The illegal music download site AllofMP3.com has finally been shut down by the Russian government.

The site, which had always claimed a loophole in Russian law allowed them to sell MP3 tracks without paying any kind of royalties to record labels or artists, was closed last week.

When live, AllofMP3.com offered music tracks for download for as little as 10 cents each, and at one time was said to be the second most popular download site in the UK, behind Apple's iTunes.

AllofMP3.com was the target of an international 2-year campaign to get the site stopped, with both governments and record industry bodies calling for its closure.

The criticism of the Russian government to allow the site to continue was so great that it was cited as being a major impediment for Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization.

Earlier this year credit card and other online payment facilities withdraw their support for the site which went a long way to cripple the once $30 million a year business.

Following the closure, an alternative site run by the same Moscow company called MP3Sparks.com is now live, selling tracks for similarly low costs and using the same legal arguments under Russian law as AllofMP3.com.

>> Via - The Times