Posted by FatKat on 06/18/06 20:21

ZnU wrote:
> In article <YSbjg.12187$U84.228859@wagner.videotron.net>,
> NRen2k5 <nomore@email.com> wrote:
>
> > Stimpy wrote:
> > > On 12/6/06 02:27, "NRen2k5" wrote:
> > >> Oh, there's also MP3 but *very* few stores use it, and they don't sell
> > >> the music that the average customer is actually looking for. In other
> > >> words, MP3's share of the online music market is negligible.
> > >
> > > The Sunday Times yesterday printed a survey of the UK music download market.
> > > ITMS was the leader, second place and catching up fast was allofmp3.com
> > > which does most of it's business as mp3 downloads.
> > >
> > > All other online stores were a LONG way behind
> >
> > Last time I checked, none of us here is russian. Allofmp3.com is
> > illegal; not a legitimate online music store. And it will be shut down
> > sooner or later.
>
> That's quite unclear, actually. Allofmp3.com claims it's covered by a
> loophole in the Russian laws for compulsory broadcast licensing.

I don't see what's so unclear about it - the Russian government simply
doesn't criminalize what AllOfMP3.com does. However, I have yet to
hear anybody say that the company actually gets any prior approval from
the license holders of the music offered by AOMP3, or that the company
has actually paid anything to those license-holders. While the Russian
laws will probably immunize Russian MP3 providers like AOMP3, they'll
likely do little for their customers, who probably could have done as
well simply to pursue other sources of music - binaries, torrents or
P2P - without having to pay a dime.

> If that's the case, downloading from Allofmp3.com might be legally
> equivalent to recording stuff off the radio in Russia, and then bringing
> the recordings into the US. IANAL, but that doesn't sound illegal.

How would that distinguish their customers from those who simply get
their music from P2P? Simply paying for something somebody else
considers stolen doesn't get you off the hook.

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