Russian Music Download Site

[Ulice Payne]

OK, so my teenage son is trying to concvince me that this Russian music download site, gomusicnow.com, is legal for use here in the US. He's pretty amped at the possibility of getting music for 9 to 15 cents a song, so you can guess how things are going around my house.

 

Anyone have any experience with this site, or any information on it's legality? Any help would be appreciated, as the boy is holding on to this one like a bulldog who snagged the last hamburger.

[trwi7]

Here's a review.

 

I'm pretty sure it's legal.

[1992casey]

A google search for is gomusicnow.com legal in the us provides a variety of answers, many of which indicate that the site is legal.

 

However, moskalyuk.com cites a Wall Street Journal article which says it isn't legal. I'd link directly to the Wall Street Journal article, but you need a subscription to read it. (I think a subscription is free.)

 

I think the Wall Street Journal would trump the other answers that are provided mainly by "amateurs."

 

EDIT: Subscription isn't free.

[owbc]

I use legalsounds.com. It has legal right in the name http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif. It's only $0.09/song and they have a great selection. I have spent about $100 on that site with no problems.

 

They are legal in Russia. The legality has never been challenged in the US, but I think it would probably be ruled illegal. Until a lawsuit is filed, I think there is no risk of legal action from using those sites.

 

You do have to give them your credit card information which is the only "risk". I think the minimum that you can add is $20 on legal sounds, but that is enough for about 25 albums (with the free bonus songs), as opposed to 2 albums with iTunes.

[dadofandrew]

The law has not caught up to the technology. My opinion? It's certainly not "legal," but you might well be hard pressed to find a law to find where it is "illegal."

 

The irony here is, that's almost exactly the situation with online poker in the US...no law says it is illegal, as all they would have to do is pass one that said so. The Wire Act, which many use to say it is illegal, is hopelessly outdated, as hardly anyone uses phone lines anymore to play.

 

In closing, I'd say it's "legal" in so far no one is going to come after your son, much like no one does time for playing poker online...many pros get paid handsomely to rep sites, and are often in public. More than half the field for the WSOP qualified online, and you can trace that, sites collect SS numbers now. The US will either convince Paypal and the like to stop funding, or convince Russia to shut them down. Until then, the lack of illegality makes me say it's legal for all intents and purposes...until they catch up.

[BrewCrewForever]

I have used gomusicnow.com for awhile now. It is fantastic, never had any issues. I guess I never even stopped to think if it was illegal.

[endaround]

Its almost certainly legal in the sense that you won't get arrested for using it. However my guess is that its all pirated music and could be shut down at anytime and you could get a C&D letter for any songs purchased.

[Tailgat0r76]

I have also used gomusicnow.com for a while now. I'm not certain the legalities around it, but I can say it's a great site with a very decent collection of music. I wouldn't put more than $10 - $20 in your account at any time, just in case, but it serves its purpose great for getting cheap music.

FYI, gomusicnow.com used to be gomusicnow.ru, which used to be just gomusic.ru.

[Brian the Automator]

I use ligamusic.com, mp3skyline.com, and one other site that I forget the name of. I would consider it in the same way I'd consider someone getting prescriptions from Canada. You're circumventing U.S. laws to get something cheaper at the cost of the developer of the product not getting the cut they're normally going to get.

 

In the case of the russian music sites, I'd be surprised if any money goes back to the artist, so depending on how I feel about giving back to the artist on a case by case basis, I might buy music from a reputable source.

 

The one thing the russian music sites give me that I really can't find anywhere else is a place to buy mp3's of things that were only released on vinyl. Buying vinyl is expensive, and then ripping it to an mp3 is labor-intensive.

[Brian the Automator]

Another alternative for your son if you didn't feel good about the russian sites are subscription services like Rhapsody. You pay X per month and can download unlimited music (usually with a very decent selection). They also have add-ons where you can transfer songs to a device (like an ipod) if he needs to take the music on the go.

 

Grooveshark is another great option (and I believe it's still free), but it's online-only (can't download to a device).

[Ulice Payne]

Thanks for the input, guys. We're still determining if we'll use the site, but I'm leaning towards no. I just can't see that anyone who owns the music can possibly be getting paid.

[RockCoCougars]

I only buy Metallica music on these Russian sites. Greedy jerks.

 

At any rate, though I'd probably be more concerned about giving these Russian sites any personal information (banking, etc.) than the illegalities of the site, I wouldn't be surprised if some overzealous ambulance chaser started going after Americans who used it at some point.