allofMP3 off the hook legally?

I’ve written about allofmp3.com before, of how it is a source of cheap music, and seemed to be legal. And then continued a bit later with a post about how it might not be as legal as they claimed anyway.

Well – according to BBC News, they may be legally OK due to Russian copyright laws which only covers physical media, such as CDs. However, tha last word is not said, as the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries (IFPI) will take the case further, if this decision is correct.

In the meantime, we’ll just have to wait and see. And maybe shop a bit music.

More music sites

Some days ago I mentioned some DRM-free music – why not have more? I looked through my bookmarks and found what I have of the kind:

But there is more! If you’re interested in old childrens records, and don’t want these treasures to get lost, here’s another site which should be of interest: http://www.kiddierecords.com/. Each week in 2005 there is a new record up for download.

I’m sorry – you’re too popular…

…so we have to boot you.

It seems that science fiction, in the form of the Dragon Page radio talk show is more interesting than politics and/or whatever – so popular they unseated the #1 show, and that’s not acceptable; they don’t sell as much ad space, you know.

Strange but true, but it is possible to be too good for your own good…

Notifying an 8 week crime spree in advance

A couple of students from Cornwall have publicly stated their criminal intent to break as many laws in the USA as possible this summer – such as riding a bike in a swimming pool or cursng on a crazy golf course in the state of California. In the land locked state of Utah they may even incur the wrath of Greenpeach in addition to the law enforcement, as they show some tough spirit and goes whale hunting.

There are many more laws to break – some may call them stupid laws, but nevertheless…

Read the full article in the Guardian.

New Opera 8 beta 2

Opera has now released a new version of the browser, which is now at Opera 8 beta 2. While Firefox presented a “fix” for IDN spoofing by just disabling it, Opera has fixed it with another solution which doesn’t disable it. Neat – that means I can still visit those domain with Norwegian letters! 🙂

But of course, what I took advantage of first was support for atom feed, noticed some updated CSS, but there’s lot of changes. You can read more about that in the changelogs.

I’ll just enjoy browsing a bit more now, and see what more I can discover. 😉

Buying MP3s, cheap and DRM-free?

Here in Norway the discussions have been hot after a law proposal that would make it illegal to copy a copy-protected CD to your MP3-player. One commented: With such a law, who would buy CDs? Needless to say, suggestions to get the music straight from the web flourished, and it could be burned to CDs afterwards – but where from? Digital music with DRM isn’t something consumers are too fond of, either…

One site recommended by some, was a Russian site: AllOfMP3.com – cheap, DRM free, and lot’s of formats, even lossless. While some already had tried it and felt it as a positive experience with no problems, it still didn’t take long before the words “russian mafia” were heard (or read) in connection with that site. Is it because of prejudice, or the truth? Museekster has made a review of Allofmp3, answering the legality and safety of using this site, and some more.

So it may be a great service (I haven’t tested it) for getting hold of well-known artists, but what about the lesser known and unknown artists out there? There are more sites out there, that offer DRM-free music. I’ll list up some I know here:

  • MP3 Tunes is a new service, which hopes to attract popular artists too.
  • MyMusic.dk – a Danish site with music you can download for free, too.
  • IUMA
  • Vitaminic

Well – there are lot’s more, of course. I don’t know them all 😉