllOfMP3.com to go away, the owneres would already have recieved the gift that goes on for years: Polonium 210.

[gooop @ Dec 21st 2006 1:24PM]

I, for one, don't welcome our rights-thwarting, heavy-hand-wielding, over-charging, racketeering, monopolistic-loving, garbage-pop-spewing music overlords.

[Samuel McConnell @ Dec 21st 2006 1:33PM]

Eek, I better spend the $6 in credit I still have there fast.

[johndengler @ Dec 21st 2006 1:59PM]

I love you allofmp3.com, please don't go away. I hate you RIAA and your money hoarding ways.

[Jitty @ Dec 21st 2006 2:12PM]

hmm... I always knew allofmp3.com wasn't the most legal place to buy music but now this?

[Zeke @ Dec 21st 2006 2:12PM]

I'll say that for now, it's in a legal "grey area". It's legal, but probably shouldn't be. But the real thing you should look at this is the reason that AllOfMP3 came to exist: people are willing to pay for DRM-free, no-nonsense music.
I am an AllOfMP3 customer for now because while I totally support paying artists for their music, I was already uncomfortable with the little returns labels gave their artists from non-internet sales, and once DMCA and DRM started treating the customers like criminals, too, I just couldn't take it.
I gladly give my money to eMusic since they are the only American DRM-free large-scale operation. I think that the labels are starting to see the benefit of treating their customers as valued individuals, so hopefully we'll see them back something like eMusic or AllOfMP3.
Until then, screw 'em, I'll give money directly to independent artists, vote with my dollars at eMusic, and buy from AllOfMP3 to show the labels that giving choice and freedom will generate sales.

[ElvisLives @ Dec 21st 2006 2:13PM]

"shore up"? Shore up means "to give support to," according to M-W.com. Maybe tidbits should shore up the editing department?

[Russell @ Dec 21st 2006 2:27PM]

When I use AllofMp3.com it's to get 320kbit mp3 or lossless wma. An album at that quality range runs $4-9.

I feel that is a fair price but I would be willing to pay $2-3 more per album downloaded at that quality.

I don't see why we can't have a legal allofmp3 that offers true high bitrate quality without DRM JUST LIKE THE CD IN YOUR B&M MUSIC STORE.

Buying a CD is a waste of product and a old fashioned delivery method. However since people are apparently stupid enough to purchase $9+ albums at 128kbps with restrictive DRM I can see why the studios aren't going for selling high quality MP3's.

Not because they wouldn't sell, but because why not sell a product for the same money with restrictions and lower quality. That way you can sell it again in higher quality and for playback on other hardware.

[Foster Lee @ Dec 21st 2006 2:34PM]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha RIAA you idiots. I've been a member of AllofMP3.com for years now. I don't think it will be going away anytime soon. Besides they have exactly stop people from refilling their balance. You have to refill your balance by going thru alltunes. I have Visa they didn't stop me.

[Buurin @ Dec 21st 2006 2:52PM]

I am curious to see what the RIAA tries to do about www.lala.com

Its a CD trading site. Summed up: You list the CDs you have and select the CDs you want. They send you shipping materials and for every cd you trade you get 1 in return.

Ideally you are not supposed to rip/burn the CDs you recieve.

[Isaac @ Dec 21st 2006 2:54PM]

If the RIAA doesn't make AllOfMP3.com go away directly, I think AOMP3 is still in trouble. As soon as I read that Russia had a greed to shutdown AOMP3 as part of their agreement to join the WTO (ya know, when it was announced in the news a couple of months ag), I went straight to AOMP3 and spent the $23 balance I had left from joining a year or two ago.

Somehow, I really don't think I'm alone... and I'm not buying more balance, 'cause seriously, between Russia and the RIAA? Yeah, I don't think AOMP3's going to be around much longer... if it's legal now, that doesn't mean the Russian gov't won't change that in order to get in on the WTO.

But here's the rub: just the threat of this is going to make everyone spend the last of their credit, then stop adding to it... so where's AOMP3 going to get the money for bandwidth and server upkeep? Yes, yes, we know their mafia-owned, but I'm sure when they realize they're losing money hand over fist 'cause no one's buying credit... they'll take it down.

I don't see a bright and rosey future for AOMP3, that's all. Which is quite sad, I really liked them.

But it's so nice to see a private group like the RIAA is working so hard to protect the American musical culture from the evil heathens and criminal pirates. I know it looks bad when you read about some Communist/Authoritarian (like, say, Turkmenistan or North Korea), that controls the culture of their people with an iron fist, or at least fairly strictly. But is it really better to have it in the hands of a single, money-oriented corporate conglomerate?

[chevronguy @ Dec 21st 2006 3:09PM]

For Visa or Mastercard users there is a pretty simple workaround to the payment restriction. Just purchase one of the online gift cards that all of mp3 supports and then turn around and use that to refill your balance.

[Ryan Spray @ Dec 21st 2006 3:44PM]

Egad, just refilled $40 with their 20% promotion! Anyone know of some good albums?

[Mateusz Pozar @ Dec 21st 2006 5:06PM]

Ryan Spray: Check out their BBC and other listings (under the "awards" or somesuch heading).

Allofmp3 was the first online music buying place that I actually liked. There was little hassle ordering, the preview worked without problem, no DRM, tons of formats and a good selection at a good price. I was an emusic subscriber as well, but got fed up with the subscription scheme and the price-hike recently.

Now i buy demo-cds at concerts and just pirate the rest. 1.3 million filesharers in Sweden can't be wrong. (pop 9 mln)

[gear @ Dec 22nd 2006 6:49AM]

Thanks RIAA, Allofmp3 needed the publicity.

[Mt @ Dec 22nd 2006 10:24AM]

Actually it`s very amusing to watch RIAA trying to shut down a perfectly legal company in another country :) Basically, what they are saying is "We don`t like your laws, so go violate them and shut down allofmp3 just because we want to". What they don`t get, is that here nobody actually gives a f* about an opinion of some American company/corporation/whatever, and the fact, that American government is trying to enforce interests of a single corporation instead of their national interests only shows that corruption is not such a "Russian thing" as it is often thought.

What they can actually do is block access to allofmp3 from American IP adresses. Not that it would change anything, since there are tons of public russian proxies..

[Shak @ Dec 22nd 2006 10:42AM]

It's a good thing I'll still have access to mp3spy :)

[starwxrwx @ Dec 23rd 2006 2:14AM]

ALlofMp3 IS NOT ILLEGAL. They have a broadcast license in Russia that permits them to transmit digital copies of song. Just because they are following the law in a way you did not expect does not make them illegal.

Certainly in Australia we have parallel import laws, and hence if it is legal to buy in Russia it is legal to buy here.

What AllofMp3 has proven is that micropayments for songs are far more popular than a big outlay all at once. You will probably find, though, that more people will buy an album because it is easier to pay a few cents than to have to copy it from someone else. It is also convenient to simply download a song again if you want to listen to it but don;t have your computer or pod with you.

[Trigger hippY @ Dec 24th 2006 2:43PM]

This is a tricky subject to deal with. We all like to buy our stuff for as little money as possible but try and imagine yourselves in the shoes of the artists who's music you're stealing, or in Allofmp3.com's case, almost stealing. Imagine all the hardwork and time you put into producing a song only to see your blood, sweat and tears being taken from you or someone else profiting off all your hard work.

With that said, if we all want cheaper prices on music, we as consumers need to stop buying any kind of music for a while and hurt the music industry where it hurts, in their pockets. Maybe then the music industry will rethink the way it does business. Paying on average $15.00 is too much for a CD and the music industry needs to realize that. When cassette tapes were still around, you could pick up a full length cassette for around $7.00 and the funny thing is, its WAY cheaper to put music onto CDs than they are on cassette tape. So why are we consumers still paying $15.00 for a CD? Its so Jay-Z could pimp his yacht in Long Island, its so Nelly could do a pristine restoration on an old Chevy Caprice and put dubs on it, its so Britney Spears could buy her own private jet, its so...well I think everyone gets the message. So stop buying music, tell your friends to stop, tell your family to stop and maybe, maybe we'll get reasonable prices on music.

BTW, stealing music is wrong.

[Alex @ Jan 4th 2007 12:28PM]

Well I'm gonna get my credits filled up (+ 20 % ;) ) and I don't effing care if someone says its illegal, its a good price and a good service. I know, globalization should be a one way street so only the big corps get the rights and consumers don't get nuthing, so you see I feel real bad about this (really I do). Ps. buy your credits with ukash ;).

[Deborah @ Jan 7th 2007 1:44PM]

I can't seem to figure out, as a Canadian allofmp3 user, to replenish my balance since click&buy and ukash can't be accessed here. Has anyone found a way?