A Russian website that offers digital song downloads at a fraction of the price of iTunes and Napster has become the second most-popular commercial download service in the U.K., according to a report from XTN Data. Apple’s iTunes commanded the largest share of the U.K. paid download market in September 2005, with 44%, followed by Moscow-based AllofMP3.com with 14%; Napster’s U.K. service followed in third place. While iTunes and Napster sell songs for 99 cents, the Russian site offers them for about 10 cents each. “It offers cheap downloads, is easy to use and has no restrictions on where people can play the tracks. This is what music fans are asking for so perhaps AllOfMP3’s popularity isn’t that surprising,” said XTN Data founder Greig Harper. The Russian site claims that Russian copyright law allows it to legally sell tracks in foreign countries at the reduced prices it offers. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) made a formal complaint about the site to Russian authorities last year, but prosecutors there eventually dropped their case against the site.

Links: http://tinyurl.com/kkc2g http://www.xtndata.com http://www.ifpi.org http://www.allofmp3.com