Russian Pirate Music Site to Re-Open

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.i4u.com/article11111.html' target='_blank'>http://www.i4u.com/article11111.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Russian music download site <a href="www.allofmp3.com">www.allofmp3.com</a> has said it will resume business soon, after a Moscow court ruled its operation is in accordance with Russian law. No music is currently on sale, but a statement on the Web site says business will begin shortly, with enhanced payment procedures and a larger selection of music. The statement was dated August 31, but did not make clear whether that was when the site would resume business. Earlier this month the Cheryomushki Court in Moscow ruled that Denis Kvasov, allofmp3's former head, was not guilty of intellectual property theft, and had not violated Russian copyright laws."</i><br /><br />The Motherland of Russia has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately - and this is just another bad example. The thing that irritates me about AllofMP3.com is the way they <i>pretend</i> to be ethical and legal - even if what they're doing is legal under Russian law, there's certainly nothing <i>ethical</i> about it. In the same vein, I have more respect for someone who openly admits that he's stealing music because he doesn't want to pay for it than I do for someone that insists that buying music from AllofMP3.com is somehow supporting the artists that make the music. <br /><br />That's just not the way it works, despite AllofMP3.com's claims that they want to pay the music companies their "royalties". That's like me robbing your house then offering to give you your own DVD player back as your "cut" from the robbery. What AllofMP3.com is doing is no different.

[Phronetix]

Nice analogy, Jason. From what I can tell, it is technically legal in Canada to own their music. It does not make it right, and initially I misread Allofmp3's policies on paying royalties.

The problem is that it is difficult to adjust people's thinking on how they value goods and services like music. If they have been led down the napster path of the late nineties and either not thought about it or choose not to think about it, there is a very good chance they will consider paying the usual cost for music as overpaying... because 'it used to be free'. It's a lazy mental trick, and most people will ultimately come around to a much more reasonable point of view. There will always be a few with a grandiose sense of self entitlement that will pirate just because they want it for nothing and believe they deserve it. We just need to make sure they don't become parents.

LOL, okay unethical strategy.

In my medical practice (in Canada, with universal public health care), we cannot bill the health insurance (i.e. the government) for items such as cosmetic procedures, filling out insurance forms, physical for most drivers licenses etc. So, we charge our patients a fee. And we charge usually less than what we would make for a similar service under Health Care, yet patients are often indignant and angry that they must pay so much.... because, well, health care is FREE. (How "free" it is is a debate for another site). People feel entitled to get everything under the health care envelope for no fees because that is how they have previously experienced it. But when I explain that I make nothing otherwise, most people naturally understand why we must do that. If necessary I use the D word (dentist)... then they usually feel like they're getting a bargain. :wink:

The same effect is occurring in the music industry, just a different dynamic.

Dennis

[Jason Dunn]

If they have been led down the napster path of the late nineties and either not thought about it or choose not to think about it, there is a very good chance they will consider paying the usual cost for music as overpaying... because 'it used to be free'.

Yes - I think the ethics of SOME of the the 20-something North American generation may be a bit more, erm, fluid than previous generations. ;-)

[Damion Chaplin]

Yes - I think the ethics of SOME of the the 20-something North American generation may be a bit more, erm, fluid than previous generations. ;-)

Don't forget the 30-, 40- and 50-somethings. Just because they're older doesn't necessarily mean anything. Jason, you and I are 30-somethings and we used to steal music via Napster etc. We don't anymore, but it's not because we're of a certain generation, it's because we're naturally (OK, ultimately) ethical people.

One of my best friends is ~55 years old and he's constantly searching for the newest way to get free music and movies. It's not (necessarily) because he's ethically loose, it's really because he's poor. You and I don't usually have to worry about how to feed ourselves, but when it's a daily concern, spending any money on music or movies is right out. So he either steals it or doesn't get it at all. I don't advocate such a thing, I'm just pointing out that there are different points of view out there and it's not as black-and-white as us more privileged people insist.

Also, the older you are, the more unhappy you're likely to be paying $15 for a CD. I don't see anything wrong with it, and happily pay $15 just so I can have the physical copy, but people like my father have a hard time justifying it.

Again, not making excuses, just trying to show other points of view. Plus, I love being the devil's advocate. :wink: