Online Music

--Edit 2010-12-14--

I have been using MP3Fiesta.com since it launched in 2006. I have never had balance removed. Prices have risen significantly recently, but even at $0.40 per song (with discounts for whole albums), it is massively cheaper than using iTunes. I have only had a quality issue once, and they credited my account after verifying their source files were bad - they even removed the album until it was sorted. I've never suffered any problems with my credit card after using the site and have complete confidence in using it.

As for the legality, the business is based in Latvia not Russia, and complies with the legislation for that country. Copyright and royalties work differently there and music is cheaper. This is simply because music has to be cheaper there for people to be able to afford it on their comparatively lower wages. Buying from MP3Fiesta is no different to walking into a CD shop in Latvia whilst on holiday. The Internet opens up the global economy and gives us better deals if we shop around. The business and legals are up to the store owner to sort out. If they say their service is legal and above board, then you as the consumer are entitled to purchase in good faith.

--End Edit--

The "answer" below is obviously placed by someone connected with mp3fiesta.com. "Hinky"? Going to tell my "pals"? Sounds like someone using a Russian-English dictionary. The fact is that there is A LOT of internet fraud being perpetrated by Russians. According the the RIAA site mp3fiesta.com is NOT legal. But, worse, they rip off their own customers. The smallest payment increment is $20 and if you don't download within a certain small time period, you lose. Also if you have a credit and tell them you don't want to download any more, they refuse to return it. My advice is to stay away from this site.

"I found the following information elsewhere on the net. I too just came across this site today.

Edit: Well if there is one organization I look to when trying to figure out what's the moral, ethical, or legal path to take, it's is definitely the RIAA. Give me a break man.These guys break the law more than most pirates. Or is racketeering and extortion your idea of business as usual?

"This site is not illegal, unethical, or amoral. I work with digital music @ Best Buy through several different companies including our own and can tell you that you aren't just purchasing a digital download but the whole shabang that made it available including but not limited to advertising, employees, software to distribute, physical cards to purchase in stores, proprietary file extensions (all kinds of other madness goes with those), and support. The FBI said it right; "they don't have the overhead" I'll bet the operating cost of this outfit is next to nothing. So maybe Amazon and iTunes seem a bit hinky to me for having to charge us for their costs. You wouldn't want to pay $5000 more for your car because the dealer hired 5 more people and put out a series of commercials! Why pay more on iTunes? This looks like a healthy source of music that's marked just over cost. Guy probably gets $$$ from ads or the millions of dimes flying in...I'm sure telling my pals about it."

"The reason MP3Fiesta has such low prices is that Russia's Copyright Organization (ROMS) sets the rate for the royalties, and they set their rates low! So while the artists, producers, lables, and the likes are paid, they are paid much less than they would be paid if the album were sold in the Unite States. One additional note is that an artist can request that ROMS not allow their music to be sold online by submitting a request with proof that they own the music they do not want sold online."

"FBI-guy told Steve, don't worry about an organization being in Russia (or wherever), that doesn't make them any less legitimate. Don't worry about the low prices, they don't have the overhead. And, finally, "don't worry about us (FBI) coming after you -- YOU haven't done anything wrong, even if they have, and it doesn't look like they have." Now, of course, RIAA may be different, so proceed at your own risk, but at first look, it's a great way to save some money."

I've used mp3fiesta for years. Found it as a replacement for allofmp3 when it went belly up. I put in $100 and my balance has never been tampered with. Still have $40 in it. I've gone for over 6 months without accessing the site and when I re-logged in, my balance was still there. I've been able to find some very obscure music there and I have no real complaints with the site. If I had a complaint it's that the mp3 quality is not always what I'd like (loss-less), but hey, it's a nickel for crying out loud! That's what I liked about allofmp3 when that site was running. You could always get CD quality i.e. loss-less, music. What I find to be illegal and immoral is iTunes charging a buck for crappy quality music. My CC wasn't blocked from the site like it has been for other offshore mp3 sites though, as I said, I signed up long ago and don't know if that's still true. The FBI, nor anyone else has come after me. I'm fairly sure that if it was illegal, Visa would not work.

Edit - I have used this site for years with no peoblems. Never been "ripped off" and never had an issue with time limits. Why get ripped ripped off by corporate record company greed when this site gives you music much cheaper?

Edit to "Edit" - posted 29 Dec 09 - MP3FIESTA/MP3PANDA is a ripoff both to the music industry and its customers. How do I know? Because someone dear to me just lost a $20 balance on this site because the site owners now want to push their so-called "Gold" and "Platinum" accounts. When this MP3FIESTA/MP3PANDA user tried to login to the website yesterday (28 Dec 09) their balance was magically reduced from around $20 to 36 cents and the site tried to force the user to buy one of these new time-limited accounts. If you are smart, you will stay away from these Russia-based music download sites. No matter what MP3FIESTA/MP3PANDA says on their website, they do not pay recording industry artists one dime in royalties. If they were paying royalties in accordance with international law, ALLOFMP3 would not have been shut down in the first place. Any comments about "corporate record company greed" are made by people that have no idea about what it costs to produce music or the mouths fed by jobs provided by that so-called "greed." If you want to be an anarchist or a communist, move to North Korea. They'll be happy to have you.

Edit 3: I used MP3Fiesta over a year ago and I've had good luck with them. I haven't downloaded music much since I found Pandora, but I logged back in yesterday since my wife got an iPod Nano this weekend and to my surprise I saw I still had $36 left. I'm sorry your friend had a problem, but I've had no problems with them.

They also just came out with a new downloader app which makes it easier to get stuff and they made everything 1/2 price if you buy through it as well.

And with regards to MP3Fiesta being illegal, the site operates in Russia under Russian laws. Turns out the DMCA passed by the USA doesn't actually apply in foreign countries. Weird, I know, usually we're able to force our draconian copyright laws on other countries, but it would appear Russia has something of a backbone when it comes to these matters. On a more serious note, everything I've read regarding compensation, especially during the AllOfMP3 affair, said that they paid into a copyright royalty fund and the RIAA was welcome to their fair share of the pot. This is of course at a much lower rate than they're able to get off of iTunes, so they didn't want to validate the arrangement and refused to take the money. How is that the Russian MP3 site's fault again?

PS- May I add my view on this as a music lover and hobby musician. It seems over and over download pirates want to justify there actions for the sake of cheap/free files. What ever reasoning they can conjure up to vilify them that what they are doing is OK. So how does one pay talented artists then? Why work in the music business? Why create new music if it gets ripped off?

MP3Fiesta in the end does not pay artist a fair share. Just look at how many files they have to sell to eat. Your are dealing with shady company. The risk and quilt is yours to sort.

AllofMp3 tried to pay royalty's to the record company's but they will not accept payment because they are suing allofmp3 and if they accept payment then their lawsuit goes away.

18 April 2010

I have been using MP3Fiesta for about two years and they have not ever taken cash form my balance unless as payment for a download. It is true that they warn you that you must download your tracks within 48 hours of purchase, which I think is a bit odd. I always DL immediately just to be safe. I have to say that they do scam though. In December I purchased on a double you money deal from them ,i.e. for $50 I was credited with $100. However, about two weeks later they doubled their charges from 5 cents to 10 cents per track, which was very annoying. It gets worse, as about three weeks ago they doubled their charge again to 20 cents and I was outraged, as this is was clearly a scam and vowed never to pay any more money to them. I did send an angry email demanding my money back, which was ignored, however, I notice today that they have reduced their charges to 10 cents. Still not the deal I bought into, but bearable.

7 June 2010

I have used Mp3fiesta for at least 3 years. While I did notice the increase in song download charges about two years ago, I have also found that many songs are ~ $.05. I read somewhere that the price for songs/albums is based on the demand or number of downloads. At any rate, I don't care if they do increase the prices a little bit. It's still a better deal than iTunes. Plus you don't HAVE to download any software. I have used their recent addition of the download manager and it makes things much easier. I have NEVER had a problem with my balance. The quality is a bit sketchy at times, but the vast majority is just fine. The selection is very adequate. All the "hits" are there and there are quite a bit of obscure tracks as well. Of course there is a lot of obscure that isn't there, hence the obscurity.

As far as 'sorting through my guilt'. I do that just fine. The artists I really like get my money through touring and word of mouth. I will also buy the CD at the concert venue, which many smaller artists do. I realize it costs a lot of money to produce an album. However, a lot of that money is not slated to the artist but rather all the extra baggage (producers/recording companies). If MP3Fiesta doesn't pay the artist, well... that does bother me a little bit, although it seems like that answer will be really hard to find and will boil down to whom you want to believe.

Overall I am happy with the service. Even if I wish it were more obviously legal.

It certainly is ok, if you are not stealing it. A lot of music is available legally for free online. Many will disagree or think this answer is too picky. The truth is that copyright is one of the least understood and most ignored branches of law. Because you can find a way to take music for free online, that does not mean that it is ok to do it. Music is intellectual property, and that property is owned by someone or some group. In this sense it is much like a novel. There is a presumption that a writer wants to gain whatever benefit can be gained by having produced the work. Every time you take music that cannot be taken legally, you are stealing from the people who have every right to gain from their work. Copyright law is extremely complicated, especially regarding intellectual property. There are many different kinds of rights for a single piece of music, and the rights might be owned/handled by several different individuals or companies.

Ask yourself: Would you walk into a store and walk out with a shirt or small electronic device without paying for it? [I hope your answer is NO!] Does the fact that you might get away with it make it ok? Clearly, obviously, not.