d(-_-)b ALLOFMP3 SUED BY U.S. RECORD LABELS
ALLOFMP3 SUED BY U.S. RECORD LABELS Just before our final emailer of 2006, we read that AllofMP3.com had been sued by the major record labels in New York. But the site is based in Russia. It is unclear how any U.S. court ruling can have an effect on this Russian site. The record labels claim that AllofMP3 has been profiting by selling copies of music without their permission. AllofMP3 typically charges under US$1 for an entire album and just a few cents per track. By contrast, an album at Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store and other licensed services typically costs about US$10 and a song 99 cents. Also, AllofMP3 does not have DRM on their tracks and they can be recopied for use on other players and computers. AllofMP3 has maintained that by paying royalties to a Russian licensing group, the Web site is in compliance with Russian laws. The RIAA has refused to accept payment from the Russian licensing group ROMS. It is interesting to note the flipside in China, where major labels have pressed CDs to be sold ONLY in China at extremely low prices. Some of these have been smuggled out of China and are sold cheap relative to US/UK CD prices. They are properly packaged and have good sound. You can find some in major record stores in $ingapore selling at around S$10 a disc = US$6.60. You can read AllofMP3s statement on their legality here: http://www.museekster.com/allofmp3faq.htm#Will%20the%20RIAA%20or%20the%20IFP... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I sent my soul into the invisible, Some letter of that after life to spell. And by and by my soul returned to me And answered, I myself am heaven and hell. - Omar Khayyam (Rubaiyat) Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com
The copyright of those works still holds water internationally. That's why the labels have the capacity to sue the site. I doubt very much that ALLOFMP3 and this supposed royalty agency is legit. If it was, these agreements would have been in place before the site would have opened. ROMS doesn't appear to have agreements with BMI, ASCAP, SOCAN, etc. which means that their collection is in a vacuum and as such, isn't legitimate on an international level. If they're collecting royalties for the Orb, there's no protocol in place to send that payment to right organization. Surprise surprise! The Russians are selling stuff on the black market. Don't think for a second that ALLOFMP3 has got an edge on the legitimate e-tailers. You can pay a buck for your album, but don't expect that the artist ever agreed to that. On 1/19/07, theREALmxyzptlk <theREALmxyzptlk@comcast.net> wrote:
I'm subbed to Big 0 magazine as well; I could never quite figure out how I wound up getting it (which is where the article which was below was snipped), but it's nice.
jeff
Bill Pilkington wrote:
* ALLOFMP3 SUED BY U.S. RECORD LABELS*
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I'm no fan of the site; I was referring to the e-zine from which the article was snipped when I said it was 'nice'. Allofmp3.com has been around for some time and anyone who's taken 30 seconds to google around for info knows what they're up to. As far as international copyright holding water, though, one has to ask how much water is held when Russian courts do not recognize -- NOR enforce -- the agreements. In fact, the way I understand it, they've legitimized it, as least within their borders. I've never been interested in mp3 compression at all, nor have I ever bought into the fallacy that anything is 'free' (always taking in the form of downloading that never gives anything to the artist behind the knobs in an already extreme-niche market does nothing to fertilize the field). While I don't consider crappy audio at dirt-cheap rates an 'edge' over higher-priced retailers who are offering the same crappy audio at higher rates, I'm afraid that it is indeed an edge for people with different ears and scruples. And I bet that site hauls in a huge payload every day to prove it. jeff M L wrote:
The copyright of those works still holds water internationally. That's why the labels have the capacity to sue the site. I doubt very much that ALLOFMP3 and this supposed royalty agency is legit. If it was, these agreements would have been in place before the site would have opened. ROMS doesn't appear to have agreements with BMI, ASCAP, SOCAN, etc. which means that their collection is in a vacuum and as such, isn't legitimate on an international level. If they're collecting royalties for the Orb, there's no protocol in place to send that payment to right organization. Surprise surprise! The Russians are selling stuff on the black market.
Don't think for a second that ALLOFMP3 has got an edge on the legitimate e-tailers. You can pay a buck for your album, but don't expect that the artist ever agreed to that.
On 1/19/07, *theREALmxyzptlk* <theREALmxyzptlk@comcast.net <mailto:theREALmxyzptlk@comcast.net>> wrote:
I'm subbed to Big 0 magazine as well; I could never quite figure out how I wound up getting it (which is where the article which was below was snipped), but it's nice.
jeff
Bill Pilkington wrote: > > * ALLOFMP3 SUED BY U.S. RECORD LABELS*
_______________________________________________ Orb mailing list Orb@mailman.xmission.com <mailto:Orb@mailman.xmission.com> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/orb Report list abuse to list-abuse at studio-nibble.com <http://studio-nibble.com>
I've never been interested in mp3 compression at all, nor have I ever bought into the fallacy that anything is 'free' (always taking in the form of downloading that never gives anything to the artist behind the knobs in an already extreme-niche market does nothing to fertilize the field). While I don't consider crappy audio at dirt-cheap rates an 'edge' over higher-priced retailers who are offering the same crappy audio at higher rates, I'm afraid that it is indeed an edge for people with different ears and scruples.
Amen to that!! -matt _________________________________________________________________ FREE online classifieds from Windows Live Expo buy and sell with people you know http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwex0010000001msn/direct/01/?href=http://exp...
participants (4)
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Bill Pilkington -
bla blazo -
M L -
theREALmxyzptlk