London - U.K. police have shut down a website that sold vouchers to purchase digital music from the rogue Russian site AllofMP3.com, which recently lost the support of major credit card companies and online payment processors such as PayPal.

Following an investigation launched by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and British Phonographic Institute (BPI), U.K. authorities raided a location in London and arrested a 25-year-old man connected with AllofMP3Vouchers.co.uk.

The IFPI said the website was offering $20 vouchers to European consumers looking to buy bargain-priced songs on AllofMP3, and transferring the cash into various offshore accounts owned by the site's Russian owners.

While AllofMP3 -- the second most-popular music retailer in the U.K. behind iTunes -- claims it shares payments with record companies and artists, the IFPI said it has no permission to sell downloads in the U.K.

"Allofmp3.com is illegal in Russia, the U.S., the U.K. and everywhere else in the world," said IFPI chairman and CEO John Kennedy.

"The action announced today is the latest to highlight Allofmp3.com's long and undistinguished history of stealing music from artists, composers and record producers and selling it at a profit."

AllofMP3 also faces ongoing criminal and civil proceedings in Russia, the U.S, France and the U.K.

Related Links:
http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/20070521.html

http://www.allofmp3vouchers.co.uk

http://www.allofmp3.com