On a Russian Site, Cheap Songs With a Backbeat of Illegality

AllofMP3.com owes its global success to low prices and a large collection of music that is normally not available for sale online. However, despite its allure, Allofmp3.com may be illegal. Record companies complain and try to stop the site, but with little luck in a country where digital piracy thrives. AllofMP3.com holds a license issued by a royalty collecting society, but the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers disputes that claim, calling the collecting agencies “thieves and frauds” because they accept money, yet do not represent the artists. With US and British youth flocking to the site, US trade officials warn that the site could hinder Russia’s admittance into the World Trade Organization. YaleGlobal