I used to be able to use alltunes with my visa but that's no longer an option. I still use it with my MC through allofmp3 and it's working fine. I'm loving the extra 20% they're throwing in until the 14th of Jan. Allofmp3 and MediaMonkey is an amazing team to grow and enjoy your music collection!!

Teknojnky wrote:I was very nervous at first, however I havent had any problem in the few months I've used them.

I did however use a creditcard that was nearly maxed out, that way if it got mischarged or hacked that they couldn't get much out of it.

As far as the encoding types/numbers, you may want to read up some @ http://www.mediamonkey.com/mp3-ogg-wma-audio-faq.htm and possibly google search as there is lots of information on various encodings.

have been using Allofmp3 for quite some time now, I use my MasterCard from Citi, which has "fake" numbers I can generate for one or two transactions. Allofmp3 never gets my real cc info. My account from BofA also has the same feature as the Citi card. That card was from MBNA before it was BofA.

I've always felt pretty confident buying my music from AllofMp3.com The quality is great, the music selection is fantastic, and frankly I've not found anything as nicely done, for the money. The only problem I've had is sometimes the tags get messed up, and I almost always have to go back to AllofMp3 to get the album art. At least while I was using JRMediaCenter. I just found Monkey Media this last week, so I'm having a look at it, considering switching, quickly.

Have any body tried to up their AllOfMp3 balance after Visa said they'd stop it?

There are issues revealed there that makes it alot less grey.
Some of the music sites need some SEO's
Thanks for pointing out those links Lowlander.

Mastercard has also announced it will not permit transactions at allofmp3.com

It seems that the music industry is finally having success against allofmp3.

Article: ArsTechnica

Rupert wrote:I think right and wrong here is pretty grey.

That's an understatement

I think the whole P2P phenomenon blindsided the music establishment, and their inaction, while trying to figure out a way to regain absolute control, has seriously undermined public goodwill.

No, but I am in the UK.

"The BPI said it planned to sue allofmp3.com in the UK courts but that users would not be prosecuted."

I read this as it is "legal" Russia, and I could buy my recordings in Moscow, and bring them back.... leagally. (They are considerably cheaper over there, but not in real terms to them, if you follow).

The BPI do not like this easy access to cheap music via the internet, understandably, as it destroys the market here.

I think right and wrong here is pretty grey.

Anyway, aren't emi going to release all old music for free on an advert site?
http://news.soft32.com/spiralfrog-gets- ... _2321.html

Rupert wrote:Question. How can it have run since some time in 2002, and it stil be definatively illegal?

By Russian law, apparently it is legal in Russia. From allofmp3.com's web site:

The user bears sole responsibility for any use and distribution of all materials received from AllOFMP3.com. This responsibility is dependent on the national legislation in each user's country of residence. The Administration of AllOFMP3.com does not possess information on the laws of each particular country and is not responsible for the actions of foreign users.

Assuming you live in the USA, suppose that the RIAA were to visit you and conduct an audit of your computer. It is highly unlikely that any tracks obtained from allofmp3.com would be considered to have a valid copyright license. The chances of such an audit happening are almost nonexistent, but just because you're not going to get caught doesn't make it right.

One point people seems to forget, is just because it is cheap does not mean you make less money.
I tried Alltunes, and reading this thread has been educational.

Question. How can it have run since some time in 2002, and it stil be definatively illegal?
The Russians presumably think it is not. It might be illegal in the UK to a finer point, however the green light has been given to users to not to worry, and hell, life moves on, artists have been making massive money for years. (Is it justified for their skill? Sometimes perhaps, but a thought to ponder I think.)
There is a lady in the US who posts all her songs on the internet for free, and then says:
"come to my concerts, you will love it" !!!!!
Fantastic, way to go!

Just because it was a way of making mega bucks for years, dos not mean the market has to last forever. Move on.
People have made millions out of selling gambling online... a chunk of that is gone now (OK slightly different I know).
The people I know who have a problem with this idea thast I have met, are the artists who dream of making it big... I cannot fault the dream, we all like to have one

Just IMHO.

On a technical issue, having got various people fuming no doubt , every download I get from allofmp3 shows the tags are not synchronized. Anyone any idea why please?

Ignoring any legal issues for the moment (my ethical views were described earlier), I have to acknowledge that the technical model of Allofmp3 (allTunes) seems very sound - to the point that I hope iTunes and other online distribution stores adopt many of its elements.

The ability to choose a variety of file qualities & formats is outstanding ... but iTunes and company are hampered by the innability to incorporate DRM into them all - a requirement imposed by the music labels before they'll allow their music for online release. This is where allTunes is mostly unencumbered, as it doesn't care about what the labels require, and thus no deals need be made... but simply rips music from the released CDs.

The option to preview the ENTIRE song is a godsend, and regardless of where I end up purchasing my music, I'll always turn to allTunes to preview albums beforehand. (I don't mind the lower quality preview if it means I can hear more than 30secs.) I find there are few things more frustrating than previewing a dance remix that doesn't make it past the "intro".

From reports of friends and other users, it also seems Allofmp3's support team are very helpful and reasonably quick to respond... especially if you find any problems with bad tracks etc. This was not something I was expecting (for all intents and purposes) of a budget retailer.

My personal favourite though, is the lack of DRM in tracks, allowing purchased music to be played back via any software of the user's choosing, unlimited portability, no backup problems, and no finding oneself beholden to a distributor for all time.

Although I think the price that tracks are offered by allTunes is far too cheap for the "real world" (ie. to allow fair royalty payments), I'm not a fan of the iTunes pricing system either... where a "CD Single" on iTunes can often cost more than purchasing the CD single disc in local stores. (This assumes you want all tracks / remixes and not simply the title track radio edit.) I know a lot of the music labels are lobbying for a multi-tiered pricing system, but without seeing their proposal I'm dubious about its merit.

In all fairness, iTunes and others have some features missing from allTunes... such as hi-res album art, and decent (or even minimally workable) descriptions & tags for classical works.

I have little doubt that eventually Allofmp3 / allTunes will be forced to alter its behaviour. The political pressure is increasing to mount, and the RIAA certainly won't stop looking for ways to shut it down.

Kupo03 wrote:

but the users 'feel good' because they're paying for something so it must be OK, right??? (Check the law for your self!!).

Not for me. I use it because it offers a large selection of music at great quality.

i agree. also, i am very anal about my music being organzed and uniform, and the format and bitrate are a part of that too. allofmp3 simply lets me download the music the way i want it.

once again, i wasnt try to argue legality or ethics, i was merely giving a personal account of "actual usage" of the service. the rest is up to you to decide for yourself.

but the users 'feel good' because they're paying for something so it must be OK, right??? (Check the law for your self!!).

Not for me. I use it because it offers a large selection of music at great quality.

vphreeze wrote:well, i have been using allofmp3 as my music download service of choice for like a year and a half with no problems.

I guess as Nebbin alluded above, it is not so much the technical aspects of acquiring music as it is the legality of doing so.

After much searching, I haven't found any definitive opinion on this. With much baggage, it boils down to a Clint Eastwood quote. "Do I feel lucky?"

If the RIAA were to visit, most likely any digital music that is present in a household would violate some sort of 'rule''.

Specifically to this thread, allofmp3.com is a 'feel good' service. It doesn't meet the copy right laws of North America, but the users 'feel good' because they're paying for something so it must be OK, right??? (Check the law for your self!!).

well, i have been using allofmp3 as my music download service of choice for like a year and a half with no problems. i have spent well over $200 and purchased music as recently as 2 days ago. my particular method of money transfer has been to use my PayPal account to purchase XROST Prepaid iCards, usually in $20 increments, since i didnt want to give some Russian company direct access to my credit cards.

you can download music directly from the site via your "basket", or just download their software and it can run in the system tray. the nice thing about the software is that i can purchase music through it, or when i am out and about i can just log in to the site, make some selections, and when i get home its already downloaded to a pre-specified folder (which you could have MediaMonkey monitor). i have purchased songs anywhere from 1 at a time to over 100 at a time and i dont think i have ever got a bad track. i also specify that i want 160cbr, so it nice not having to convert them later.

anyway, i know i have probably gone on to the point of sounding like i work for them, but i assure you i don't. i just wanted to describe my experiences in detail so that you guys would be clearer about whether or not you want to take a chance on the site.