Slashdot Mirror
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
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
* 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
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
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).
Why is it dead? If you want to continue to use VISA, go to XROST, buy a XROST-giftcertificate, which you then redeem at allofmp3.com .
I'll just stick to sending them envelopes of cash like I've always done!
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."
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'd rather buy my CD's used online for about $4 shipped. I can wait till they drop to that price and by then I'm sure I'm not contributing to the RIAA's pockets.
Georgia Tech, the leader in Chia(tm) technology.
Absolutely, used media - CD, DVD - is the best way to go. You get the same thing ; re-use the original materials instead of creating waste ; and trade with other individuals (transferring ownership of goods) without going back and paying the marketers (RIAA, MPAA)
>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.
eMusic doesn't have the music that people want. Of course, what people wants depends on the marketing and airplay, but still. Saying that eMusic can replace the iTunes Store is like saying an Intellivision can replace a Wii.
I'd rather go get free music on overclockedremix.org than 0.25$/tracks on eMusic.
"As far as I know, allofmp3 does not have license to distribute its songs in the US. Therefore, selling songs in the US is an act of copyright infringement in the US."
They aren't in the U.S. There are no treaties involved, no trade agreements either. U.S. law does not apply outside of the U.S., with the exception of us kidnapping people around the world and torturing them to death, which apparently is legal whether anyone else in the world objects or not.
And, to clarify the issue, think of it as people *phoning* a Russian server and listening to recorded music on the phone for a fee. Imagine them recording the sound with an old-fashioned tape recorder. This would break no law in the U.S. or Russia. It's not even a metaphor, it's what we're doing.
mod me a troll?
this isnt' a troll post people, get a clue.
it IS true that the mpaa is not the same as law enforcement. and visa is also not law enforcement.
if I wanted to buy playboy mags, will visa 'use their morals' and stop me? no? oh really!
how is this any different. they claim some law is being broken but they can't ennunciate what, exactly that is.
again, I say - if a law is being broken, call the cops. visa is NOT my police force and I object to them even thinking they are allowed to wear that hat.
you KNOW that pressure is put on visa from the record industry. in that light, I see the mpaa/riaa as no worse or better than the 'russian mob'. you can't claim you are following what's good and right and yet be pressured by NON LAW ENFORCEMENT LOBBY GROUPS.
either you are a money brokering business OR you are in the morality and law enforcement business. you cannot be in both. and shouldn't be.
(just because you (mods) may disagree with me - that does NOT make this a troll post. sheesh!)
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
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
Please share with us the laws which make allofmp3.com illegal.
Thankyou
What exactly would they sue allofmp3 Customers for??? The most they can do is demand that all files purchased from allofmp3.com be deleted. Unless they also have some kind of proof that the buyer has been copying the files to other people, there is no grounds for civil damage.
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.