For pennies a tune, you can build a primo music library and support free enterprise in Russia. By Jason Bracelin Published: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 When the Supreme Court ruled against internet sites that enable peer-to-peer file-sharing last month, it did music downloaders a favor. As anyone who's ever visited P2P sites like Grokster and Morpheus can attest, sound quality is maddeningly dodgy and the catalogue is hopelessly disorganized. The imminent shutdown of these sites should provide the kick in the pants you need to find a better alternative. Russia is where it's at. Benefiting from lax copyright laws, Russian mp.3 sites offer a wide array of music to download at a nominal fee. The music isn't free, but it's close. And because the sites are run as businesses rather than loose collectives, they're much more user-friendly. With so many Russian sites to choose from, we decided to share a few of our favorites. Of course, the biggest concern in using foreign mp.3 sites is giving your credit-card number -- you don't want some dude named Boris buying new rims for his Lada 110 on your dime. But with all the sites below, you can use PayPal for secure internet payments or call a toll-free number and have the charges added to your telephone bill. So get your wish list together and join us online. Site: Allofmp3.com (5 to 10 cents per song) Selection: A solid blend of the latest hot releases (R. Kelly, Missy Elliott) with a back catalogue deeper than Lake Erie. One of the rare sites to have the complete works of artists like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, and hundreds of others. There are also plenty of rare finds, like Rage Against the Machine's Bombtrack EP. It's among the most comprehensive collections of music on the web. Why you should try it: By allowing you to listen to everything for free before you buy, this is an ideal site to help you build up a library of music. It's easy to navigate, and you can download complete albums instead of assembling discs song-by-song. Site: club.mp3search.ru (10 cents per song) Selection: Heavy on the rarities and out-of-print discs, from Mountain to Sugar Ray. Doesn't have as many contemporary hits as some other sites, but where else are you going to find that elusive Milli Vanilli remix LP? Also has a vast selection of audio books and ringtones. Why you should try it: It's nicely interactive and informative. There's a message board where you can request specific songs and albums, and the site operators will do their best to get them for you. Moreover, when you select an album by a given artist, the site gives you a full discography of the performer, a rating of the discs, and a ranking of the most popular songs -- like iTunes, but without the 99-cent fee. Log on and learn more about Ace of Base than you ever wanted to know. Site: mp3spy.ru (10 cents per song) Selection: A huge collection of electronica that spans everything from the latest Deep Dish LP to a vast array of European singles and compilation discs. You can get some albums before their official release, like the hotly anticipated new disc from Swedish metal group Arch Enemy. Why you should try it: The site may be lacking in older material, and it's weak on hip-hop (virtually no Public Enemy, De La Soul, N.W.A., etc.), but it's great for dance music and material only available overseas. Aspiring DJs can build entire sets here. Site: 3mp3.ru ($9.95 for 200 songs or $29.95 a month) Selection: All the current hits, plus a huge selection of bootlegs and live albums ranging from Metallica to Miles Davis. For completists, this site has tons of rare and unofficial releases, without the high prices associated with nonsanctioned discs -- meaning you no longer have to pay top dollar for a demo version of "Enter Sandman." Why you should try it: It's one of the best values on the web. If you upload two albums that the site doesn't have, you get a week's worth of free downloads. By offering unlimited downloads for a low monthly fee, the site allows you to compile a massive catalogue in weeks. A great place to start building your collection.
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As anyone who's ever visited P2P sites like Grokster and Morpheus can attest, sound quality is maddeningly dodgy and the catalogue is hopelessly disorganized.
Only the insane,retarded and the down right moronic would use any of them for music their so 1999.
This is just a bullshit sales pitch.
i surport bands by paying stupid prices to see them live or buying their novalty fridge magnets.
Rest in peace mother
16.1.2006
You will always be with me.
They are trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
Pull the mind-scramble.
Baffle you with bullshit.
Why don't they just come out and say "Russia gives you songs for less"? If i were to buy a song, it would be from them.
I will never pay, not when it's so easy to get what I want when I want it without burning a hole in my own wallet.
Don't give in to that shit, they want to try to con you with ads like this. I say fuck them, I go to concerts, I buy the stupid t-shirts they don't need any more money. Maybe these companies just need to wake up and take advantage of this technology. Until then they are idiots.
Great thing!But I don't think that artists can live with this 5cent per song.
They can Stop Napster the Company, BUT never Napster the Idea...
I think the artists are fine, ill continue to keep it free for me, the artists really make money off of concerts and live events. They still make money elsewhere as well.
Mhh! If everybody would think that way the msuic industry would collaps.
I started to buy songs on Itunes.Thats ok for me.I realy hope that Itunes makes a Flaterate or that prices will get cheaper.
Give my credit card # to people in one of the most corrupt nations on earth? I think not!
When I eventually visit there, ill get some pirated movies.
Cristoph....have you heard the latest on itunes? The music industry is wanting to RAISE PRICES! Not LOWER them! They said that at 99 cents a song they might as well give it away free, so you may want to watch out for a price hike in the near future!
This is exactly what I expected from those greedy people. They make a 99 cent a song deal and then try to go back on it.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000343033786/
mabye they will not be successful THIS time, but they will keep trying!
I dont understand iTunes. At $1 per track, your better of buying the cd with the full audio quality, no drm protection, the Little manual, physical disk and other little niceties you get with it. Personaly, I like allofmp3. Direct downloads (so dl's are fast and speed is consistent), and at 5-10c per track thats a whole album for $1. You can also choose what audio format and quality you want the files in (including lossless wav), which is prety damn cool.
I use allofmp3.com. I only paid one time, it was 10 dollars. Nothing more was ever charged on my credit card. I upload songs to them and get credit. The albums i upload are in flac, or 384kbs. They give me twice the credit of what I download.. a 300 meg file, could be 10.00 and downloading 192kbs or 220kbs for 1.34 or something isnt bad. Dont knock til you tryed it =) Im responsible for their wide range of bon jovi singles. As well as alot of the duran duran singles. They only have to pay the money out to the writters or performers, they dont have to pay labels or the industry.
Hopefully it will.Originally Posted by Christoph
The RIAA thanks you for your support and assures you that every dime will be used on suing average joes from left to right.I started to buy songs on Itunes.
@eivioolla:
Music industry is not only Backstreeboys and Brinty Spears!
Its the Beatles,Micheasl Jackson,Joe Cocker....EVERYTHING!
I mean,do you realy want that it collaps?And if they do.How will you be abel to listen to new music?
Do you want a music free world?
I don't want that
Yes I do. Industry creates products, but I'm not interested in products but art. I don't need the music industry in it's current form, I need only the artist and a distribution channel. It seems that the music industry is too stubborn to change, so it's best to bring it down completely and then start fresh with new people and new ideas. Frankly I don't see any function for labels and their special-interest groups anymore. Music is probably almost as old as the human-race itself, it will never disappear as long as there is people.
I hate to flame people, but get your head out of your ass! THERE WILL BE MUSIC AFTER THE CALAPSE OF THE RIAA! PEOPLE WILL STILL SING!
*shakes head, smacks self on forehead...walks away with a blank stare...*
CAPITAL punishment for infringement is a CAPITAList's dream.
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