Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Russian Music Web Sites

allTunes.com

I have been watching the music industry for years, waiting for them to make some sense with their music download prices. And now I am tired of waiting!

When I was younger I bought plenty of 331/3 rpm records. I bought them until about 1986 when CD players dropped to a reasonable price. I have bought CD's ever since then, until I found a reasonable price and quality for downloadable music. This happened in the Spring of 2004 When I found "allTunes.com".

At first I kept this information to myself thinking "It must be illegal since the music is so inexpensive". But then I read their Legalese and other reviews about the quality and legal issues of this website and realized I had really found a great bargain source for music. Still I kept this information to myself thinking "Wow, I have a one up on everybody else who is downloading music".
$0.04 per Megabyte.

And then I waited again. I was waiting for the music industry to realize that their digital music prices were way too high. I mean, really, $0.99 per song. I don't know the exact numbers but I'll bet that price gives them about 3 times the profit of a 10 song CD that was manufactured, packaged, delivered, displayed and sold my a brick and mortar merchant. At a time when music sales are having the most competition in it's history... Free Downloads!

Well, I'm tired of waiting! I'm not big on "Free". I want the musicians, who Write and perform the music, to get their fare share of the profit. And although allTunes.com is so cheap it seem criminal, it is not. The price is low because of the exchange rate of our US currency and the Russian Ruble. Here is a portion of their Legalese as stated on the website:


Is it legal to download music from allTunes.com?
The availability over the Internet of the allTunes.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". All these materials are solely for personal use. Any further distribution, resale or broadcasting are prohibited.
The works available from allTunes.com are protected by the Law of the Russian Federation "On Copyright and Related Rights" and are for personal use of a buyer. Commercial use of such material is prohibited. Recording, copying, distribution on any media is possible only upon special consent of a Rightholder.
The user bears sole responsibility for any use and distribution of all materials received from allTunes.com. This responsibility is dependent on the national legislation in each user's country of residence. The Administration of allTunes.com does not possess information on the laws of each particular country and is not responsible for the actions of foreign users.


Here is a link to an interview with allTunes's chief programmer: http://www.museekster.com/allofmp3interview.htm

And here is a link to a good discussion about International Music Download Legality:
3Cx.org

So, that's legal enough for me. Our Government hasn't blocked it from Americans. Go for it!

I use the "allTunes Database" to search for music. It gives you quick access to their entire music catalog. The application downloads the alltunes catalog onto your computer and can be accessed while you are online. Get it here at: http://www.alltunes.com/en-index.shtml. This application works kind of like iTunes with .mp3 music and ringtones for smart phones and has a much better user interface. Try it. You'll like it.

New Kid On The Block

There is another Russian music site which is very similar to allTunes.com. It is called mp3sale.ru. The prices are $0.15 per song and their catalog is somewhat smaller. However, their selection of music includes files I didn't find on Allofmp3 or Alltunes.ru. The interface is more eye appealing as well.

Here are some links for Russian Music Web Sites:
mp3fiesta.com
LegalSounds.com
Mp3Sale.ru
mp3Search.ru
audiostore.ru
mp3legal.org
gomusic.ru
musicmp3.ru
mp3Sparks.com
mp3ninja.com
mp3.ua
mclub.te.net.ua
JustMusicStore.com
3mp3.ru
mp3sugar.com
mp3spy.ru/en
mp3stor.ru
mp3skyline.com
lomoio
Check it out! Let me know what you think of each website.

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