Dunno if this is the right place for discussion – Blue Note seems too general and the File Sharing/Burning forum isn’t quite it either, so, if this isn’t the place, mods, please feel free to move it.
Anyway, I haven’t really been actively looking, but during a Google search on a particular song that was attributed to an artist I was compiling songs for on my iPod despite the fact that I didn’t think it was the artist, I came across an MP3 site called MP3 Sugar. I wouldn’t have paid it much attention except the link pointed to a few CD singles I actually would like to have. They seem pretty cheap – $0.15 (US) per track or a slightly cheaper bulk rate for an entire CD. Their site tour and FAQs don’t seem to point to any other charges – membership is free and this isn’t a subscription-based service, rather you load your online account up with funds – but I’m really leery about subscribing to any MP3 download service that isn’t really well-known, and I don’t know if this one counts.
Yes, I know about iTunes, but the only “credit card” I have is my PayPal Mastercard, and iTunes won’t accept it as a valid payment type because it claims it isn’t usable in this country. (Which is a load; I’ve used it to pay for items from both the US and Canada).
So, anyone tried this MP3 Sugar site? Good deal? Any resultant spam from signing up? It seems perfectly legit, complying with all legal avenues of digital distribution as far as I can tell. I’d just rather get some opinion before signing on the dotted line. I don’t really want to go with a subscription-based service because it may not be worth my while, and this sort of pay-only-for-what-you-download thing with pretty reasonable rates fits me a little better.
The $0.15 price tag should have set your alarm bells ringing. The company is based in Moscow, so while it maybe legal to download their content in Russia, elsewhere you’d be on very shaky legal ground.
I was sort of afraid of that. I usually regard online services based out of places like Moscow or Asia or places generally known for lax copyright enforcement with skepticism, which is why I asked about this place. Their “tour” wasn’t exactly overflowing with information on the legality of the downloads except to say that they ostensibly complied with Russian laws, but that doesn’t really tell me anything useful.
I’m still playing wait-and-see but I expect the too-good-to-be-true aspect will prove itself out once again.
Pricing is very attractive, but if I did it I’m essentially giving my personal and credit card data to people who don’t mind operating illegally, and I’m expecting them to be ethical with my financial information and access to my credit line?
Isn’t this the kinda-sorta the same sort of naive expectations credulously greedy people have when getting swindled by Nigerians.
I don’t think it’s that blatant if it is as illegal as is purported. Having done some reading up it seems like this sort of service may be legal if you live within the country it resides in (in this case, Russia). However, ROMS does not pay royalties to the artists or their record companies, though I’ve read that they do pay some small royalties to a collection agency who then pay a collection agency in the record company’s country, who them disburse it to whever it’s supposed to go, but I have no cite for that. (Purely a third-hand anecdote) I don’t think the company precisely operates in an illegal manner, but rather does so in a very grey area of copyright law that is not adequately covered or enforced in Russia, much like PureMP3 or AllofMP3.
Either way I don’t think I’m going to bother. It tweaks me the wrong way just enough to avoid it.
Every year someone brings this up on the board. Downloading from these sites is illegal in the US. Doesn’t mean you can’t do it, but thank OG people are smarter than the average bear. It isn’t worth it.
I’m closing this one as there’s not much more to be said on the topic.