From Slashdot:

“An official document (PDF), dated November 19, summarizes an agreement between the U.S. and Russia in which Russia has agreed to close down AllofMP3.com, and any sites that ‘permit illegal distribution of music and other copyright works.’ The agreement is posted to the Web site for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. It summarizes the joint efforts of the two countries to fight content piracy, an issue in which Russia and Eastern Europe figure prominently.”

I can’t say I’m surprised. The RIAA and their friends have been pressuring the US Government (which has, in turn, been pressuring the Russian government) to shut this site down for the better part of a year.

It is unfortunate though… I really liked AllofMP3 – not just because of the prices. The selection was truly amazing. Virtually any song you could think of, quite a bit more than any of the other music stores carry. The best part, I think, was the selection of downloads. You could choose which format and bitrate to download the songs in…and they were completely unencumbered by DRM. As a consumer, it was terrific.

I hope that some new and similar site pops up… I doubt that anyone could offer the prices that AllofMP3 was…I suspect that all the appropriate royalties weren’t being paid (thus, the RIAA’s involvement)…but I’d love to see another music store with such a wide selection of DRM-free music.

Posted on November 29 at 7:43 AM