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Allofmp3 Shut Down, Again

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the e-roller-coaster dept.

studguy1 writes to tell us TorrentFreak is reporting that the Russian government has shut down Allofmp3, the popular online music site. "AllOfMP3 has been a thorn in the side of the RIAA and the US government for years. Last year, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said that if Russia wants to join the WTO, they should shut down the pirate music website that is robbing US recording companies of sales."

8 of 291 comments (clear)

  1. Soo... by Kamots · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Soo...

    When US record companies see no positive impact in sales, will Russia be allowed to let allofmp3 reopen?

    Because, for some reason I find myself really doubting that people that were paying pennies for songs are going to suddenly turn around and start paying an order of magnitude more.

    But hey, what do I know? I'm just a lowly consumer...

  2. Bribery? by Aranykai · · Score: 5, Insightful

    AllOfMP3 has been a thorn in the side of the RIAA and the US government for years. Last year, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said that if Russia wants to join the WTO, they should shut down the pirate music website [AllOfMP3] that is robbing U.S. recording companies of sales. Isn't that bribery?

    bribe (plural bribes)

          1. Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to dishonesty. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bribe
    --
    If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
  3. This would matter except . . . by Cyberllama · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's already a good 100 clones of allofmp3 with similar music catalogs and pricing schemes all operating out of Russia. Shutting down one website is really a non-issue at this point, anyone can go to google and find dozens of alternatives all operating out of Russia.

  4. And once they stop "robbing" RIAA, sales go up? by GodWasAnAlien · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So once allofmp3 is shut down, do they really expect sales to go up?

    If there was a similar legitimate, and DRM-free service, and prices were low enough, perhaps sales would go up.

    It seems that RIAA still does not get it, things like Napster, mp3.com, and allofmp3 will keep coming until the RIAA, or the artist themselves decide to stop fighting the Internet model, and instead profit from it.

    1. Re:And once they stop "robbing" RIAA, sales go up? by adona1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They were exploiting a loophole in Russian law and they knew it.


      Upstart Russian website exploiting a loophole in law = filthy communist thieves.

      Established tax-paying middleman business exploiting a loophole in law = good business practices?
      --
      Between the falling angel and the rising ape
  5. Thorn in the Side? by fm6 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Thorn in the side" means "constant source of irritation". An MP3 bootlegger is certainly a "thorn in the side" of the RIAA. But of the U.S. government? Somehow, in this era of major terrorism, genocide, nuclear proliferation, insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other thorny issues, I don't think anybody in the government loses sleep over allofmp3.

  6. Re: robbing == theft by Belacgod · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Precisely. The demand curve for music is very elastic. People will get free stuff that they wouldn't pay $1 for, people will pay $1 for stuff they wouldn't pay $16.99 for, and so on. The RIAA's claim that music demand is totally inelastic is, IMO, more laughable than any of their legal claims.

  7. Re:Balance carried over to Mp3Sparks.com by Mspangler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "And I just assumed they'd steal my money."

    Ironic isn't it. The "pirates" are more honest than the corporations supposedly being harmed.