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Visa Cuts Off AllOfMp3.com
denebian devil writes "On the heals of allofmp3.com's press conference trying to clean up its image, Visa has suspended its credit card service to allofmp3.com. From the article "[Allofmp3 is] no longer permitted to accept Visa cards," said Simon Barker, a Visa International spokesman. "The action we've taken is in line with legislation passed in Russia and international copyright law."
Almost simultaneously, allofmp3.com has announced that it is shifting over to an ad-supported model. For those who don't want to (or can't) buy allofmp3's DRM-free music, they are providing DRM-laden music that can be played only within a restricted player provided by the website."
...there's Mastercard.
So, to recap, it seems that media in Russia is still somewhat regarded as belonging to the people. However, this is not true in many other countries.
I cannot say I blame them with the gustapo **AA about.
My work here is dung.
For those who don't want to (or can't) buy allofmp3's DRM-free music, they are providing DRM-laden music that can be played only within a restricted player provided by the website." ... that anybody can promply record/reencode DRM-free.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Powerful friends and in powerful places... MPAA in Bed with VISA...
silly lobbying and stuff
-m10
allofmp3 is dead. Long live allofmp3...
We apologise for the fault in this post. Those responsible have been sacked. -- Signed RICHARD M. NIXON
Getting a MP3 Player $300, getting the music you like $0 dollars, Visa dumping allmp3.com...
Not to worry.
I never had any issues with paying for my music. I had issues with the DRM that was applied to that music. AllofMP3 offered that same music without DRM. If they turn out to be illegal (because the group they pay royalties to turns out not to have to license the music to AllOfMP3) then so be it.
I found an alternative, that better suits my taste of music and is completely legit, but a lot more expensive.
http://www.beatport.com/
Dave
I'd be excited about the possibility of cracking their DRM, if it wasn't so darn easy to get free music on the Internet anyway.
* groan *
My inner grammar Nazi is involuntarily goose-stepping after reading that.
Dark Reflection
My heels hurt from reading that summary. I hope they heal soon.
Change your name to Homer Junior! Your friends can call you Hoju
I was ready to go on a rant :_( Oh well.
For everything else, there's...oh, never mind.
Earn a % of cash back from Newegg, Tiger Direct, Walmart.com, and more: http://www.mrrebates.com?refid=458505
Could allofmp3.com route such purchases through paypal?
I realize it probably would not work but it is a posibility.
Procrastinating life a way at a rapid rate of speed.
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
No one wants DRM music. That was a primary reason everyone used AllofMP3.com. That and the price of course. Now instead of AllofMP3 customers paying a small fee for music, I bet a lof of them will hit Shareaza and the file share networks again.
Great move RIAA...
Take care,
Brian
wow. just yesterday (seriously) I went back to that site to buy some more music. I had a small balance and added more funds to it. I noticed that visa WAS removed. was this an adblock thing? check firefox - nope. was it a javascript thing (checks my setting; nope, not that either). the visa pulldown just wasn't there anymore! I had a credit card that I used for stuff like this and I couldn't use it. I had to search for a MC card that I don't use anymore but is still valid.
I was able to update my payment and d/l my chosen music. but there was NO explanation as to why this removal of 1 of the 2 major card types was done!
if this is really the end of this site (sigh!) then I suppose I should get as much as I can now while the gettin' is still good.
that site was golden, to me. MY choice of encoding, MY choice of format and bitrate, no US mafia in the way of me buying what I want to buy.
sigh.
this is not good. that was the one place I could still go to buy properly tagged encoded DRM free music. if that site goes, my music buying will 100% end. 100%. I will ONLY download pirated versions, then. screw the industry. you are forcing us all to fight YOU, when you take such strong handed tactics against your own buying base.
screw you riaa and mpaa. I will never be buying a 'shiny cd' or dvd in a store. let the boycotts begin! (like kids today really need my permission to begin the boycott, ha!).
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Looks like you can point your browser back to Mother Russia at Alltunes.com and be back in business pretty quick (incl. payment with Visa).
The RIAA has truly won, Russia can now join ITO
the bribery check was good.
The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination
- Douglas Adams
*sigh*
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted
Sound of P2P application starting up
Summation 2
I may be in the minority here, but I do not own an iPod...nor do I buy music online. In fact, this entire DRM movement (and associated legal wrangling) have soured me to purchasing music of any sort.
I have a pile of MP3s ripped from CDs that I currently own, but find that I no longer even purchase CDs. I was formerly a HUGE fan of taking my music on the go...and am quite a tech gadget guy...but the RIAA and DRM in general have driven me away. I find that I just listen to the radio more now. Perhaps I am in the minority. I not only do not feel compelled to buy an iPod, their popularity and supposed status turns me off. I have an old SanDisk MP3 player that takes AAA batteries that I use in the gym...and it is often tuned to an FM station.
This intellectual property fight and the corresponding limitations imposed on hardware for audio and video (crippled HDTV anyone?) have motivated me to spend my discretionary dollars elsewhere. My apologies to U2 and Metallica. They'll just have to settle for one less solid gold toilet.
It is Visa's loss. They stood to make lots of money. However, as a suggestion, if you don't hold any non-Visa cards, may I suggest a pre-paid debit card?
You just fill it up with money and re-charge it every time it runs out.
Here is a start. Many of these are totally free - the banks make money whenever they process a transaction.
Here is a suggested Google Search: Prepaid Mastercard.
I just tried with my maestro card and that was declined too.
-- MartinG To mail me: echo kewyjlcxyzvjfxbqwh | tr bcefhjklqvwxyz
I'll just stick to sending them envelopes of cash like I've always done!
In soviet russia, mastercard charges you!
Sorry, not clever enough for a good one today. Anybody got something better?
allofmp3 are belong to us!
'sig' deleted due to the stupidity of it's 'nature'
Now I'm going to have to all the way to Russia with cash and bring back a suitecase full of MP3s. As long as I can get past the MP3-sniffing dogs at La Guardia, I should be OK.
Where were you when the voynix came?
FWIW, remember that allofmp3.com claims to be "broadcasting" music on demand over the Internet, under the broadcast laws in Russia. Allofmp3.com pays its royalties based on those broadcast rules. This is similar to how ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC work with broadcast radio stations in this country; the royalties are sent to an agency which distributes the proceeds directly to the artists. The RIAA and others are claiming that allofmp3.com is duplicating and distributing recordings without paying for the rights to do so. Depending on how Russian law on broadcast rights is worded, allofmp3.com may be perfectly legitimate.
Sometimes I worry that I'll develop Alzheimer's disease, but no one will notice.
Can you elaborate?
I saw the XROST option on there a while ago, but I don't know anything about it or how it works.
Also, I recall at one point there was an option to use some type of "online currency" that was sold in the U.K. at gas stations and retail stores, meaning that you could buy them with cash, and then you went to a web site and typed in the number on the card you bought, and could transfer the money to AllOfMp3.com -- that seems like a pretty good way of doing cash-transations on the web. Pity it's not available in the states. Is this the same thing as XROST?
I was thinking next time I went over to England, if they still existed, I'd buy some cards just to have around for stuff like that.
As more and more things get on the web, I think there's going to be a greater and greater demand for a way to accomplish anonymous financial transactions, to replace what's done in the real-world with cash. As of right now, I don't know of any way to do that, and I'm sure the governments of the world like it that way...but if there's a will, there's a way, and pirated music and gambling are a big "will."
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
Crack coming in 5...4...3...
On the heals of allofmp3.com's press conference trying to clean up its image, Visa has suspended its credit card service to allofmp3.com.
/. editors get paid and where do I apply?
So who's going to foot the bill now then ?
Seriously, what do
I didn't know it was hurt. It's good to know that they're doing better now. I suppose this is due to that vaunted Russian healthcare system, which is not only healing citizens who can afford to pay, but is now healing companies that are suffering persecution in the West.
I'm so glad this didn't come on the heels of some other bad news.
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
What you should understand, in case you don't already, is that allofmp3 does NOT pay royalties to the artists, depsite claims to the contrary. DRM is going to eventually lose the audio war, but in the meantime we have to deal with this shit. As a musician, people claiming that "media belongs to the people" or whatever is just ignorance on parade. The artist (or whomever they have signed away their ownership rights to..) is the owner of the music. The whole system is fucked, so people justify ripping off the corporation, which in turn rips off the artist (who is already being ripped off by the corporation). The future will be better for the artists. http://www.bitworksmusic.com/
BitWorksMusic.com -- odd tunes for odd times
I am surprised that ICANN hasn't removed their DNS entry like they are about to do for spamhaus.com. I am sure they can be sued in the USA for copyright infringement.
When his defense asked, "Which computer has Jon Johansen trespassed upon?" the answer was: "His own."
allofmp3.com = Beautiful business model. If it is truly not legitimate, this should be a cue for a ligit company to start up stateside using a similar model. RIAA = Epitome of how an organization should not be run for 3 reasons. #1 is they screw over thier cash cows (the "artists"). #2 it screws over its buyers (us). #3 Thier suckyness is impacting the health of thier business, and will eventually, although it'll take a while and require alot of kicking and screaming, they will fail. Had they created a site like allofmp3.com in 1996 when I began using electronic copies of music...they could have saved themselves. iTunes sucks. Plain and simple. iTunes doesn't carry much of anything I listen to, its DRM is a pain in the balls, and $0.99 is too much to pay for a track with the fraction of the overhead of a record (conventional)store. That is all I have to say.
I think this goes to show that far to much power has been allowed to fall into private hands. Visa has essentially become a currency, and it should be run by a non profit organization.
I had an allofmp3.com account, created earlier this year. I also own my internet domain, so I can create a unique email address for every web account. In this case, my email was the unimaginative "allofmp3@mydomain.com".
/dev/null 4065
/dev/null 3255
Because of concern over "pending Russian legislation" that was supposed to take effect in September, I used the last of the funds in my account in August. I have been waiting to see what happens before I do anything further.
Three weeks ago, I began receiving porn spam at allofmp3@mydomain.com. In eight years running my own domain and giving out custom email addresses, this is the first time I've actually received spam targeted directly at one of those addresses.
I've very glad I used a throwaway credit card number when I originally loaded the account. Anyone that will associate with porn spammers deserves to die a horrible, flaming death no matter how nice their service used to be.
----
These are two of the 18 messages received yesterday. I've gotten 5 so far today. Spam Assassin caught and marked both of these, but missed several of them, too. Spam Vault caught them all since I've blocked the recipient address.
===SpamVault: Header contains [allofmp3@mydomain.com]
Recipient: allofmp3@mydomain.com
From tedrick@scientist.com Wed Oct 18 07:06:53 2006
> Subject: *****SPAM***** Produce Stronger, Rock Hard E re cti ons.
Folder:
===SpamVault: Header contains [allofmp3@mydomain.com]
Recipient: allofmp3@mydomain.com
From abw123456789tfiq@hotmail.com Wed Oct 18 18:36:41 2006
> Subject: *****SPAM***** Crazy babe gets laid by her nasty dad
Folder:
They have a new ad slogan:
"Mastercard, it is everywhere the law is gray."
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
Visa is a business, and it's your choice to use them or not.
I don't use Visa, although I have such a card. I will only use Visa in emergencies.
My choice is to pay them 20 euros a year for the service. That is my choice.
What is your choice, support them or not?
-m10
Once you bring your purchase into the US, US law applies. For instance, it might be perfectly legal to buy a fully automatic AK-47 in Russia (I suspect not, but it makes a simple example) , but importing such a weapon into the US would require jumping through numerous hoops. Indeed, unless you're a registered firearms collector or have the appropriate license, owning such a firearm would be against the law and you could expect the government to take action against you. The fact that you bought the item in Russia doesn't necessarily mean that Russian law applies.
I'm not a lawyer, but I believe that the AllOfMp3 site violates the spirit, if not the letter, of international copyright law. However, I agree that the law seems to say that distribution, not use, is the problem. That being the case, you're correct that the user isn't breaking the law. It's just a convenient way for AllOfMp3 to shift the blame: "We told them not to download music if they are in a country where this is illegal. We can't be responsible if US or EU users are downloading content that they shouldn't."
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
Heels
several multimedia corporations have recently signed an agreement stating that the only available form of payment in their soon-to-be-opened electronic music stores will be Visa credit cards.
Is it just me or do other people notice that /. is late by about a day or sometimes more in reporting news stories. In the case of this story, I read about it yesterday on the New York Times... There were other times when I would read something in the WSJ and see it on Slashdot two days later. Makes a feller question certain things..
--
http://unk1911.blogspost.com/
beaver pelts will they take Canadian Tire money?
Hee Hee The drinking bird does all the work!
>Once you bring your purchase into the US, US law applies.
Yes, but please tell what specific law you have in mind, there really is none.
>The fact that you bought the item in Russia doesn't necessarily
>mean that Russian law applies.
The purchase is done under Russian law if done in Russia. That is allofmp3's responsability. If a person then wants to use what they buy there to break the law in another country is that persons responsability. In the case in question, there is no such law violation though since it is perfectly legal to brgin a copy of a song or music into USA from other countries.
>I'm not a lawyer, but I believe that the AllOfMp3 site violates
>the spirit, if not the letter, of international copyright law.
What spirit? Are you claiming that there is a spirit that says any product with a work protected by copyright can not be moved from one country to another? I suppose someone should tell that to all the stores on international airports selling music CDs. For the record, no, there is no such restriction or anything at all about such restrictions in copyright laws, treaties or that like.
>That being the case, you're correct that the user isn't breaking the law. It's just a
>convenient way for AllOfMp3 to shift the blame:
So allofmp3 is not breaking the law and the buyer is not breaking the law, who is and what law?
>We can't be responsible if US or EU users are downloading content that they shouldn't.
What do you mean "shouldn't"? Either there is some law making it illegal or there is not. It happens to exist no such law.
I just checked my allofmp3.com account and there is no way to add to my balance -- CC isn't available and the xrost/kash/... methods available just yesterday are nowhere to be found ... sigh....
Actually proper firearms are very much restricted in Russia. Often, guards are reduced to using gas-guns to get over the issues with getting a hand-gun permit. The guards you see with hand-guns are usually moonlighting security-forces/military. Unfortunately, there is a very active black market in weapons so theoretically banned weapons such as automatics are easy to obtain there. I can't see a black market weapon's dealer taking anything other than dollars, cash.
See my journal, I write things there
Visa IS a non-profit company.
They, like all private companies in the United States which are not considered public service companies, reserve the right to refuse service to anybody for any reason.
What right does Visa have to make this decision?
Actually that really depends on the laws of Russia. In the US AllOfMP3 might well be able to sue and demand service... but then again possibly not, I'm not sure there are laws that compell you to deliver service outside of things like anti-discrimination acts.
It will be interesting to see what Mastercard does.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The artist (or whomever they have signed away their ownership rights to..) is the owner of the music. The whole system is fucked, so people justify ripping off the corporation, which in turn rips off the artist
If you, as a musician, are willing to do business with people who you admit are ripping you off right at the get-go, I have no sympathy for you. Give these goons fifteen bucks so you can get your dime? Not a chance in hell.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Actually Visa is a consortium of banks and other financial institutions that, in the interest of enticing merchants to accept the card, issues cards that will be accepted by anyone that agrees to accept Visa as a form of payment. MasterCard functions in the same way as do the variety of debit networks (Star, Maestro (owned by MasterCard), MAC, Pulse, Shazam, Interlink, etc.)
Visa's structure is actually not unlike the MPAA or RIAA.
If you see a word misspelled on Slashdot you can bet that someone else has already commented on it, such as in this case. It only takes a couple seconds to confirm this by searching the comment page for the misspelled word. Yet you mock Slashdot for not taking the time to spellcheck.
Furthermore, spelling is so arbitrary it's insane. The only rule that is adhered to is that rules for spelling are merely suggestions. I'm quite sure that in this case heals instead of heels didn't cause anyone any confusion. What with the half hazard way the spellings of words are arrived at, any time mass confusion does not ensue I consider it a success.
"You're everywhere. You're omnivorous."
Just curious...
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
Because in Russia you don't own the right to music, the right to music own...
Wait a minute, that didn't work, when did the US have to start looking up to Russia as an example of freedom and capitolism?
"Support artists, not thieves"
Hmmmm? Where is there any theft in the Allofmp3's operations?
Where were you when the voynix came?
Oh Visa... like the credit card company. I read it as Vista, as in the next version of Windows... I was thinking, oh wow, who cares, big suprise, etc.
grep -iw skynet
"I read it as Vista, as in the next version of Windows"
Cue advert: "Vista. It's everywhere you want to be". Fade into still shot of Gates Borg.
Where were you when the voynix came?
A couple months ago it was VISA only, MC not accepted. Now MC works but VISA doesn't? Trouble in quasi-legal paradise.
I'll have to find a new source for my pre-paid "gift" cards. I've been ordering prepaid VISAs that allow online/catalog ordering for a small handling fee as I don't want to send my real CC data overseas. Worth a little peace of mind, IMO.
it's "on the heels", you nitwit.
Sacred cows make the best burgers.
Why is VISA enforcing laws?
"You're everywhere. You're omnivorous."
it's the horrible music that I can't stand!!!
I don't even have a car radio on my car, but when I'm using the wife's car, I tune to the news stations.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
If it was, the Republican Congresscreeps would change the law to make in retroactively legal in order to avoid prosecution, since they bugger everything and everyone they touch.
You forgot to mention that the although the latter music option is DRM'ed and needs their own player - it is free. Gratis. Nado. Nothing. Zilch. Thats right, you pay nothing for the music.
Which suddenly makes it a lot more appealing.
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
I'm curious to know the date of when your spam started (Mine started Sept. 26), and whether you used Chronopay (I started getting them a few days after using it). Otherwise, I had the account for quite some time before receiving any spam.
I think it would be fitting if the RIAA got a subpoena issued against VISA to give a listing of everyone who has purchased music from allofmp3.com and than sued them. While I'm normally not a supporter of those harsh tactics, I'm sick of everyone talking about allofmp3 as if it were a great thing. It's illegal, and unlike normal filesharing, you're making some russian mafia rich while you steal other people's music. I think it would be within their rights to do this, and possibly easier to track who purchased these songs then it is to go after other online music pirates. A real quick way to get a listing of thousands of people who have been directly stealing from them.
Sounds fitting to me.
Phil
I understand that Visa may be listing soon which would end its non-profit status. MC is already a listed company.
See my journal, I write things there
Will they take e-gold?
(eheh don't temper with freedom)
\u262D = \u5350
False. Guns banned in California are readily available in Russia:
http://ron.dotson.net/guns/sb23-russia.htm
9/11 Eyewitnesses to Explosive WTC Demolition 1 of 2
So... VISA Is A Goddamn Recursive Algorithm?
Find environmentally and socially responsible products on http://buy-right.net
How is mom and pop consumer to know what retail websites are legit and which are supporting some illegal venture?
a store is a store is a store to joe consumer. and it was taking VISA and MC.
also, this site has not been proven to be illegitimate via the courts, right now it's he said, she said and global politics
Just saying something is illegal and submitting a lawsuit does not make it so
Contrary to a previous post, I just reloaded my Alltunes account via an XROST card, purchased via Click&Buy with my Visa debit. Throw a couple of $20's at Alltunes and your music acquisitions will be safe for a while, anyway.
Isn't their tagline "it's everywhere you want to be"...except what they think might be illegal, or wrong, or immoral....
If you want to make brand money as a cash replacement (which I assume is what their money cards are attempting to do), then you have to be a open carrier (allowing the end users to deal with the legal responsibility of their use of money). Once Visa picks and chooses what uses of their currency to allow, I have no way to know what the value of their currency is (because I don't know what I can do with it), and there's less point to using it over using cash (potential safety is helpful, but like a gift card, limitation in usage is a significant loss in value).
By announcing this loudly, they're telling their cash card holders that what they're holding isn't really cash, though Visa wishes to sell it as such. Maybe Visa's users will get the message.
According to MSNBC alltunes was shut off Oct 1 already by Visa; they are not that stupid, yet. (And no, mastercard does not work either).
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15323093/
Quality Hosting e3 Servers
What I would really like to know, is if there are any Real Artists (TM) now reading slashdot, if you could please state how much of your royalties you get from allofmp3.com and how much from, say, itunes? (I hope for you that you get royalties for your music).
To be, or not to be: isn't that quite logical, Slashdot Beta?
My mod points expired earlier, I'm so sorry.
I'm against that idea.
Transporter_ii
Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
I can't find links to the free DRM-enabled downloads, only to the regular pay-downloads. A little help here?
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
An AK-47 isn't legal in the U.S. Digital music is legal in the U.S., despite RIAA's attempts to limit the channels through which they feel you should be allowed to purchase it through. No one is going to label you a felon for having an MP3 file. This is such an overextreme and bad comparison.
The current loophole works around that situation. It's legal to buy it in this method in Russia, and it's legal to own it in the U.S. (ok, technically you're supposed to pay duty tarriffs when you import things you personally buy, but that's an aside, the act of owning it is legal). It's legal to purchase such things overseas and import them to the US for your own use. There is technically no legal block here for disallowing AllOfMP#, other then the legal block that RIAA wants your Congresspeople to believe, that anyone who has non-endorsed digital audio files must have stolen them, and therefore is a felon.
This space for rent. Call 1-800-STEAK4U
I think you miss the point with your analogy. The reason you can't import automatic firearms is because you also can't buy them here. Buying music from AllOfMp3 while in Russia is assumed to be legal, as would be buying music in a similar fashion from a US merchant. AllOfMp3's critics are claiming that importing it is illegal, although the purchase itself would be legal in this country. With firearms, you're being restricted from having something that you wouldn't be allowed to have anyway, but in this case you're importing something you could legally buy here anyway.
Everyone is born right-handed; only the greatest overcome it
I was wondering what M$ had done to keep people from going to AllOfMp3.com
When I have a kid, I want to put him in one of those strollers for twins and then run around the mall looking frantic.
Where can you score one of those? It'd be the advantages of cash. Pretty sweet.
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
there was a windows program 'all of mp3 explorer' which was a downloader for their service. I was running it and still am. it mostly works ok and shows you a set of 'meters' like the old kazaa did.
;( ;(
I wanted to see if there was a newer version since I'm getting some download errors (socket errors, windows errors, etc). nowhere on their site could I find a link to the current version or even an older one!
the one I have still mostly works but its very curious how the software is mentioned but not around anymore..
I may have to refill my balance a few more times and 'get while the gettin is still good'. I fear this service may be shut down shortly
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
You have to pay to have a Visa card?
Over here, we get them for free just by having a (free) bank checking account. The ATM/debit card doubles as a VISA card, and purchases are withdrawn directly from your checking account.
There is a very simple man in the middle attack. MusicForMasses.exe sends unencrypted mp3 data to fmod.dll for decoding and playback. Just create your own fmod.dll and snatch the plaintext.
All you need is the fmod 3.75 programmers API from http://www.fmod.org/
I think you have to be consistent with the application of this mindset. If it's not ok for consumers to shop around for countries with the most convenient laws, then it should not be ok for companies to do the same thing. That means no more situating factories in countries where working hours and conditions would breach your own laws.
I'm a member of a small band, big enough to be (slightly) profitable, not big enough to hire armies of lawyers. I despise the RIAA as much as most of you. AllOfMP3.com is "hosting" our latest album, selling it for pennies, and not one cent goes back to us. ASCAP can't do anything because they view the Russian royalty societies are viewed as illegal and won't deal with them. I have gotten emails from people telling me about how great this service is, which makes me physically ill.
So, Russian mafia kingpins profit from my hard work, and everyone cheers? Is iTunes really bringing you all to the brink of poverty?
AllofMP3.com is located in Russia you idiot. US laws don't apply to other countries.
If Kiddie prOn were legal in Russia, you wouldn't have any problem with those in the US downloading it from Russia?
Just in case there's any doubt, I would.
Tag lost or not installed.
why buy mp3's?
*runs*
Is it just me or do other people notice that /. is late by about a day or sometimes more in reporting news stories. In the case of this story, I read about it yesterday on the New York Times...
It's just you.
Actually, Slashdot doesn't "report" stories, it (or those editor guys) just "approves" or "rejects" them.
Perhaps you've seen the link at the bottom of every Slashdot page named contribute story. You can write up your own short blurb about a story, include the link to the NYT webpage or wherever, and maybe the ed's will get around to approving it faster than if you wait a day or two for someone else to do it. I've submitted several stories over the years, and even had one or two approved (though that was over a year ago).
Tag lost or not installed.
Holy crap. I read that as Vista cuts off allofmp3.com! Dang Microsoft!
640YB ought to be enough for anybody.
So is this new DRMed music still available in lossless format? At least my burned CDs and mp3/m4a files I make from them can be created from a good quality source (compared to DRM AAC -> CDs).
I paid using XROST and I have not had any spam at my allofmp3@mydomain.com account..... I think its chronopay (which is scary).
Just to reconfirm what you are saying, you can make your purchase in russia, and transport your goods to whereever you live. That is not illegal. You could break the law if your country forbids music to be stored in mp3 format, but i know of nowhere where this to be true. It could be like buying a sofa in china for a tenth of the cost it is here, then you bring it here. OMG THE SOFA INDUSTRY IS GOING TO GO BONKERS OVER IT :O
It's legal to buy it in this method in Russia, and it's legal to own it in the U.S.
That's great, but almost no one actually goes to Russia in order to buy it. Instead, they buy it while they're in the US. That the transaction is international doesn't put it under Russian law, it puts it simultaneously under both US and Russian law. Furthermore, copyright law prohibits making copies unlawfully in the US. Since copies are defined as material objects, and you're obviously not downloading actual, tangible hard drives over your connection, you aren't bringing copies (i.e. material objects) into the US. You're making copies in the US by putting the intangible work into material objects that are already here. This is illegal.
(Also it wouldn't be legal to import actual hard drives of music either since they're considered piratical copies under US law and thus their importation is considered infringing under 17 USC 602(b). They can be confiscated by Customs at the border, if they're on the ball enough to notice for a change. But this is neither here nor there.)
-- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
That comment is very insightful -- I wish I had mod points -- you desrve them but won't get them for bucking the mp3 party line. It's thought provoking too -- the notion that "downloading" isn't actually a transfer (like water through pipes) but merely a signal from one piece of hardware to a remote system that instructs the remote system to generate a copy. All the metaphors we use for the internet sort of break down against this reality that the copy is actually being made on the system "receiving" the data.
Sadly, people will continue to take risks and because they want to continue performing that risky activity, will go to great lengths to convince themselves they are safe.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
Oh, it's not just a notion; courts have really said that downloading is infringing because copying necessarily occurs.
Sadly, people will continue to take risks and because they want to continue performing that risky activity, will go to great lengths to convince themselves they are safe.
Meh. If people want to engage in risky activity, that's fine, but they ought to have a clear idea as to the risks, rather than deluding themselves so as to have unfounded confidence.
-- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
In Soviet Russia, credit card cancels you!
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not entirely sure about the universe - Einstein
This is a Russian prediction of what Russians are planning to do some day in the future. In other words, it's never going to happen. There's never going to be a shift to ad support or a DRM laden player.
Well, actually, doing what you describe above is in fact breaking the law, for the same reason that it's illegal to download from allofmp3.com. Both are copyright infringement because both are acts of creating a new copy on the US end (making a tape recording, saving a file to disk). In fact, it's about the most clear cut, textbook example of copyright infringement you could have conjured.
If Visa wants to be so proactive, why doesn't it at least try to ban all transactions from the scumbag spamvertised sites that sell you all the goodies touted in the zillions of spam emails? This might do some good at least...
I tried refilling my account several months ago and was declined on the payment. I'd used the same card earlier in the year with no problem. So it looked like this happened quietly a bit ago and it isn't until recently that they've decided to make their decision public.
"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!"
....My first "In Soviet Russia". Don't think it works though.
And...
"In Soviet Russia, AllOfMp3.com cuts off Visa"
I am dismayed by the amount of support I've seen for allofmp3.com . It's disgusting that people will bitch and complain about paying for a legitimate copy of something, but nevertheless will pay cold hard cash to someone who gives absolutely nothing back to the artists. Sure the record companies rip off artists left and right, but at least they pay. I've downloaded mp3s before. I've used Napster. I know what IRC and bittorent are. (I guess thats a given being on slashdot). Hell I even can tell you the names of some prominent hacker groups, as if a google search couldn't reveal this information already. However, I have not once paid for stolen property. Why? Because its Fucking Stupid to pay anything for something that is illegal in the first place. You're flushing your money down the toilet, while your only return is something that could get you in trouble. I'm sorry but I like to get into trouble for free. So whine and bitch the allofmp3.com no longer takes your Visa cause you'er too dumb to find out how to get your illegal downloads for free. And tell an artist he's lucky that his band is getting blatently ripped off. And next week you can all donate to Pirate Bay.
Before, choosing a credit card was like: do you want Pepsi or Cola with that? Same practical result (you get some water into your body), different aestetic preference.
There actually is a good number of places that sell only one brand of carbonated drinks. But any place that does take a credit card I have seen up to now, always takes both Visa and MasterCard. I have sometimes been wondering what's the difference between the two if every place takes either.
And now, finally, I have a solid reason to choose between Visa and MasterCard, aesthetic preferences aside (e.g. which name sound better or what logo is prettier). Is this actually the only shop in the world that takes just one of the cards? Or am I unaware of other examples?
As it happens, I don't have to switch the card brand: I use a MasterCard.
17779 eligible voters in a district, 17779 'vote' as one. This is Russia.
Incorrect. The mentioned are foul and irrelevant. Jump the shark means that something is not finished yet, but shows a decline in quality. Like, for example, "Santa Barbara" tv-series.
:) In fact, I think this is the main idea behind the AllOfMP3.com.
Russian for "jump the shark" would be something about "second freshness" - there are a lot of jokes about it. Although I can't find the exact synonym for "jump the shark", it is only because my brain is busy with other things. Russian language definitely more rich than English and the only language it can compete with is Chinese.
However, there is another Russian saying, which can be translated as "For each artful ass a dick with a groove can be found". And this is quite relevant to situation with VISA
Same thing happened to me! I used Chronopay and the porn started on the 26th too! I don't use the account for anything else (created it just for allofMp3).
Why not ask them?
l e=Other
https://corporate.visa.com/ut/contactform.jsp?tit
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