Purchasing "foreign" music on iTunes

October 9, 2005 3:38 PM

Since iTunes won't let me purchase music from other territories, what are some good services that have worldwide coverage so I can download the tracks I want? If such a service even exists.

I like music from all over Europe much of which will probably never be released in the UK. I don't want to have to sign up for a whole load of services, so am looking for something easy to use that has a huge selection. I've only ever used iTunes in the past.

Bonus points if anyone can tell me how to circumvent iTunes and buy from foreign stores. Or even tell me which criteria iTunes uses to identify me (IP? Card details? Software version?) I can search, navigate, and listen to the songs I want, but I can't purchase them. Lame..

posted by fire&wings to Computers & Internet (14 answers total)

I use emusic and I'm in Canada. I used to see things like 'not available outside the USA' on them but not anymore. I don't know if that means they only get things now that they only have world-wide rights to or if they started making the item invisible instead of visible with the disclaimer.
posted by dobbs at 3:45 PM on October 9, 2005

You may want to visit www.allofmp3.com. Thousands of American, European and Russian artists (the site is based in Russia). Files cost 2.2 US cents per MB, are available in several bit rates and formats, and come with no digital rights management.

It's one aspect of the global economy you can actually benefit from.
posted by CMichaelCook at 3:48 PM on October 9, 2005

Best answer: An iTunes account can only be associated with one country at a time, which is the simple way it stops you if you browse other countries. And to but songs from a country in the first place, you need a credit card registered in that country.

I don't know of any hacks to get around it, beside getting hold of gift certificates for that country.
posted by cillit bang at 4:01 PM on October 9, 2005

It's one aspect of the global economy you can actually benefit from.

If by global economy you mean dodgy Russian copyright laws.

Not sure if this would matter to you, but "allofmp3" doesn't pay anyone any kind of royalties for the music they sell.
posted by alana at 4:24 PM on October 9, 2005

Alan-

While allofmp3 does subsist on lax Russian copyright laws, they do pay money to ROMS which is the Russian copyright clearinghouse and ROMS supposedly distributes money to the artists. The larger point you are making is correct though.
posted by Falconetti at 4:34 PM on October 9, 2005

Falconetti, last time I looked, allofmp3.com allowed users to upload music (in exchange for $ or credit) which they then added to the database for resale. I'm curious where you read they pay out anything to anyone.
posted by dobbs at 4:56 PM on October 9, 2005

Pardon, dobbs? I've never heard anything about uploading, and there's nothing visible on the site.

Here's a FAQ that says they pay fees to the Russian licensing organisation, though it's not clear whether non-Russian artists get paid.
posted by cillit bang at 5:11 PM on October 9, 2005

For mostly electronic stuff check out bleep.
posted by The Jesse Helms at 5:41 PM on October 9, 2005

cillit bang, if it's not there anymore (I don't have a membership and can't look in the passworded area) then they've changed. It absolutely used to let you upload. They had a "most requested" list of music that they didn't carry and rewarded members who uploaded entire albums that were on the list.

I was a member and as soon as I saw that, I quit.
posted by dobbs at 6:29 PM on October 9, 2005

Thanks Falconetti, I didn't know about ROMS.

Still pretty freaking dodgy if you ask me (of course, what isn't dodgy about the major label music business?)
posted by alana at 10:01 PM on October 9, 2005

Thanks for info dobbs. There's no trace of it that I can find. Do you remember when this was?
posted by cillit bang at 3:32 AM on October 10, 2005

I remember the wanted albums list too. The wanted list certainly existed in March 2004 (when I joined). As far as I'm aware, the service is perfectly legal for Russians to use; they are a licensee of the Russian equivalent of the BPI/RIAA AFAIK. However, the legality of you (or I) using allofmp3 is questionable. I believe the program existed because the owners of allofmp3 were unable to obtain the CDs themselves, rather than it being an illegal music sharing website.

Edit: Program Wanted.
posted by Boo! at 6:12 AM on October 10, 2005

More on topic, I belive iTMS uses your credit card statement address to identify what you are allowed access to.

If you have a friend on the continent, there exists a tool to remove the DRM from iTMS-purchased files. I found it useful when I was denied access to my music because of a Windows reinstallation. Note that it leaves a fingerprint in the decrypted files leading back to your iTMS account, unless you configure it otherwise.
posted by Boo! at 6:20 AM on October 10, 2005

Allofmp3 is great.
posted by exhilaration at 7:21 PM on October 13, 2005