The entire album goes for $1 on www.allofmp3.com!
RussiaBlog has written before about copyright violations in Russia and the former Soviet Union. I have really strong feelings about this issue, because I produce my own music and have worked with the largest Ukrainian music business at the time in late 90s early 2000s.
Things are getting better with DVD’s, because Russian companies simply dropped prices per copy so they would be able to compete with pirated versions. Licensed DVDs for new Russian releases can be purchased for $4-6 each. The same with Russian music, regular CDs go for $3-5. The only hope for musicians is daily live concerts. However, Western producers are getting ripped off again and again. Please read more about music business in Russia here, and in the meantime, enjoy the news story from MSNBC.com.
MOSCOW - A Russian Web site that lets visitors download albums for less than $1 is a smash hit with music fans — but not with U.S. trade and music industry officials.
The site is a pirate, they allege, and say Russia’s failure to close it down presents a direct obstacle to the country’s negotiations to join the World Trade Organization.
Russia is already the second-biggest source of pirate music, film and software in the world after China — costing U.S. companies nearly $1.8 billion last year, according to anti-piracy groups. The Web site www.allofmp3.com just adds to the dispute.
The site’s knockdown prices, coupled with its huge catalogue, crisp design and convenient downloading software make it a strong draw.
World music downloading leader iTunes charges a fixed 99 cents per song, but the Russian site offers tracks for a 10th of that price. Songs from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new double album, Stadium Arcadium, cost between 10 and 16 cents. The whole of Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, the latest album by Colombian pop star Shakira, can be had for just $1.40.
Read the rest of the story.
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From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allofmp3
AllofMp3 claims that it is completely legal in Russia because the music it distributes is licensed, and that whether or not it is legal in other countries depends on local copyright law. However, the legality of AllofMP3 within Russia continues to be debated.
The following claim is made in the AllofMP3 FAQ: The availability over the Internet of the ALLOFMP3.com materials is authorized by the license # LS-3М-05-03 of the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society (ROMS) and license # 006/3M-05 of the Rightholders Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively (FAIR). In accordance to the licenses' terms MediaServices pays license fees for all materials downloaded from the site subject to the Law of the Russian Federation "On Copyright and Related Rights."
However, the referenced law of the Russian Federation clearly states that organizations such as ROMS need the permission of the rights holders to manage their rights, though ROMS believes that this is not the case.
Paragraph 2 of Article 45 (Organizations for the Collective Administration of Economic Rights) of that law reads as follows, in pertinent part: The mandate for the collective administration of economic rights shall be entrusted either direct, by the owners of copyright or neighboring rights in written contracts, or under appropriate contracts with foreign organizations that administer equivalent rights.
Paragraph 3 of the same article reads as follows, in pertinent part: By virtue of the mandate received under paragraph 2 of this Article, the organization for the collective administration of economic rights shall grant users licenses for the use of the relevant works and subject matter of neighboring rights by appropriate means.
However ROMS interprets Paragraph 2 of Article 45 as follows: Licenses given by ROMS "are given on behalf of all owners of copyright and related rights, including those who have not given their authority to the organization."
Posted by: Makapao | June 5, 2006 7:53 AM
...A Russian Web site that lets visitors download albums for less than $1 is a smash hit with music fans — but not with U.S. trade and music industry officials.
"Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against - then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens' What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."
- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 1957.
Posted by: Ivan Pomidorov | June 15, 2006 5:54 PM
Hi! Why I can't fill my info in profile? Can somebody help me?
My login is Kisakookoo!
Posted by: Kisakookoo | January 25, 2007 5:53 PM