Allofmp3 Pissed Off At Credit Card Companies; Plans To Fight Back
from the no-surprise-there dept
Yesterday, we mentioned that Visa had dumped Allofmp3, saying it would no longer process credit cards for the site. Today, Mastercard followed suit. This has Allofmp3 a bit angry, saying that they will do whatever possible to get credit card processing turned back on. They point out, once again, that they have never been convicted of any illegal activity, and previous investigations have shown them to be legal. Of course, just because you're legal, doesn't mean that a credit card company has to process your transactions.
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Funny...
Either way, no shock, nothing to see her. Move along!
*first?*
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At the same time there is only one reason I have a credit card and that is convenience. It is nice to not have to carry cash and struggle to figure out what to do with that collection of copper pennies that I don't wish to carry around as change is made on my purchases.
I do not have a discover and american express card simply because these cards are not as univerally accepted and visa and mastercard.
As visa and mastercard start censoring who I can do business with their value to me declines. As their value to me declines I look at them much as I do as cash, I want a better alternative.
All visa and mc have done have given me reason to look for alternatives. I only need one credit card and it looks like neither visa nor mastercard will be it in the future.
What I need is a 'same as cash' alternative to cash. I could care less who is behind it, as long as I can use it anywhere, same as I can cash and it must impose the same degree of censorship as cash, that is to say none.
I don't know who will step up and provide me with this, but to the extent Visa and MC impose restrictions the market simply opens wider for an alternative.
Dumb move on the part of visa and it's wannbe MC.
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Re:
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alternatives?
seems like an easy way to get around the CC companies checks.
listen, honestly, an artist is going to pull at least 2-3 million dollars cash in pocket out of a hit record.
That's more then you, I, our neighbor joe, his sister jan, and their dog markus, make in a decade+ .
Boo hoo about you not making 30 million.
Get real, this isn't ever going to be stopped. NEVER. Ever ever ever ever ever. And a secondary point lies in the fact that IF this does get stopped, there was way too much attention by the feds on this then on serious issues.
Really guys, sure artists deserve some money, and they get it, they also get their music delivered globally, to a much larger audience then one that would have purchased it from a Target or the like for full price for a CD.
I just think this whole debate is silly tbh, they won't be stopped, russia can laugh in the US's face. what are they going to do? after iraq invade russia for oil?
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Homework assignment.
Don't you believe it...
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Re: alternatives?
what about all the artists that don't produce HITS?
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asking for it
The minimum one-time payment by credit card for the service is $10.
If for some reason the site is unable to provide you the service, you will be refunded the remainder of your balance within 7 business days after you apply for such refund.
This is EXACTLY why the company got banned from credit cards and any business that has practices like these should get banned. Minimum payment for something that I NEVER got? Are you people insane? I can only guess how many complains both Visa and Mastercard got from customers that never got their refunds back.
Sorry but allofmp3.com was just begging for what happened.
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Re: asking for it
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Re: asking for it
If you wanted to pay for the song only after you received it, you'd have to be charged after each song downloads, producing a credit card statement with 50 $0.20 charges and that's insane.
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Re: asking for it
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to #4
Example: I pay for the service, and then later for whatever reason I am unable to use it. e.g. I lose my internet, I decide I don't want it, I have technical problems (Turns out I can't download songs at work after all), etc. What they do is return the prorated amount to you. This is perfectly reasonable and what thousands of service providers do.
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Good point.
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allofmp3
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Two words... "Public Domain"
"artists" (read "mediacorps").
NOT the other way round.
These laws are in place to provide sufficient incentives for producers to produce - not to allow ANYONE to possess the frouts of their - or anyone else's labor - "for ever plus fifteen years".
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Minimum Payments/Refunds
So actually, offering a real refund is quite refreshing.
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Excelent Customer Service
Now with VISA and Mastercard acting like idiots, I hope AllofMP3.com will think about paypal for loading an account.
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Re: Excelent Customer Service
Paypal dropped them over a year ago. They tried getting another account, and got dropped again.
Paypal isn't going to work for them.
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Re: Excelent Customer Service
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VISA and MC in the pocket of the RIAA
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As for charging regular prices for Bat out of Hell, get a clue, production costs have very little to do with what a product costs.
You cheap ass people want everything free. Well, guess what, things are not free, so get over yourself. I wish I could get a Mercedes for the price of a circus clown car they drive in Europe, but that ain't happening either.
Its pretty funny, people bitch about the $3 pill they take to help with their cancer, but still go out and buy a $5 a day pack of cigarettes that gave them the cancer.
What does this have to do with music? Not a whole lot, but its Friday, raining, and sometimes I get tired of cheap a-holes who think the world owes them something and if they don't get it for free or near free, they believe they have a right to steal it. If you don't like the pricing of something, don't buy it. Quit your crying about this and that.
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Annoymous Coward's Comment
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Its mentality like yours that is the problem with this world. Thats ok, you cheap a-holes will turn the music industry into something that is not profitable for the good artists, and guess what, they will stop producing their music. You won't like what you are left with, although Britney and Jessica are giving you a preview of what that will be like. Maybe something you want to bang, but not listen to.
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Missing the point
They could just as easily use other methods to get content without paying, and have been doing so since (and before) Napster.
"I want to drive a Lombraghini, but hey, they priced it too high, so I have a right to steal it."
Oh, please... stop comparing physical goods with experience goods. Every time we say "I'll wait until the movie comes to DVD/TV", we determine the "value" of the product and your comparison breaks down.
"you cheap a-holes will turn the music industry into something that is not profitable for the good artists, and guess what, they will stop producing their music"
No.. the music industry is doing that all by themselves; backing cookie--cutter artists, sticking to obsolete business models, disincentivising the artists through pathetic royalty structures, suing the next generation of customers... the industry needs the public and they seem to have forgotten this.
For the record, I don't do P2P, and do not "share" music. I believe in paying for my music. But it seems to me that the music industry wants to have their cake and eat it too.
AoMP3 has shown that there there is a significant and lucrative market for reasonably-priced high-quality non-DRM music. If Big Music could offer a similar service for 25-50c/track I would be there in a heartbeat, and they would get at least $10/month out of me for very little work on their part, without any problem at all.
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Justice was done
Actually he was. While he got off the criminal charge he was found guilty of the civil one - remember?
I believe that had he been convicted the first time around he would have been out of prison in a couple of years and would not be the pariah/laughingstock that he is now. He would also have kept his money and be enjoying life.
So perhaps justice was done after all
"...production costs have very little to do with what a product costs."
His point was not about manufacturing costs, but about the sunk (production) costs, which have long since been recovered.
Personally I am of the opinion that all music should become Public Domain at the age of (say) 25. The idea of copyright being some kind of ownership is ludicrous and may be unconstitutional.
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Re:
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Re:
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Is AllofMP3.com even legal in the US?
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Life takes Visa
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Are you serious?
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Wizard Prang
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of course people want things for free, it's greed.
it's simple supply and demand. @a certain price, a certain number of people will pay for the product. when supply is reduced, prices go up. as supply increases, price decreases. since digital media is virtually infinate, the price drops down to zero. so of course it's easy to get something for free.
now, what if i sit in my basement, and (like google) create every combination of ever "digital note" possible. because all digital music is, is just a bunch of 0s and 1s arranged into bits representing waveforms.
ugh...i wish there was no thing as money. everything was free.
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Past Statue of Limitations
What is it that drew me away from the free download? I can assure you that it wasn't the threat of legal action. That's just ludicrous. I've never believed that was going to have an impact. That's just thinning the herd and removing the weak and lame.
It was access to a world of reasonably priced, non-drm music. That's all I've ever wanted.
From an "end-user's" perspective, RIAA/mediacorps (I might as well use one name for them) have been trying to limit my options to simply maintain their control of their market share. And in addition, limiting the artist’s options in getting their music heard. "If Jimmy John doesn't go through us, he doesn't get on the radio and can't sell his music anywhere. "
In reality, the "stealing the car" analogy doesn't hold water. First, as someone mentioned earlier, we are paying for product (I will get to the argument of money not getting to the artist in a minute). So, if we agree that we are paying, we are simply looking for a lower priced product (you know…free market competition).
Let's look at a Lamborghini Murcielago. The high price range is ballparked around $200,000. If I bought that from AllofMP3 (a guy can dream can't he?) I would pay around $40,000. While most couldn't afford the insurance, anyone would choose that pricing over "retail".
So, what about the argument, money doesn't reach the artist? Why is it that AllofMP3 is located in Russia? The government supplements customer cost so that the art can reach the masses.
Art is what drives culture. Culture makes life interesting and worthwhile. Without it, emotions would cease to exist and history would be uninteresting.
In my opinion, it's the mediacorps that are breaking the law. They are limiting cultural growth and stifling human emotion. That should be a crime in and of itself. To care so much about making money off of someone's true soulful expressions is just wrong on so many levels.
If you ask a true artist what they would do instead of write music or paint or act or sculpt, they couldn't answer. It's all consuming. That's art.
And that's why I say DOWN with the RIAA. DOWN with Sony. Art should be delivered daily to everyone in the world at no cost because it helps the people grow.
(steps off soapbox)
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i mean, sure, the mediacorps have had shaddy practices for years, but stealing from them is like stealing from a theif. both are guilt.
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haha.
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big bad wolf
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Why do you think they don't do that?
If artists can't profit from their hard work, they would do something else and you wouldn't have any music to listen to.
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alternative to allofmp3
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another alternative
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What's the problem ?
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I've always wanted to say this
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Related Fraud?
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Fraud or Stupidity?
company? With all due respect, use your head. I have a $500-limit card that I use for transactions with untrusted businesses. It's not difficult...
Having said that, I have not heard of anyone else getting reamed like this. I would look at other transactions and whether the machine that you placed those orders on was compromised.
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Angry at VISA and Mastercard for cutting off Allof
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Re: Angry at VISA and Mastercard for cutting off A
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Simple solution
2) Quit using CCs
3) Don't be afraid to cancel a CC if the company pisses you off.
And yes, I do practice what I preach. http://tinyurl.com/ygs36z
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I spent years spending 100 pounds a month on CDs. It was all I could afford and I only got to listen to 1 tenth of the music I wanted to. Then AllofMp3 came along - spending the same amount I could get more music that I had time to listen to. Frankly I couldn't give a flying Fu@k about the 'morality' or legality of it. The music industry was RIPPING me off for years - I give them thousands for very little in return. I will never pay so much for music again. Either the music industry can lower its prices or they can get stuffed. Now I must go, got to do some research in to private P2P apps.
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I spent years spending 100 pounds a month on CDs. It was all I could afford and I only got to listen to 1 tenth of the music I wanted to. Then AllofMp3 came along - spending the same amount I could get more music that I had time to listen to. Frankly I couldn't give a flying Fu@k about the 'morality' or legality of it. The music industry was RIPPING me off for years - I give them thousands for very little in return. I will never pay so much for music again. Either the music industry can lower its prices or they can get stuffed. Now I must go, got to do some research in to private P2P apps.
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Balance refund
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My balance disappeared from Allofmp3
A week ago my Allofmp3 balance went from $2.20 to - $42.80. $45.00 gone just like that. Repeated requests for explanation from Allofmp3 got repeated replies "we have recieved chargeback from xrost. Please contact with support xrost". After I figured out what this message was trying to say, I contracted both Click & Buy and Xrost asking where my money's gone - no reply, what a surprise. And I no longer have access to refilling my balance at Allofmp3, its been barred.
Very disappointed. I loved the site, its ease of use, its choice of music, its file quality. Now I'm wondering whether I've been ripped off. Though how being put into the negative with only a small balance remaining benefits Allofmp3 I'm not sure.
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emusic
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Tomorrow will not change this.
For thousands of years, a percentage of musicians have been fortunate enough to generate good financial returns from their music - through patronage.
This is not going to change either.
The recent advent of recording media has supported the evolution of something quite separate to music - the music industry. This industry has developed excellent technologies, starting with print, then phonograph, vinyl, tape, CD etc. It has made an unprecedented contribution by documenting some of the incredible musical achievements of the last century. It has also been a vehicle by which more and more musicians have been rewarded for their work through extended patronage. And the industry has profitted well for its troubles.
It is this music industry that has to change. And this is unavoidable.
The longer industry exponents try to hide from this simple reality, the more they minimise their chances of success in this rapidly changing field, and the more chances they open up for the Apples and other startups. I postulate that to indulge this kind of resistance is a last straw tactic - only worth trying when you are resigned to doing nothing else.
Musicians will not be the losers here; more of them are being heard internationally. Yes the price of a tune will fall - but production, marketing, and distribution overheads have dropped and sales must rise.
All we need is smart organisations who can take up the massive openings in the industry. Its happening right now.
Consumers can't lose here. Of course, its a bumpy ride and you may find yourself cheated of a refund here and there - but you're still $$$ ahead compared to before the arrival of mp3.
The CC companies are just trying to avoid legal costs and bad press generated in the turmoil of dying corporations. They'll be back.
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When you register you get $0.30 deposited to your account as they say “to check out the quality of our services for free”.
Also they give 100% bonuses on deposits made by Credit Card starting from 20 USD (pay $20 get $40 added to your balance; $30 = $60 etc.).
Other rather eye-catching thing is their “Daily Bonus” scheme, they say; make a payment for e.g. $20 and get $0.02 added to your balance daily, make another payment of $30 and your bonus amount will increase to $0.05 daily.
Concerning legality of this site: The availability over the Internet of the Iomoio.com materials is authorized by the license # 33/3M-06 of the Rightholders Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively (Russian Organization which they pay Royalties to).
Ok, their services might be legal for Russians, but is it legal to use their services in US, UK and other European countries? Actually yes it does mean they are legal in the US and UK, in that music you download is considered legally licensed for personal use, and you can’t legally be prevented from purchasing in this way.
This is because of the Berne convention as administered by the WIPO, and WTO requirements.
I quote "...any country that is a signatory of the convention is awarded the same rights in all other
Countries that are signatories to the Convention as they allow their own nationals, as well as any rights granted by the Convention"
The pigopolist record companies don’t like it because it cuts them out of the loop - the money paid for licenses goes directly to artists! Therefore they do a 'Bush' and lie through their teeth even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary in the hope that you believe them and use their preferred overpriced and DRM crippled services.
l
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Dude, if Visa & Mastercard won't process allofmp3 payment, what makes you think Paypal will?
In fact, I think Paypal was the 1st to boot them.
Also, read before you comment.
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We should Pay Them Cash By Registered Post
They then top up our accounts.
Alternatively Allofmp3.com could accept cash payments and send out cd roms of the music in the post just in case isp are forced to block them
Last resort move their operation to China like CD Wow do.
What do you guys think?
Regards,
Heidy
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too good to be true?
while allofmp3.com is still rejecting card payments i found alternative one. it's here: mp3skyline.com
they say there's more than 2 million tracks online and guess what? looks like it so!! for real.
i've not erd ov them before and tried to surf for some releases (i'm a house junkie) and found almost all there. i do not know if they have such wide collection of other styles but whatever there's tons of stuff.
by the way. no probs with credit cards there - i got my money on balance in couple of minutes.
take a look and letme know what y'all think of it guys!
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mp3skyline.com is a ripp off!!!!!!
As soon as I've got confirmation from Pay Pal that
Kagi.com had received my payment,I tried to enter
mp3skyline.com and got an error message saying
that the http had moved to a new location.
Of course I tried to contact both kagi.com and mp3skyline.com thru their support and help adresses
but they never answered back.
DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SITE.THIS IS A BIGGGGGG
SCAM.
Once they get your money they either block your IP or change their HTTP.
I repeat DO NOT BUY FROM THEM even if it is tempting.You will NEVER get what you payed for and they will NEVER answer your claims.
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Re: mp3skyline.com is a ripp off!!!!!!
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Re: mp3skyline.com
you're spreading shit and winding it up.
i'm a use skyline for at least 5 weeks and their support is greatest.
how they can rip you off when you paid via PayPal?
how is it possible to change HTTP when it IS mp3skyline.com and nothing more else then mp3skyline.com ?
i'm a laugh my fucking ass of you.
peace.
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mp3skyline keeps registering fake accounts at my b
They'll be gone by next week.
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mp3skyline looks good but...
Its really infuriating that there are only 2 choices
(i) use a site that doesn't pay proper royalties and rips off the artists (and the record companies - I mean they deserve to make _some_ money) or
(ii) use a site that, absurdly, charges the same for digital with lossy compression, no art, no permanent media or jewel case, restricted playback (eg hardware specific) and no transport costs for the seller, as you'd pay for a cd?
The main reason I'd want to use Skyline is NOT the cheap price, its that it appears to have a decent size catalog, including digitised vinyl transfers that otherwise would require hunting around the web and then paying £10+£2p&p for 2 tracks on a bit of black plastic I have no means of playing.
Why is there no LEGIT site with a decent catalog, no silly playback restrictions, and a price, say, half-way between the dodgy Russians and the fully legal ones?
The current situation is ridiculous. Why is the invisible hand of the market giving us the finger like this?
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I only used my credit card for medication.
Mollie Mazzant
Please send email
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mp3skyline.com the best and cheapest mp3 site
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