Fraudsters

Hmmm, this is kind of surprising.

Last time I checked, payplay were one of a number of digital outlets that cooperated with CDbaby.com, and were one of the resellers included in the digital package artists could subscribe to from them. In fact, that cooperation is still very much in existence.

As you raise this issue in public, I will have to notify cdbaby about it, as they have a partnership here. Prior to doing that I'd like to know if you'll be able and willing to document this case, as I'm pretty sure that this is a case that could lead to some rather violent courtcases for breach of business agreement / partnership deals between CDbaby and Payplay.

Looking around the site, it looks like they may recently have been bought by someone, perhaps one of the Russian companies or someone with a similar business model.

I have been a customer of Payplay for a few years, and when I signed for an account there they had only indie artists, first and foremost CDBaby bands, and had a neat "stumbleupon" option with one freely downloadable track for quite a few albums (one specific track), that you had to earn by logging on or reviewing.

Today I see their catalogue also cover mainstream artists, the design has changed and it looks pretty similar to the well known Russian sites, albeit with higher prices.

That's an avenue you might want to investigate, to see if that site has been taken over by someone more or less recently. Last time I visited it, a few weeks ago I think, it was the same old legal site I had been using for some years.

The changes from then to now are radical.

For those who might read this particular thread - an interesting update. The old, original and LEGAL payplay site still exists - with this addy: http://payplay.eu/

And their old web addy has been taken over by Russians.

Should be interesting to track down just what has happened in this case, if possible.

The puzzling bit is that the Russian site that has taken over the .fm URL has my account info from the original, legal site.

There's something rotten in the kingdom of payplay - to paraphrase Shakespeare.

Saw the PM, and sent you a good old fashioned email after that one. Then subsequently updated this thread with the most vital info - after all, others than us two that might take an interest in this case.

Indeed a worrying case. Basically, we have a site with dubious legality hijacking customers with an account at what they think is a legal site. When site name is in order and they can log in, how many would suspect that something is amiss?

Sounds like a rather nasty situation.  Hopefully it all gets worked out and the real site gets back to being the real site.  I've never used it, but I know that something like this can be a huge blow to credibility.  

Now the holday weekend is over, I've spoken to the BPI, they're speaking to the IFPI and hopefully something will happen.................but the cogs tend to turn slowly, and of course in the meantime these slimey gits are taking the cash off of innocent punters. 

I had a message back from them after I e-mailed them saying they will get back to me within 48 hours. I'll give them that and then call if I hear nothing.

I'm interested in how this turns out

it's like, PA: PI